Twinkle Twinkle Brittle Star

The first edition of the Kolkata Fashion Week saw just four city models taking part in the event. Most other models were flown down from Mumbai and Delhi. Following the feathers ruffled then,the organizers chose 20 male and female models for the second edition of the fashion week in the city. Interestingly,while the first screening was done by professionals from Elite Model Management,the next edition saw organizers and local model coordinators step in for the selection process. Though nobody is screaming it out from rooftops,it is clear that national agencies find a serious problem in the grooming of local models. “You have to learn the walk,understand camera angles. We all learnt it the while working,but it helps if someone could guide you when you enter the industry,” says Pinky. But grooming schools are hardly a thing to trust in Kolkata say industry veterans. “At times these schools recruit trainers who have not been B-grade models in the city itself. What can you learn from them,” says Gomes.

And finally,it boils down to the moolah that is as measly as a teenager’s monthly allowance at times. “The market is quite small here and models don’t get paid a lot,” says supermodel Noyonika Chatterjee,who has groomed girls across the country. Also,there’s a certain degree of discrimination working against local models,which makes it difficult to climb up the ladder. “Take for example the KFW II. Most of the local models walked for new,unknown designers. Two or three models walked for A-list designers,” says model Bidita Bag,who shuttles between Mumbai and Kolkata. Bag alleges that most A-list models in the city stayed away from the KFW ramp due to price problems. “Some city models were paid as less as Rs 2000. But they flew in models from Delhi/Mumbai in executive class and put them up at 5-stars,” says Bag. Chatterjee agrees that clients in the city refuse to invest in local models. “As a result it becomes difficult for them to sustain the kind of lifestyle that makes a model visible. You have to wear fashionable clothes,shoes,carry nice bags. And they don’t come cheap,” says Chatterjee. Even after grooming Chatterjee has seen girls fall back on a pattern of what they were initially. “Several aspiring models come from suburbs. When they return home,they can’t maintain the wardrobe,style that you can in the city. And most of these girls fail to juggle two different environments,” explains Chatterjee. It’s not all rosy elsewhere says Bidita. But opportunities don’t come with the city you were born in,the people you have worked with. “At least they let you audition for an ad or a shoot. If you are good,you’ll get work,” she says. Hope the city’s listening.