As Fashion Design Council of India selects 11 models who would be walking the ramp for their forthcoming show, Riya Sharma checks out behind-the-ramp drama. Designers share that an ideal candidate should be versatile whereas models talk about the efforts they put in
For a model, it is not a child’s play to walk the ramp. In reality, they put in a lot of effort and do their part to make it look best for a designer.
About ten years ago, came a revolution in the history of television. It was the golden period of reality shows, from Big Brother to Masterchef, the new audience glued to whatever that was real and not scripted. During the same time, supermodel Tyra Banks brought the lives of supermodels on screen. With her show, America’s Top Model, she chose to show the struggles, competitions and hurdles that a model has to face during the course of becoming a supermodel.
Anyone who is familiar with the Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie Fashion will know the real picture beyond the penultimate ‘ramp walk.’ We know of successful models like Noyonika Chatterjee and Carol Gracias but not many know of the real picture. At a recent event organised by FDCI, 11 aspiring models were given their ticket to walk the ramp at the forthcoming Amazon India Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2016.
A long queue of lean, long and young women in subtle make-up leading to the counter of their measurements were our first sight when we entered the venue. “What is your size, height, foot size et al,” were the questions that were asked as the first pre-requisites of the long day event. After being cross-checked with their measurements and given a number and the group, the models were patiently made to wait.
When we entered the waiting room we saw a bevy of beauties waiting for their turn to show their charisma. Seeing them putting on makeup and adjusting their dress every few seconds, we concluded that a mirror is a girl’s best friend, not a diamond. Some of them were busy giving the final touch to their make-up and some were occupied to get their walk right.
In between the opening and closing of three doors where they were made to sit, one could see models practicing their cat walk from one door to another. Even a simple move like may be tying up their hair in a bun was equivalent for a perfect shot.
Amid all this, we managed to have a little chat with ace choreographer Vidyun Singh and designers Paras Bairoliya and Amit Aggarwal. When we asked them, what are they looking for in a model, Singh replied, “There is a wide range of perfect clothes-it’s not about good looks. What we are looking for is a leaner, younger and longer body.” Aggarwal added, “The selected ones should be versatile, it’s a fashion week and you have all kind of clothes. We are looking for someone who can aesthetically fit into the clothes.”
As personality, poise and confidence are pre-requisites, Paras informed us that with this collection, the face would be the representation for six seasons. “It is actually like replacing hanger with a body and through this medium they are reaching to a mass audience. So it is important to be confident of the outfit with regard to who is wearing it,” he pointed out.
We were asked to wrap up as the practice session had to start right after. Models were given a briefing on how they need to walk and not to mention, but they were repeatedly told to be confident. They were clearly told to ‘be simple, confident and calm’. Each group had eight girls and there were six groups. A clear demarcation was made and they were advised to walk only on the boundary. One of the turn-offs for the jury was also a girl’s inability to follow the simple instructions, we were told.
The jury comprised of veteran designers Ashish Soni, Rohit Gandhi Paras Bairoliya and Amit Aggarwal, choreographers Aparna Bahl and Vidyun Singh along with loud music to go, perfect ligting and two seat rows opposite to each other, we were ready to witness the audition.
After the first round, some were lucky to get selected for the second round and some were left heartbroken as they had to go back home. “There are a lot more events now which was not the scene 10 years ago. There were a handful of girls who would walk the ramp for the few shows that were organised then,” said Paras.
After hearing the jury’s side of the story, we wanted to know what does it actually mean for aspirants while they are being judged. “The first thing that you notice in auditions, is the personality of other girls. You tend to compare yourself with her by her walk, confidence and body language,” said Sonali, an aspirant.
She added that those who think that it is easier to get into the field should know, “ a lot of effort goes in while you are being judged for a fashion show. I practice at home, record my videos, ask others to give their inputs just to get that right walk. Not only this, I watch videos on YouTube and notice how models are standing, what is the right posture and get the right body language,” she said.
“It is not an easy task when you are in the limelight and 100 people are scanning you,” she shared and added that there are times when you walking on the ramp and can’t see anyone because of the overhead lights. But you can’t afford to make a slightest mistake as people have their eyes on you.”
Before the second round, we managed get hold of designer Rohit Gandhi who told us that though events like these are giving girls a platform to enter the fashion industry. But, at the same time, men find it really difficult to enter the field. “They leave their jobs behind for their passion but due to lack of opportunities, they struggle and that really affects me,” said Gandhi.
Gandhi told us that for this fashion week, they are looking for models who have the right fit. “We are looking for models that have a standardised fit. In this particular fashion week, there are western clothes so we can’t take a model who has a heavy derrière. That can work for Indian clothing but not here,” he adds, “For a designer, a pretty face doesn’t matter. We look for a body type that can make our garment look the best.”
Talking about the prominence of foreign models in fashion weeks and also in the audition, he said, “They are only of one season. They don’t get work visa every season. From a pool of 48 models we are only taking nine. We also to give a mix of looks. A lot of talent in Delhi show up for one season and then move to Mumbai. We have all the good Delhi talent moving to Mumbai. We have a budget and we can’t fly down so many models from Mumbai so we have to suffer. There’s more work for them in Mumbai— acting, TV, et al. eventually they move after one show. We have to take whatever we have then.”
After the second round, the models were asked to walk again but this time they were asked to walk twice — one at a faster pace and then slower. In this round, the judges were seen interacting with the girls and giving their inputs and cross-checking their measurements.
As the day came to an end, the wait was finally over. The jury, after a careful examination and scanning, announced the names of girls who would walk the ramp to be held in the capital from October 7-11.
photos Sanjeev Kumar