New Delhi, April 1 -- When actor Kareena Kapoor Khan took the stage on 30 March in Mumbai to close the five-day Lakme Fashion Week, in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India and Reliance, she made it point to pay tribute to everyone behind the scenes. "The real icons are fashion stylists, make-up artists, hair stylists, choreographers and the 60 smashingly hot fashion models who are backstage... fashion week is not about us actors walking the finales, it's about each and every one of them who've been backstage. We owe it to them."

She's right. A fashion show is a collective effort of hundreds of minds, and an effort to influence the way the country dresses for months to come. What her speech missed, though, was one import...