1. Hinders the evolution of Fashion: Fashion is meant to be ever evolving, but unfortunately in the context of mainstream Indian fashion this hardly ever happens. Right from the times fashion took off in India, till today very little evolution is seen in terms of the design. The result? Stagnant fashion which is bad for both, art and business.
2. No originality: Barring a few good designers, all other Indian designers are adulterating their designs by putting in more elements than required. The result is all their designs look exactly like their competitors. Since there is no uniqueness, you can’t tell one designer from another by looking at their designs.
3. No respect for aesthetics: Putting in a million elements in one outfit not only throws all design principles out of the window, but also makes the outfit look ugly and over the top. Now, not every outfit on the ramp is meant to be a shaadi outfit, is it?
4. Bad for Business: Fashion is supposed to reflect the society’s moods. And right now, considering India’s precarious financial condition the mood is that of restraint. Doesn’t this call for minimalism on the ramps as well? Also, one of the main aims of fashion is to persuade people to part with their money. Can the over indulgence on the ramps achieve this goal today? Hardly. What the ramps need today are simple, minimalistic pieces that people don’t mind investing in.
Now, there is a silver lining to every cloud, isn’t there? Emerging young Indian designers like Aneeth Arora are straying away from the beaten path and are developing simple, wearable pieces that you can wear to places other than your cousin’s wedding. Here’s to hoping that more and more designers will dare to be different and understand the fact that there is fashion beyond “bridal couture” too.
