Woes in vogue

While before the downturn,models commanded anything between Rs 6000-9000 daily for a fashion show,these days,it’s down to Rs 2000. “That’s a pittance when compared to what models were offered earlier. Recently,our models had an offer to shoot for a TV serial in Mumbai for a month. But since the asking price couldn’t go beyond Rs 2000,it was not possible to take up that project,” adds Dharma.

The same refrain is found among city-based models,most of whom say that even during the best of times,business in Pune is slack. To add to it,the recession has made matters worse. “These days,designers are not in a position to pay models as business is really slack. Even if they do pay up,it’s after a lot of delay,” says model Bharat Sharma. He says that with an exclusive Men’s Fashion Week scheduled in July,things might just look up,but till then,the going will be tough. “The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) will be holding a three-day-long Men’s Fashion Week in July in Delhi. However,that’s still far off and till then,it’s tough times ahead,” he adds.

Even during the best of times,male models have it really tough and with the recession well-entrenched,things are only going from bad to worse. However,even for female models,it’s a rocky road ahead,for,as model Pragya Jaiswal puts it,“Whether it’s fashion shows or TV commercials,there are hardly any new projects coming up. Recession has affected work to a large extent.”

However,it’s not all hard luck in the glamour world. Pune-based model Aubaid Wani says things are not as gloomy as being portrayed. “I’m mostly into photo-shoots and here,there’s not much of a change from last year. Work is regular and the money is decent,” he adds.

However,for a majority of the fashion fraternity,it’s about the most testing times they have seen of late. With fingers crossed and a prayer on their lips,they hope to once again go back to leading ‘a model life’.