Amid the sea of heads, one could see the shimmer of sequins sewn on garments; some kaleidoscope prints on palazzo pants and skirts, mannequins with elaborate neck pieces and a bit of gentle coaxing by the buyers to lower prices. From ethnic wear to
Over 100 upcoming designers exhibited their latest collections at the tenth edition of Runway Rising — a fashion and lifestyle exhibition — curated by entrepreneur Ramola Bachchan.
“The idea behind Runway Rising was to create a platform to showcase young talent from all over India and also let the larger public see what the young people are doing. There surely is a lot of talent out there, lovely clothes, great prices and it's also a great shopping experience,” Bachchan tells us.
She along with her team screened the designers but, “there weren’t any stringent rules since most of them are just starting out and need to be given an opportunity”.
Every year, numbers of fresh designers from various institutes enter the industry and only a few make it big. An intervention or different platforms to give the rest a thrust is the need of the hour.
“Exhibitions can be a very good medium for them because they can pay for a space for one day, make good sales and move to the next exhibition. Some of the designers are only doing this and not get into the hassle of paying other overhead costs like monthly rent, paying the staff they would hire, et al. Plus, many of them don’t have workshops and work out of their homes,” Bachchan states.
Any initiative by the Government is welcome but it has more serious issues to focus on like education, she feels.
Bachchan, who also curated a high-end multi-designer store in Juhu called Dvar, agrees that young designers often feel the pressure to live up to the standards set up by other established designers.
“Of course they feel the heat now, as compared to when the senior designers started off which was probably an easier environment for them to make a mark. Today it is a highly competitive environment and I’m sure most people set standards for themselves where they want to excel and compete with the best which I think is a good thing because it would help create more talent,” she asserts.
Bachchan returned to Delhi in 2007 after spending nearly 20 years in london where, too, she was the czarina of the Asian socialite set. Mumbai was to be her home but a business opportunity paved way for her to settle here and she says “it feels like home”.
“I never really had any issues coming back because I used to come and go all the time and it was a conscious decision that I made to move here. When I did, my children had left home and it seemed like the right time to reconnect with my own country. When I hear complaints about the roads, potholes and the heat, it makes me laugh because I feel those people are not looking at what India is, the soul of India. I looked at the positives and I also came here at a very good time because that was when India was really opening up its market. I’ve seen so many changes in the 7-8 years that I’ve been here. Today every conceivable brand is available here and you don’t need to go abroad to shop,” the socialite shared.