An Azara creation that will be part of Bridal Asia exhibition in Calcutta

Bridal Asia, the country’s fanciest wedding extravaganza, is back in town after nearly a five-year gap. The exhibition on August 9 and 10 will be held at Hyatt Regency, Calcutta. t2 caught up with Divya Gurwara, CEO, to find out more...

It’s been 11 years for Bridal Asia. How was it when you first began?

Everyone was apprehensive when we first began. The industry was at a nascent stage. People had money power but were apprehensive about meeting designers. We started at the right time and today we have broken barriers and established ourselves as a strong wedding forum. We started as an exhibition-organising company and the idea was to tap an industry that was either booming or about to boom.

How does Bridal Asia stand apart from the other wedding extravaganzas in the country?

I don’t want to talk about anything else. All I can say is that everyone has a market. The Bridal Asia clientele has an eye for fashion and we have a design-oriented forum. We are not about the price points on the garments displayed, our designs tell a certain story, in style.

How do you decide the mix of labels? Is the focus on upcoming labels or established ones?

We try to see that every region is represented and the city mix is well balanced. Some of our designers show at Lakme Fashion Week, some at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and others we have sourced. There is a good balance between senior designers and upcoming labels, too. There is no formula but what we look out for is quality.

Who are your favourite Calcutta designers?

I have worked closely with senior designers like Sabyasachi, Anamika, Kiran and Monapali. I have also worked with younger labels like Nupur Kanoi, Pallavi Singhee and Vasundhara. It’s beautiful to see the seniors promoting the next generation here. Calcutta designers, because of their relative pricing and exquisite workmanship, are sell-outs at Bridal Asia.

Finally, why did you skip Calcutta for so many years?

Nothing specific, really. We were focussed on the Delhi event. We are very happy to bring the Bridal Asia preview to Calcutta because most trousseaus are incomplete without a shopping trip to Calcutta!

so, many people couldn’t make it from Calcutta to Delhi for the event so we decided to come there.