Fab India Expo Highlights Growing Interest In Indian Fashion And Culture
As Trinidad and Tobago continues its Divali celebrations, the Fab India Expo in Chaguanas is highlighting the growing interest in Indian fashion and traditions among people from diverse backgrounds.
Since its introduction in 2004, the Expo has grown into a major showcase, offering everything from authentic Indian wear and jewellery to shoes and other products.
Organiser Baba Singh said the event continues to attract customers from across the country’s diverse communities.
« We came in 2004. Since then we have been growing from nearly 4,000, 5,000 square feet. We are now at 40,000 square feet of display area. The total exhibition is over 80,000 square feet, which includes the restaurant and the furniture area. »
Beyond its wide range of products, the exhibition has become a space for cultural exchange, with people from different backgrounds embracing Indian fashion, particularly for special occasions.
« I’ve seen multicultural people come in and buying Indian garments. I have seen a lot of Indian descent, African descent. Now Spanish people have been walking inside the exhibitions, and they’re getting married to locals, and they come here for their bridals and all of them simply look beautiful. »
Mr Singh also praised the way T&T celebrates Divali, saying the elaborate decorations and lighting reflect the country’s appreciation for the festival and its traditions.
« Divali in Trinidad is better than Divali in India. The way they decorate their houses, the streets, the deyas, that looks like really where Lord Rama is walking on the street coming to Ayodhya and I haven’t seen those arrangements in India. Where I come from, I come from the metropolitan city and I haven’t seen these kind of arrangements. It’s beautiful right here. And I love every Divali festival that I celebrate here. »
He said the exhibition continues to enjoy strong customer support, with sales and overall business activity better than during last year’s Divali season.
« We always have an up. We have never gone downwards. This year is better as last year. So every time we do every Divali is going upwards. And for us, business never stopped. We did very well here in Trinidad. The whole year was very nice for us. »
While Divali remains a major shopping period, the Fab India Expo operates on a seasonal schedule that allows exhibitors to refresh their collections and bring new designs to local customers.
« It’s across the year. So we never stop. It’s never that we expand for Divali and reduce for other time. No. So we, Fab India Expo, specifically opens in March and closes in November. And then for three months, everybody takes a break, and then they come back with new designs because they have to go back to their designers. They have to create new stuff. As I said, Trini woman does not like to see again what they have seen last year. »
