Michelle Salins takes a bite of the Big Apple

Michelle Salins is back, fresh from showcasing her collection at the New York Fashion week, 2011 (in the Emerging Fashion Designer category, too). And the excitement clearly hasn’t weaned off.

America calling

This was Michelle’s second time in the US Fashion week. She says, “My first show in the US was in Miami in March, 2010. Then, there was a trade show in September, 2010. The response at both the shows was overwhelming. And then, this year, I got invited to participate in the New York Fashion Week.” About becoming a regular fixture in the US, she reasons, “My silhouettes are very Western and I think that is what the Western audiences like about my designs and that is what is getting me all the appreciation.”

Blooming in NY

Tulips and music were the themes of her collection for the New York Fashion Week. On why she chose tulips, she recalls, “I’d gone to New York this April and while I have visited the city before, this was the first time I saw tulips. I was shocked. I then started walking around and saw the flowers in bloom everywhere I went. It was spring. That’s why, when I got invited to the fashion week, I decided to take tulips as the main theme. It was my way of saying that it was an opportunity for me to blossom in the city too,” she smiles.

From conceptualising the designs to getting the clothes runway-ready, it took her a mere three months. “Fact of the matter is, I already knew what I wanted to design for 2012. So, when I got invited to New York, I just had to improvise on the concept,” she shrugs.

It’s all mis en place

Recollecting the experience at the fashion week sends her off on a talking spree. “In New York, the fashion week is not held in one arena. Though the main venue is Lincoln Centre, the shows are spread across various venues in Manhattan. I had my show in mid-town Manhattan on a fashion night-out. Out of the 42 dresses in the line, I showcased 24 on the ramp.”

Describing the preparations that went into her fashion show at the Big Apple, she says, “The number of people involved in a show is staggering. For my show, I had to have a front-house agency which wholly takes care of the guests. So, right from inviting them to welcoming them and seating them, this agency takes care of it all. Then, there’s the PR agency that takes care of publicising and inviting the media to attend your show. You have a production guy managing the stage, you have a separate choreographer, a backstage crew and then you have a casting agency that hires models for the shows. You can’t directly hire any model, you have to do it only through the agency!”

Fashion is serious business

Taking part in America’s fashion weeks has taught her quite a bit about the business of fashion. Comparing the scenes between India and the US of A, she animatedly says, “In the US, fashion is s-e-e-rious business.” “We are getting there,” she quickly adds. But is the Indian fashion industry just as professional? She treads the safe path and says, “I think it would be arrogant on my part to state that we are any less professional. I am a part of the fashion fraternity here and I’ll say we are definitely getting there. What is different though  is that in the US, a fashion week is minus the frills. There are no show-stoppers and clothes are what it is all about,” she elaborates.

And did she have takers for her designs?

“I managed to sell jump-suits, dresses, jackets, knits et al, she reveals and if that’s not all, she will, in all likelihood, “start retailing from next year on in Neiman Marcus and a couple of smaller stores. There have been enquiries form other places too. It will all concretise next year.”

Michelle’s words of wisdom

Michelle is now ready to take on the mantle of a mentor. Here are her words of wisdom to every newbie fashion designer looking to make the cut. “I will advise every aspiring fashion designer to get into the business only if they were serious and passionate about fashion. It is not a pastime. And while we make people look glamourous, working in fashion is really not glamourous. It is a lot of hard work. So, get into it, only if you are ready and willing to put in at least 20 hours a day.