chandigarh ludhiana has long looked up to chandigarh for the latest fashion trends but not any more lack of organised retail space in chandigarh and the availability of a large clientele in punjab has prompted as many as 15 fashion designers of international repute to book retail space in ludhiana very soon it would be the avant garde punjabis who would set the fashion trends in the region among the first ones to open a store early next year in ludhiana will be designer duo rohit gandhi and rahul khanna their 1100 sq feet store will soon open in a mall says designer rahul khanna we decided on ludhiana as chandigarh didnt have proper retail space designated to designer line of clothes also chandigarh doesnt have any mall at the moment designer rana gill who currently runs boutiques in delhi and mumbai would also open a store in ludhiana the designer who hails from majitha says punjab is as modern and stylish as delhi is and people here are more than willing to splurge on style deepaki gehani who recently launched her fallwinter collection at samsaara in chandigarh plans to open stores in ludhiana and amritsar for her this would mean catering to a wider clientele and reaching out to nris who frequent ludhiana while ritu kumar renu nigam vasari and satya paul have already ventured into the ludhiana market wendell rodricks and aparna chandra are also planning to do so with their designer labels with so many fashion designers gearing up to cater to the city it is little wonder that in one of the upcoming malls the entire ground floor has been reserved for the display and sale of designer collections in fact designer houses villa appearances and first appearance have already booked space here undoubtedly an increasing number of fashion designers are opening stores in tier ii and iii cities certainly designers have realised the tremendous potential that exists in the readytowear segment and want to tap the cashrich punjab market for the fashion conscious people of ludhiana this means the availability of a wider choice at their doorsteps