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The stylish revolutionaries
Updated On: 24 April, 2015 08:25 AM IST | | Dhara Vora
<p>April 24 is marked as Fashion Revolution Day, to provide transparency in retail chains, and a face to countless people — from factory workers to artisans, who support the industry. Taking cue, we invited six young city designers to discuss the hurdles, the highs, and why change is vital</p>
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Q. Are Indian craftsmen getting enough recognition? Is their work being showcased?
A. Tanya Sharma: There are certain designers who are working towards this. Like Aneeth Arora, who works with craftsmen, T-shirt brand, No Nasties, their main focus is fair trade and organic cotton. All designers can't work towards that because each has a different working technique, but it definitely is happening.
Rixi Bhatia: It's vital to educate the masses about the origins of our fabric. The Indian consumer doesn't take to Indian fabrics, and considers them as artsy. Many designers opt for retail fabric.
Rixi Bhatia, Nikhil Thampi, Tanya Sharma, Karan Berry, Nishka Lulla and Leon Vaz. Pic/Satyajit Desai
Q. Apart from traditional artisans, are masterjis and embroiderers getting their due?
A. Nikhil Thampi: Our lives revolve around them. Tanya: My master comes to see my shows each time. When I skip Fashion Week, he asks, "Paise ka problem hai? Mein du paise!" Rixi: They are more important than anyone else in our lives. If they are working in-house for us, and if I can speak for everybody in this room, they are given due credit, monetary as well as emotionally. It's like one big family. There are ups and downs, they have issues and problems with us but at the end of the day we know that we are nothing without them. Leon Vaz: The onus is on designers to be responsible for them. Though when compared to global markets, we don't have a regulating body to maintain standards such as minimum wages, working conditions, etc. When 1,000 workers were killed in Bangladesh it brought worldwide attention to their plight. There is no fraternity to help new designers to understand labour or advertising, laws, taxes and marketing.
Karan Berry: Everybody is doing their bit. But things can change if forces unite. I feel India's fashion bigwigs must lead the path. When you go to factories outside the city, you can't even stand there for a minute, and to think that these people work there for hours on end.
Leon: We work for the passion of the job, but for them, it's money. The time they are spending away from the family is for money. We can do all-nighters; if they are doing it, they need to be compensated.
Rixi: Even if we want to help artisans, we don't know how to do it and whom to connect with.
Karan: If a designer does a collection based on a particular craft, there is encouragement, but it fizzles out later.
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