New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) With an eclectic mix of 130 designers from all over the country and 43 shows, the 15th edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), set to unfold in the capital Wednesday is getting bigger and assures usual opulence and business ringing for the fashionistas.

It is for the first time that so many designers are participating in this business-to-business five-day event that starts here at the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) grounds in Okhla Industrial Area. The event will start early and there will be a minimum of eight shows a day.

'Our sole aim is to get more and more business for our designers. The more the number of designers who participate and exhibit at the WIFW, the more business opportunities they create,' Sunil Sethi, president of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), organiser of the mega fashion event, told IANS.

'Many new designers from all over the country are participating for the first time. This makes the event a pan-India affair. We want to tell the world that this is the biggest business platform,' he added.

For the autumn-winter edition, many top-notch designers like JJ Valaya, Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Kumar, Rocky S, Ritu Beri and Ranna Gill are participating in the event but at the same time some prominent names like Rohit Bal and Manish Arora are missing.

'Everyone asks me why Rohit and Manish are not participating? They are, but they have their stalls in the exhibition areas. It's just a matter of choice,' Sethi said.

Other designers who will be seen showcasing their collections are Nida Mahmood, Atsu, Alpana-Neeraj, Ashima-Leena, Kavita Bhartia, Gaurav Gupta, Vineet Bahl, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Payal Jain, Niki Mahajan, Abraham & Thakore and Nandita Basu, among others.

As many as 19 new designers will make their debut at the WIFW. Eight of them will be showcasing their collections on the ramp.

Among the debutant designers are Nandita Mahtani, who was earlier dating model-actor Dino Morea, and well-known TV actress Neena Gupta's daughter Masaba.

Others who will show their designs on the ramp include Shilpa Chavan (Little Shilpa), Arjun Saluja (Rishta), Chandrani Singh Fllora, Kartikeya & Isha (Dozak), Smriti and Shreya & Nirali (Shrea).

Those who will showcase their designs for the first time at WIFW stalls include Nakul Sen, Akaaro-Gaurav Gupta, Ekta Singh, Ajit Kumar (5X), Divyam Mehta, Anand Bhushan, Shikha Sharma and Naveen Dohare.