FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Panel Discussion

FICCI Ladies Organisation(FLO) organizes a Panel Discussion on an unusal subject on Entrepreneurial Ventures in Fashion in Bollywood for its members here in city at Hotel Trident on Monday. The Discussion held with Designers Ms Neeta Lulla, Mr Nikhil Thampi, Ms Vaishali Shadangule. It was moderated by FLO Past Chairperson Ms. Ajitha Reddy.

When Indian Film Industry made films in yesteryears, actors then wore simple outfits, casual enough for them to identify with the masses. Today, Bollywood is the fashion trend-setter of India. Some years back, fashion designing as a profession was unheard of but now it is really in vogue much more so in Bollywood. Outfits and styles change all over the country as we watch them change on the film screens. And, this is no longer just in India ;this trend has caught the eyes of the foreign countries too. The Panel Discussion was orgnaised in this light of background to help its members who are women entrepreneurs to learn more on wide variety of subjects.

Speaking on the occasion the Legendary figure in Bollywood Fashion Industry who has unique distinction of working with more than 370 films such as ‘Lamhe’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Jodha Akbar’ & ‘Balgandharva’ many more said things have changed in Fashion Design since 1980 the days she entered in the industry. Today everything is at hand. Fashion Designing has become easy now. Opportunities are plenty, but, it is very challenging, she said. Today hero of some films has been clothes, she said.

"Hold on to your Zardosi and Embroydari. Which might get antique value in next ten years. Because soon cheap Chinese machines will replace the existing machinery which may not be able to produce the kind of Zardoshi and Emborydari in future, she informed."

Giving advise to young Fashion Designers, she said know your work, educate yourself, learn online, set milestones, focus on important things and go ahed she told them.

Neeta Lulla who had her roots into Hyderabad is whirled into the fashion scene more than three decades ago. Hailed as the ‘Czarina of Indian Fashion’ Neeta Lulla is today a force to reckon with in the glamour and the fashion retail industry. Her designs have not only been recognized in India, but have also acquired great acclaims globally. Expertise, clarity and creativity, humility arising from quiet confidence has earned her both respect and clientele of  Bollywood’s famous personalities such as Aishwarya Rai, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukherjee, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi, Shilpa Shetty, and Sushmita Sen just to name a few.

Nikhil Thampi who is not trained formally in Fashion and a Psychology graduate, who was into family business of aviation took to Fashion said why one collection hits and the other fails. To be successful, your Designer Collection must have three aspects which inclue: 01. Commercial Value, 2. Editorial Value and 3. Creative Value, he said. Then only it becomes a strong collection he said.

Giving advise to young designers he said get inspired and not influenced. If you do so, then you end up copying others work, he said. Believe in yourself and your work. Be creative. Whether Bollywood or not, you will get noticed. Fashion actually makes Bollywood. So Bollywood needs Fashion Designing and Fashion Design doesn’t need Bollywood to promote it opined Nikhil Thampi

Nikhil Thampi has made a mark in the fashion world within his first year garnering accolades from industry mavens & experts. His designs have also been spotted on the biggest fashionistas of Bollywood such as Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Kajol, Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan, Parineeti Chopra, Chitrangada Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez to name a few.Nikhil’s future plans include establishing a strong foothold in the fashion fraternity, organizing his retail business within the country and expanding to the overseas markets progressively.

Vaishali Shadangule beganher journey was true inspirational. A 16years girl who left home in the midnight, by train reaches Bhopal starts thinking about the work. Finally gets into a Fashion Designing at the behest of a friend and drops from the institute after four days as she couldn’t pay the fee. Entire hall had pin drop silence, as she explained her journey.

Vaishali without any formal education got into fashion wolrd with Lakme Fashion Week in 2011 Within two years acquired a daunting identity. Her creations are like wearable souvenirs amassed from her many pursuits of Indian weaves. ‘Her garments showcase a variety of influences and yet are always relevant and cogent,” says Pallavi Datta of the conscious fashion blog,www.pallavistylediaries.com, “and never fail to conjure visions of a shy smile of the weaver who, somewhere, senses the joy of wearing these garments.”

Inviting the guests and welcoming the gathering earlier, Ms. Monika Agarwal, Chairperson of FLO said today, the business environment is changing very rapidly. Competition has become more intensive, more so, in the fashion industry. Firstly, the creative sector is knowledge intensive, that means a specific talent or a good qualification is required. Secondly, it is a work intensive, which means the sector depends less on capital or technology. As a result a high number of workplaces can be created within a short time. This explains why we have many players competing for the same market share in the fashion industry.
 
Also Fashion is inspiration, creativity and intuition. And entrepreneurship is about organisation, strategy, branding and management. These two apparently contrasting sets of elements have to come together to ensure the success of a fashion entrepreneur.
 
Designers need  young energy to produce new ideas all the time. Stone said: “Fashion is, in many ways, like a river. A river is always in motion, continuously flowing – sometimes it is slow and gentle, at other times rushing and turbulent. It is exciting and never the same. It affects those who rest on its shores. Its movement depends on the environment.” In sum, fashion is never stagnant, it is about style aspirations and the hunger to achieve it. Let's understand the dynamics of fashion from the talented designers on our panel she said.

"Holistic Lifestyle changes for Happier and Healthier life" will be our next program with  lifestyle coach Mr Luke Coutinh, to be held on November 8, Monika said

More About the Designers

NEETA LULLA

Neeta Lulla whirled into the fashion scene more than three decades ago. Hailed as the ‘Czarina of Indian Fashion’ Neeta Lulla is today a force to reckon with in the glamour and the fashion retail industry. Her designs have not only been recognized in India, but have also acquired great acclaims globally. Expertise, clarity and creativity, humility arising from quiet confidence has earned her both respect and clientele of  Bollywood’s famous personalities such as Aishwarya Rai, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukherjee, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi, Shilpa Shetty, and Sushmita Sen just to name a few.

Her several shows in different parts of the world such as US, Canada, Monte Carlo, London, Dubai etc. have played a pivotal part in spreading the glory of Indian fashion. With over 375 films to her credit she has extended her design expertise to Hollywood projects like ‘Bride and prejudice’, ‘One night with the king’, ‘Mistress of Spices’, ‘Provoked’ etc. Her several awards accolades include four President Award for the films ‘Lamhe’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Jodha Akbar’ & ‘Balgandharva’ many more.

Diffusion, Luxury prêt, trousseau consultancy and bridals are what Neeta Lulla label caters to. She is one of the leading names of India’s industrial houses and, high profile personalities swear by when it comes to their personal attire and bridal wear. She was also awarded Woman Entrepreneur of the year, 2010 and the firm NSL Fashion Pvt Ltd rated as one of the top 100 Small Business of the year 2010.

Her undying love for her work and her immense creativity serves as a motivating factor for many aspiring designers. For her designing is not merely a profession but a fanatical passion. For someone who says “I want it all. My family and my work, and I work towards it”, has certainly stood by it and has redefined success and burgeoning creativity


NIKHIL THAMPI

The LFW debutante, awed all and sundry with his designs. Not formally trained in fashion, he gave designing a shot and the consequence is palatable. A psychology graduate, who is primarily into his family business of aviation, took a flight of glamour as he believes fashion has always been a part of him and soon, he came up with the eponymous label, ‘Nikhil Thampi’. It’s the wearability rather than the outlandish creativity which rules the spirit of his label. The label is predominantly targeted towards the youth and caters to both sexes.

Only five seasons old, the young designer has already gained a large fan following for his creations and is touted as one of the most promising upcoming designers in the fashion industry. With the flair for experimentation and unconventional silhouettes, Nikhil has managed to make his presence felt in a short span of time in the Indian fashion fraternity.From grunge to candy floss, structure to prints, morbid to floral, he continues to surprise his audience by giving them something they have never seen before, every single time. His originality and distinctive taste give him an edge in the competitive world of fashion.

Nikhil Thampi has made a mark in the fashion world within his first year garnering accolades from industry mavens & experts. His designs have also been spotted on the biggest fashionistas of Bollywood such as Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Kajol, Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan, Parineeti Chopra, Chitrangada Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez to name a few.Nikhil’s future plans include establishing a strong foothold in the fashion fraternity, organizing his retail business within the country and expanding to the overseas markets progressively.

About his Collections:Nikhil made his debut at the Lakmé Fashion Week’s Winter Festive Gen-Next ramp in 2011, with the collection 'That is How I Feel'. The collection was a visual translation of his ‘bold is beautiful’ philosophy.His Fall/Winter 2012 collection was a tribute to ‘Survivors’, who have broken all worldly chains and carved a path for themselves to sustain and live in this brutal world. The use of embellishments like chains, metal plates, salli work which are much like armor show the warrior side of a person. The Cruise 2013 collection was his biggest success by far. An interpretation of the works of noted painter, sculptor and illustrator Richard Artschwager, Nikhil successfully interspersed art and fashion into a single Resort line. This was followed by his Fall/Winter 2013 line which was an ode to his Southern roots. For the first time, he experimented with semi-Indian silhouette integrated with the international Fall prevalent trend of punk. And most recently, he showcased his Summer/Resort 2014 collection ‘Untamed’ depicting the power of the sexes and their freedom to uninhibited expression. The collection was an amalgamation of new-age, urbane sophistication highlighting elements to depict a woman's personalities.

Awards:Grazia Young Fashion Award 2014 – By Popular Demand


VAISHALI SHADANGULE

An artist’s work almost always is a journey into a personal universe where deep reflection gets manifested in their creations. In the case of Vaishali Shadangule, this phenomenon takes a new dimension.

Her journey started with breaking out of the society-prescribed life to pursue her artistic leanings. Those leanings got concretized and took a shape of garments crafted from gossamer like loom woven textiles. Over the years Vaishali has brought ease into the slightly still DNA of a woven sari with her spirit of innovation and morphed the yardage into myriad, easy to wear, forms

An avid explorer whose ears are trained to follow the compelling ‘clack-clack’ of distant looms that promise variegated palette and texture, Vaishali, travels there with gusto. If the Madhya Pradesh looms offer her to Chanderi, then the women ruled ones from Assam give her the Mekhalachadder, vibrant Khands and Paithini come from Maharashtra and the delicate Jamdani and Khadi are yielded by Bengal.

The tentative journey of the label Vaishali S that began with Lakme Fashion Week in 2011 has, within two years acquired a daunting identity. Vaishali brews a heady concoction where glamorous, modern silhouette is stirred with honest loom fabric and sprinkled with the fragrance of soil from a distant village.

Vaishali’s creations are like wearable souvenirs amassed from her many pursuits of Indian weaves. ‘Her garments showcase a variety of influences and yet are always relevant and cogent,” says Pallavi Datta of the conscious fashion blog,www.pallavistylediaries.com, “and never fail to conjure visions of a shy smile of the weaver who, somewhere, senses the joy of wearing these garments.”