By Prithwish Ganguly

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Embroidered and embellished high-end traditional Indian bridal outfits in silks and velvets by top designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee were well received on Sunday at the five-day Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai.

Mukherjee presented bridal clothes of India for a 2008 Spring Summer line.

"I wanted to create a couture line that was purely Indian and would attract buyers due to its Indianness," said Mukherjee.

"Our clothes have a rich cultural heritage. It is valued internationally."

Despite designers looking to experiment with Western silhouettes in the fashion week, most have created Indian traditional clothing for a domestic clientele.

"Today many designers are looking to participate in international fashion weeks and trying to sell their clothes globally but we are failing to understand that most of our buyers are from the domestic market," Mukherjee added.

The fashion week has seen designers experimenting with strong colours rather than seasonal whites and muted pastels.

However, the Mumbai fashion week, that presents 45 outfit designers this year, saw empty rows greeting the models and designers for the first three shows of the day.

Most A-list Bollywood actors were absent.

Day one of the extravaganza was Vikram Phadnis' who blended Western silhouettes on colourful traditional outfits.

"My clothes are practical and are sellable. Though they look exotic and colourful, they are easy on the eye," said Phadnis.