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Journalism of Courage
The new Fashion Design Council of India FDCI, set up with the assistance of the National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT to promote fashion as an industry, has Mumbai8217;s designers already questioning the organisation8217;s efficacy. With just four of the 16 founding members representing Mumbai and an obvious communication gap between NIFT8217;s Mumbai and Delhi branches, it is already shadowed with controversy.
Of the 16 founding members, 10 are from Delhi, one from Calcutta, one from Bangalore and four from Mumbai. However, the fact is, Wendell Rodericks is a Goa-based designer, they argue, which actually leaves Mumbai with just three representatives 8211; Sandeep Khosla, Hemant Trevedi and Shahab Durazi.
Leading designer Anna Singh wrote to NIFT8217;s Executive Director, Saptharishi, in Delhi last month, asking him to ensure that the FDCI does not glorify a few select designers but gives the fashion world its due representation.
Joining issue is Arjun Khanna, who has also written to NIFT, raising doubts overthe selection process, which took place in Delhi a couple of months ago.
Though the FDCI feels the industry can be promoted only if the talents of designers from all over the country coalesce, the organisation appears to have overlooked one little detail 8211; the importance of fostering goodwill and cooperation among their ranks. Offending the sensibilities of a section of its members will only be self-defeating, designers point out.
Moreover, though Delhi8217;s 10 designers appear to be properly clued in, Mumbai8217;s representatives feel the FDCI has been much too casual in its approach. Trevedi says he had no clue he had been appointed to the founding committee till he received a telephone call from Singh. 8220;We have been told nothing. We were neither apprised of who the committee comprises nor who was responsible for the selection,8221; he says.
Both Trevedi and Durazi were invited to meet NIFT8217;s executive director last week, during the latter8217;s visit to Mumbai. However, neither could make it. 8220;They only gave mea day8217;s notice and I was already busy,8221; Durazi points out. Though Durazi thinks the FDCI is a good idea he feels the selection process for the founding committee and its composition is tainted with prejudice. 8220;Designers should not have been involved in the selection process. There is a lot of bias within the industry. And the founding committee should not only consist of designers but also manufactures, journalists and merchandisers,8221; he explains. Trevedi agrees. 8220;It is not only designers who make up the fashion industry,8221; he states.
Worse, NIFT, Delhi, appears to have excluded its Mumbai branch from the scheme of things. While the former is not talking to the press about the FDCI at the moment, its director in Mumbai, Amar Dutta, was unable to help. 8220;The whole thing is being dealt with by Delhi and it all still in the preliminary stages,8221; he told Express Newsline.
But Delhi-based Ravi Bajaj, who is also on the committee, wonders what all the fuss is about. 8220;There has been talk of settingup a national body for years now, and NIFT and the Apparel Export Promotion Council were the real catalysts for this body. Mumbai has been given fair representation,8221; he says.
The Indian fashion world is still smarting from the rebuff it received at the London Fashion Week recently. All the designs submitted were sent back and India was asked to submit them again next year. The incident, though humiliating, has however underscored the need to work as a team to be recognised as a serious industry.
8220;The aim is to set up a body to give the industry a little weight, so that our demands are taken seriously, like when we approach banks for loans,quot; Bajaj elucidates. It is rather like the Confederation of Indian Industries, but tailored to the needs of the fashion world.
Which is precisely why various arms of the industry need to be represented. Manish Malhotra, Bollywood designer who went mainstream only recently, says if the industry is to be taken seriously, especially in the international arena, the FDCIshould be converted into an umbrella organisation. 8220;For us to progress, designers from various fields need to come together,8221; he points out. 8220;Films are an important part of fashion,8221; adds Singh, referring to the absence of Bollywood designers on the committee.
However, despite the angst, Mumbai8217;s designers do not want to make the FDCI a Mumbai versus Delhi issue as they feel the organisation could benefit the industry a great deal 8211; provided, of course, the execution is fair. 8220;To make an international mark, we need to work together and the NIFT8217;s memorandum, which talks about giving us industry status, is just what we need. We are not trying to make an issue of the whole thing. It is just that we would all like to be involved. All of us Mumbai designers already have our own niches and are successful,8221; Singh points out.
The question therefore is: Will the dark clouds gathering over the still nascent FDCI dissipate with time or will the organisation be just another wasted opportunity?
