Fashion is a serious business. But that’s not how it’s portrayed in the media, feel fashion experts. As Madhur Bhandarkar finalises plans for a sequel to his film Fashion, the fashion industry wants a few things to be touched upon and given a correct portrayal.
“Fashion was well made. However, when you make a movie, you exaggerate to put your point across and Madhur did precisely that. And if you think about it, Fashion generalised the basic stereotypes in the fashion industry. Hence, the concepts of a ‘gay’ designer and ‘supermodel’, that are passé today. But no one’s talking about the hard work that actually goes into the show,” says Divya Gurwara, CEO, Bridal Asia.
Designer Gaurav Gupta says that the media only presents the glam side of it, taking little note of what goes into putting up a collection. According to him, it’s time for the Indian media to learn their lessons in fashion. “Fashion is not just about sex and body, as presented in the media. I found Madhur Bhandarkar’s film tacky. It was sensationalised and very surfaced. Fashion is much more interesting and fun. There is a serious lack of knowledge about fashion in media. I think what we need is a balance between voyeurism and culture. We need to focus on the developments in the fashion business,” he says.
Most designers feel there’s no one talking about the business aspect of fashion. From the labourers who put in their best to put up the shows, to the effort that designing clothes requires, designer Shantanu Mehra feels there’s a dearth of serious fashion knowledge. “Fashion is a serious investment. Why don’t we talk about the various parameters which fashion is nurtured on? For instance, there is no retail presence for small designers. Who knows how they manage after making their presence felt just in a few shows on the runway? There’s no one asking us about the effort labourers put in or how unglamorous fashion really is,” he says.
Sce designer Ritu Kumar says, “There’s sheer hard work behind the scenes. But all the media talks about are the socialites and celebs who are a part of the show.”