Nepali fashion world in transition

Published in FM Magazine in 2000


From Paris to Tokyo, from Milan to Sydney, from Hollywood to Bollywood, haute couture. Many tent to look at fashion only in terms of cloths that enhance sex appeal and associate it with sleaze (high up skirts and slinky gowns). Little do people with such attitude realise that fashion in its truest sense is actually an endless quest for perfection. Fashion not only makes someone different from others but it even has the power to transform a non descript-simple looking girl into an exotic creature.
Fashion can be defined as a trend with time and place. What a beautiful dress your are wearing ? This is very common remark among girls. Or you look very beautiful in this mini-skirt is another common compliment. But we seldom care about the person who has designed the dress that makes the one's wearing it beautiful.
Basically, the concept of a good dress originates in the designer's mind and blends with his experience and vision. He can combine traditional design with the idea of the comfortable, modern dress, and popularize the product among the younger generation. This is where models fit into the picture. They are only means that convey the designer's dream, imagination and creativity in subtle form.
Fashion is about nothing if it is not about change. Successful designers are always on the lookout for ways to better themselves and top the rest of the industry. But this scenario seems to be alien to Nepali haute couture. Although a few desginers have recently tried out experiments with dhaka cloths or with Newari patasi, they have not been able to generate originality of ideas. Time has changed. Whatever designer may think, their cloths should be suitable for comfortable wearing. Comfort should be the mantra of desginers. People should feel comfortable in the cloths they wear. But, of late, in the name of fashion shows, many ready-made garments are being shown on the ramp, no matter how bad they are. Amazingly, fashion shows are getting popular even against all oddities.
People involved in Nepalase fashion, so to say, world lack professionalism. Whether it's in designing or choreography, it seems they are not taking their job seriously. At a recently held fashion shown, the ramp was barely one feet above the ground. The audience had to look down to see models sashaying on the ramp. The price tag was still hanging on the dress while a model sashayed in a jacket. In another round, the slacks were seen longer than the skirt. Because of unprofessional choreographers, fashion shows have become the butt of mockery. If desginers pick up design from other's works or include ready-made garments in the show, what will be the future of Nepali fashion. For example, Miyake's( a Japanese fashion designer) adventure in synthetics is famous. He employs a team of seven experts whose job is a never-ending search for a new fabric vocabulary for the master. The team is headed by Makiko Minagawa, who prefer to stay in the background but whose influence is enormous. At a recent press opening she wore what seemed to be smart black leather pants; they were in fact constructed out of a super-light plastic developed to help burn victims. In the Nepalese context, it would be too much to expect such things. But can't we pursue better designing? Many designers worldwide prefer synthetic fabric as it appears very elegant. World class desginers like Frederic Molenace from Paris, Gianni Versace from Milan, Yoshiki Hishinuma from Japan have used it extensively for their creations. Despite the infatuation with technology's wonders, Yves Saint Laurent loves working with fine natural materials. In Nepal, fashion is still in transition phase. A lot of hard works have to be done to create original design to match the international market of fashion and designing. With a horde of new breed of fashion designers, the Nepalese haute couture is expected to take a new course in the field of fashion design.