'Fashion' is one of the most ambiguous yet delightful concepts I have come across. Before joining a Fashion Institute, it was a term not only alien to me but also to an extent avoidable. Avoidable, perhaps because I knew it quite superficially, never bothered to delve into the nitty-gritties involved in it, for the only concept I had been fed on, or that was presented before me was that of a ' Simple Living High Thinking' and 'Fashion' appeared to me in an absolute contradiction with the same.
And so it is to some extent.
If we are in any way influenced by the egalitarian view of life, 'Fashion' would easily appear to be nothing but a pompous display of wealth by those who are in possession of an excess of it. A bourgeoisie system that mocks upon the hungry billions that comprise two-thirds of the globe.
But hang on, is that not the case with art, music, literature? Dominated by the bourgeoisie, dependent on the elite for its mere survival.
One might argue that art, music or literature have been there since ages, signifying the uniqueness of human civilization, thriving at the very essence of human spirit, regardless of the distinctions of class....
That is very true...and so is the fact that if we shed our inhibitions, widen our perspective a little we will find that fashion has accomplished the same feat...
Fashion has more than anything else, reflected the time it has dwelled in, its mood, its psyche, often to the level of the common man.
It was the indomitable urge to be independent in thought and action which reflected in the form of khadi and swadeshi during the freedom movement...
It is the inconspicuous but inevitable presence of sari in our daily lives that made a nine yard fabric the fashion statement of the country on the global platform...
Endless examples can be cited...but what makes Fashion the most relevant in the recent times is the role it plays in building our economy and the potential it possesses in terms of providing livelihood to millions.
And so it is to some extent.
If we are in any way influenced by the egalitarian view of life, 'Fashion' would easily appear to be nothing but a pompous display of wealth by those who are in possession of an excess of it. A bourgeoisie system that mocks upon the hungry billions that comprise two-thirds of the globe.
But hang on, is that not the case with art, music, literature? Dominated by the bourgeoisie, dependent on the elite for its mere survival.
One might argue that art, music or literature have been there since ages, signifying the uniqueness of human civilization, thriving at the very essence of human spirit, regardless of the distinctions of class....
That is very true...and so is the fact that if we shed our inhibitions, widen our perspective a little we will find that fashion has accomplished the same feat...
Fashion has more than anything else, reflected the time it has dwelled in, its mood, its psyche, often to the level of the common man.
It was the indomitable urge to be independent in thought and action which reflected in the form of khadi and swadeshi during the freedom movement...
It is the inconspicuous but inevitable presence of sari in our daily lives that made a nine yard fabric the fashion statement of the country on the global platform...
Endless examples can be cited...but what makes Fashion the most relevant in the recent times is the role it plays in building our economy and the potential it possesses in terms of providing livelihood to millions.
