With the Van Heusen India Mens Week just days away, men seem to be bracing themselves up for the fashion extravaganza. Preparing to rub shoulders with experienced faces in the field, are eleven models, short-listed by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), who would be a part of the Mens Week for the first time.
While the models excitedly look up to this second edition as a great career opportunity, seems like the pay cheques they’ll be taking home is something they’re not too happy about.
Says Puneet, a young entrant, “I haven’t done many shows and I’m really excited that I got selected by the FDCI. It’s a great platform and will boost my career prospects, but the amount they’re paying us is much less than expected. Since it’s Mens Fashion week, I was hoping they would pay us more than the usual weeks, where women are in more numbers. But it is not so.”
Another model reveals that he is being paid half the amount he earns from individual shows. “It can’t get worse than this. They’re paying me only Rs 6,000 for a day, which is not even half the amount I earn otherwise,” says Rahul. So what drew him to the show? “I actually don’t care about the amount being so less, as I wanted to be a part of this and walk the ramp for industry’s best designers. It’s also a great way to get publicity and a platform to interact with well-known faces from the fashion industry. You never know which contact works for you,” he says.
Others, who are experienced and have walked the ramp at prestigious weeks in the past, feel that it’s the thrill of walking the ramp in a fashion week, which is only a year old, that draws them.
Says a model from Mumbai, “The package is much less than what I expected. In fact, I earn more in individual shows. For me, it’s about walking the ramp for Mens Fashion Week. I have walked for well-known designers in the past, but an event dedicated to Men’s fashion is exciting.”
When asked about the less pay packages for models, FDCI president Sunil Sethi clarified, “We want this week to be a great opportunity for young models and we are giving them money according to their market price. Within that, since we’re offering them many shows with some of the best designers, we do command a discount. This is a prevalent market practice.”
(Names have been changed on request)