MUMBAI: The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the apex body of the Indian fashion design industry has announced the full schedule for Lakme India Fashion Week with Liberty (LIFWL) 2003. The event kicks off on Friday and runs between 18 -24 July at the NCPA auditorium complex in Mumbai. Sony Entertainment Television is the official broadcaster for India's foremost fashion trade event.

Each day will kick off with a two hour seminar on Business of Fashion at 11 am. Each day there will be five designer shows at 1 pm, 3 pm 5 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm.

Fifty seven designers from across the country will showcase their Pr?t-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) or diffusion (a line between ready-to-wear and couture) collections The ramp shows are bifurcated into "Solo" or "2-Designer" shows and a total of 35 shows are scheduled through the week. These shows will be interspersed with interactive seminars and workshops related to make-up, style trends, and other fashion-related topics.

At 2 pm, DHL will organise another series of seminars every day highlighting the synergies between fashion and logistics management. Lakme Lever and Liberty will conduct a series of workshops with international and national beauty and style experts at 4 pm every afternoon through the week. Lakme will have three workshops titled Watercolours, Water Kissed Skin and Colour Drench andColour Spray. Liberty meanwhile will have four Feet into the World of Fashion workshops.

While Liberty will be showcasing their international range of lifestyle products for winter 2003 through an exclusive fashion show Liberty Revolution on 20 July , the Lakme Grand Finale unveiling the title sponsor's Fashion Statement for the year will mark the culmination of the event, with leading designers Wendell Rodricks and Hemant Trevedi.

LIFWL 2003 is expected to have over 15,000 visitors.