'Fashion Council works in interest of designers - brands don't'

Fashion events staged by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) aim to benefit designers whereas those organised by a brand are primarily meant to promote its own products, asserts council chief Rathi Vinay Jha.

"The only intention of fashion events organised by brands is commercial gain and not the interests of designers or the fashion fraternity," Jha, the director general of the FDCI, told IANS in an interview. Her allusion was to the Lakme Fashion Week that was held in Mumbai this month.

FDCI itself organises the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi, the other major event on the year's fashion calendar.

"However, FDCI is a bona fide organisation formed democratically by designers and it will always work for the long-term interests of designers. It will sacrifice anything for the welfare of the country's fashion fraternity," she maintained.

Speaking about the bane of plagiarism in fashion, Jha said it could only be curbed by individual efforts.

"Designers worldwide face this menace. It can be only curbed by individual initiative. Today, in our country, there are enough legal ways to deal with plagiarism, for instance, by registering your design under intellectual property rights.

"FDCI cannot become the policing authority. We can only show designers the way by making them aware - something we do periodically by holding seminars," she said.

She explained that the only constant thing in fashion was change, but that hindered the registration of designs.

"It becomes more difficult to deal with it because fashion changes constantly and the recurring question is whether the time, energy and money spent on registering a design is worth it? Moreover, whether one will register the whole look or a particular design and how many times?"

And how far does the participation of celebrities in fashion shows affect the seriousness of an event?

"It is nothing new! Whether it is Paris, London, Milan or New York, fashion week celebrity participation is everywhere. Do you think it dilutes their seriousness?"

"Moreover, FDCI doesn't invite them. We cannot ban star attendance, as FDCI cannot interfere with the freedom of an individual. A star is also a client or the designer's friend and they want to showcase their creativity and achievements to them."

Keen to estimate the contribution of the fashion fraternity to the country's economy, the FDCI is now planning to conduct a study.

"In a month's time, FDCI is readying to start a commissioned study which will define a designer product and estimate the size of the fashion industry, its catchment area, its contribution to the manufacturing sector, crafts sector and GDP of the Indian economy."

The study will also enlist the weaknesses and strengths of the country's fashion sorority.

Indo-Asian News Service