New Delhi, Apr 24 (IANS): Fashion brand Van Heusen has launched its exclusive couture line that will have the signature style of established fashion designers.

Van Heusen is the main sponsor of India's first Men's Fashion Week - Van Heusen India Men's Week (VHIMW) - which is being organised by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). The designers doing grand finale will be crafting an exclusive collection for the fashion brand.

This year, designer duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna of label Cue have crafted their signature line for the fashion brand and according to them, it is a fantastic idea to make designer fashion available for the masses.

"People think that designer fashion is not accessible. It is a wrong notion and with the help of Van Heusen, we are trying to change it. So we are offering you fashion straight from the ramp to the rack," Rohit told IANS at the launch of the Couture Van Heusen line here Saturday.

The collection is based on the theme "Hypernature" that the designer duo had showcase at the grand finale of VHIFW in September 2009.

So why did the line take so much time to hit the stores?

"Well it was a spring/summer collection and this was the best time to launch the line," said Shital Mehta, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Van Heusen.

Mehta also pointed out that even though manufacturing of the garments has been done at their plants, the designer duo have seen the final product personally before it hit the racks.

"The line is not only designed by these designers, it also has their name on it. Hence they have made sure that quality of these products is perfect," explained Mehta.

Mehta also hinted that from coming season, they will release couture lines based on seasons and will give also other designers an opportunity to craft more such lines.

"Well, the whole idea of this initiative is to help designers reach out to more people. So, while the grand finale designer will bring out exclusive collections with us, we will rope in more designers to churn out seasonal collections," said Mehta.

This is not the first time that a fashion brand is teaming up with designers to turn out an exclusive line.

Wills Lifestyle, the main sponsor of FDCI's flagship event - Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) - has been retailing the signature collections of the grand finale designers since 2006.