Intl Fair to put Mumbai on World Beauty Map

Beauties of the world unite. At Mumbai's World Trade Centre. Come November, top beauty professionals and companies will be converging in the beauty, health and fashion capital of India, on the occassion of "Beauty and Health India - 2001," the country's first international trade fair in the sector.

The trade fair, from November 28 to 30, is an adaptation of the trendsetting German "Beauty World" fair, and is being brought here by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Germany's renowned trade fair organisers Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

World renowned models, beauty and health experts, including Europe's renowned hair stylist Udo Walz, will be participating in the fair covering perfumery, toiletries, cosmetics, hairdressers, hairstylists, skin care and health Care, Ms Shammi Nagpal, managing director, Messe Frankfurt India told ET.

Approximately 35 companies from seven countries would be participating in the fair. "The fair will provide the Indian beauty and health industry with an international platform for business and give the international industry a chance to present its products to a vast market. The fair is a direct result of Messe Frankfurt’s global strategy for Beauty World fairs and would take place along the same lines, she said.

"With recent exposure to international brands, and Indian girls winning world beauty contests, and more leisure and money on people's hands, beauty has become much sought after concept in Indian culture once again. With beauty business looking up, we decided to bring the German fair here. Mumbai, being the country's fashion and style capital, was the obvious choice," said Ms Nagpal.

The star attraction is expected to be Europe’s celebrated hairstylist and "Figaro" of Berlin city Udo Walz, who boats of clientele like Hollywood stars Jodie Foster, Melanie Griffith, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangilista, the Princesses of Prussia and Belgium, the prima donnas of the Berlin Opera, billionaries like Gabrielle Hencel and Sonia Ingenwerth, Marlene Dietrich, Christina Onassis.

Walz will be conducting daily workshops during the fair, which will also include make-up workshops by international artists like Clarins of France, and fitness demos, a fashion show by country's leading fashion designers.

There will be a session on Tahitian Noni Juice and Aryuvedic medicine by Morinda Inc's Rowland McKindlay, whose clients include some of the world’s best known brands of Amway, Avon, BMW, Bristol Myer, IBM, Novartis, Procter and Gamble and Unilever. Dr Med Helga Stolze, of Praevomed, a commercial drug and cosmetic company dealing with scientifically based health food and special dermato-cosmetics, is also expected to make a presentation.