For a Maximalist whose mantra is “More is More” to say “Too Much” takes a lot and yet the plethora of Fashion weeks makes my conversion to minimalism instantaneous.
We have an overkill of senseless shows in very city, town and village. Eek after eek, one weirder than the next and not so wonderful. From bridal to cruise, from Mumbai to Gangtok. It seems every booze company, construction giant, fly by night operator and their third cousin twice removed is getting in on the action and hosting their own event. It’s a blooming epidemic. And each one does nothing but a disservice to both individual designers as well as the industry at large.
India is no stranger to high fashion or for that matter, luxury goods. We have a centuries-old legacy as both producers and consumers where both are concerned. What is still nascent is our being organised as an industry. We are still at the crawling stage. Brands and businesses are built over decades. And they require massive injections of both capital and infrastructure. For Brand India to be a force to be reckoned with we need to stand united. To build a cohesive strategy and present a single face to the global and domestic market.
The primary purpose of any Fashion week is business. It isn’t an excuse for a few days of partying with the glamour of glad rags and gorgeous girls thrown in for entertainment. Put simply, the glut of fashion creates nothing but fatigue in the media and dilution where buyers’ interest/attendance is concerned. And what you are left with is lowered impact and depleted business. The other fatal side effect is quality control. A fashion week ought to premiere the best talent and new collections.
When designers participate in dozens of em, willy nilly, it’s the same old being regurgitated. And that is the death knell of creativity.
It’s easy to understand why most do it. The money being offered is tempting to say the very least.
And when the economy is on the downturn, easy moolah is hard to refuse. But as senior designers and veterans of the game, it isn’t about taking the easy route. It is about standing one’s ground and upholding standards of excellence, for one’s own creativity as well as a commitment and loyalty towards the fraternity. We need to lead the way and say no to temptation because we must look beyond short-term gain and see the long-term harm being done to both quality as well as the future of the High Fashion Industry.
There ought to be only one industry body with one fashion week property that is attended by as many heavyweights as possible, be they buyers or editors or clientele. We need to showcase the best of India’s design talent in the best manner possible. A blitzkrieg of Eeks will do nothing to put brand India where it belongs. On the Global Map.
