ALMARI.COM PAYS TRIBUTE

AFTERNOON DESPATCH & COURIER, 14/04/00

Almari.com, the latest fashion and lifestyle vartal to hit the dot com industry, was launched last night by promoters Aditya Kilachand, Sachin Shah and Vivek Bhargava.

The event was a fashion show held on the lawns of the US Consulate at Breach Candy. Amidst stringent security, it was attended by riot only the city's glitterati, but a modicum of the media as well, causing the 500-plus guest-list to spill over to 800.

Almari.com promises to vastly improve access to industry-related information and open up various business opportunities as well. The company's objective is to be the largest provider of the industry buzz, trends and information. The site also provides a service whereby buyers can virtually 'try on designer clothes by simply entering in their vital statistics and various hair-styles.

For the first time more than 50 of the country's top. designers carne together on one platform. Twenty of Bombay's leading citizens took to the ramp to display these designers' outfits.

A giant cupboard (almari) facade was built on the stage that served as an entrance for tIle model. The first one to take the stage was none other than Aditya Kilachand's mother, the celebrity author and columnist Shobha De who had put together the entire evening:

"The show is not only a tribute to fashion but also a tribute to the city - a city of glamour and razzmatazz and a city that recognises a good cause," she said.

The garments were later sold through a silent auction. Some of the garments will be auctioned through the website www.almari.com, the benefits of which will go to the Cancer Patient's Aid Association (CPAA).