Stumbling on the catwalk

THERE IS MUCH sound, but little stuff in India's fashion business. Much like our cinema - whose makers have been beating the drums from the rooftops saying that their films are runaway successes in the West, whereas the truth is that they are hits merely with the expatriate Indian communities there, and which by itself is not surprising given the fact that only a few Hindi movies travel across - our fashion is a lot of hype. Let us not forget that it is serious business not just in the West, but also in countries such as Japan and China, where standards are so high that only the very best survive. Mr. Hemant Sagar, the only Indian couturier in the exclusive Paris-based club of designers, had to recently close shop and declare himself insolvent. There have been other Indian designers who opened boutiques abroad only to pull down the shutters a little later. Reports of Ms. Ritu Beri taking Paris by storm may be similarly misleading for a variety of reasons.

Whatever they are, India's fashion gurus have been selling prohibitively expensive wear, and calling it ``haute couture''. It is not that, certainly not. But, worse, it is badly produced, and often with inferior material. And, many of the stylists concentrate on Western outfits, imagining that this is what will sell under a designer tag and for a fancy price. But now that the economy has opened up, and travel has become easier, the Indian man and woman realise that they can pick up much better stuff elsewhere than in upmarket Delhi or Mumbai. It is also less expensive. And, if a designer were to imagine that he or she can capture the world market by embellishing essentially Western dresses with ``zari'' or ``stones'', nothing can be farther from the truth. China and Japan, for instance, walked global ramps on the strength of their own individual ethnicity. Also, sad but quite true, a lot of what is Indian enjoys an initial draw because of the curiosity value. Yes, this is an excellent opening which must be backed by genuinely classy clothes.

India has yards and yards to go here. There is hardly any experiment, and the industry suffers from a severe resource crunch. Much of what comes out of this stable is badly tailored and horrendously styled. The term ``finish'' does not exist in the nation's fashion dictionary. The colours are garish, there is little harmony in prints, and the quality of fabrics is pathetic. There is no corporate infrastructure, and this is what was emphasised during a meet in New Delhi last year. Unless mills support designers and help them with marketing, fashion will stumble on the catwalk. Equally important, it is high time that greater attention was paid to the ``pret'' line. There is enough of evening wear. What the people may well seek now are smart fits for work, and at affordable rates. Most of the international fashion houses such as Christian Dior or Versace have huge businesses in this section. In India, the development has been lopsided. One expects that the ``Fashion Week'', to be held in Mumbai in August, will address these, and envisage ways of bringing style to the streets. Otherwise, fashion will remain as elusive and as meaningless as it is now.

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