Gurung´s designs have been carried on by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, and Laura Bush. Based in New York, he´s reportedly one of the few fashion designers from Nepal who has worked for a reputed label abroad.
Talking about fashion designers in Nepal, the only opportunity they get to exhibit their creativity is during the annual Fashion Week, which is organized by IEC (India Education Center) Nepal, a fashion school at Bag Bazaar, Kathmandu.
Some other fashion institutes of Kathmandu, such as the Namuna College of Fashion Technology, Lakhotia Institute of Fashion Designing, and Lord Buddha Education Foundation also host annual fashion shows but on relatively smaller scales.
The IIFT Fashion Institute of Delhi was another house that hosted major fashion events in town till two years ago. It recently shut its branch office in Kathmandu.And despite these half a dozen fashion schools running various diploma courses and even Bachelor-level studies in fashion and technology, sadly, none of our own designers have been able to come up with their labels. Forget being recognized internationally, almost all designers work unheard of even in the cosmopolitan capital city of Kathmandu.
As such, the scene in the Nepali fashion industry is quite bleak; but surprisingly, the number of fashion boutiques is growing in Kathmandu and in other cities like Dharan, Pokhara, Butwal, and Biratnagar, too.
Does it mean then that all our fashion designers will set up boutiques in the long run? Do fashion schools provide any job placements to their students upon completing their education? Why are there no reputed fashion houses in Nepal which can host fashion shows? What are the reasons that hold Nepali fashion designers from marketing their own labels and host mega fashion extravaganzas?
myrepublica.com finds out:
Shailaja Adhikary, the woman behind the annual Fashion Week and the managing director of IEC Nepal, says, "We´ve just started. It´ll still take many years for Nepalis to understand what fashion is all about. In India, they have a huge market and a matching population to cater to. Also, Indians believe in promoting their own products rather than importing goods. It´s high time, too, that we come above the Chinese garments."According to Adhikary, over 3,800 students have graduated as fashion designers from IEC Nepal alone; and from this year, IEC has also introduced a three-year Bachelor course with affiliation to Indian universities for students opting to study fashion designing.
"The whole idea of fashion and designing hasn´t been accepted by most of the middle class which comprise a large chunk of the population in Nepal. However, we´ve made sure that our toppers get job placements at different import and export houses, mainly in Thamel," Adhikary says.
She adds, "Yes, it´s true that Nepali fashion designers haven´t been able to be popular globally. And I blame them for that. Often, I´m asked to invite designers from here to participate in shows in India and Malaysia. But I don´t understand why our designers don´t want to come out of the box and do something. They don´t want to be experimental; they´re happy earning 400,000 Rupees a month. They haven´t realized that the sky´s not the limit. Boutiques like Arshya´s, Tarunika´s, and Gunyo Cholo can easily afford to host their own fashion shows."
On her own, fashion designer Uma Pradhan of Aakarshan Boutique says, "Like Adhikary puts it, we do get invitations from fashion shows abroad. They ask us to showcase 100 designs within a week. But we aren´t sewing machines. Also, can you believe that our dresses get stolen in fashion shows? Even organizers shy away from taking the responsibility. Besides, there´s no professionalism in this field. So let´s be practical and stop comparing ourselves to Gucci, Armani, Vuitton, and D&G. The bottom line is you better run your private boutique to earn your living."Tarunika Mahato, a much sought-after fashion designer in Nepal who´s been designing dresses for many actors of the Nepali silver screen and runs a boutique under her label, says, "The annual fashion week that usually takes place between August and September has no results to give. Talk to any fashion designers who participate in this fiesta and ask them how many orders they receive after the event. You´ll just hear disappointments. Designers can´t even manage to earn what they´ve invested in their designs."
She concludes, "It´s fun dreaming of mansions. But let´s face reality. We don´t have reliable organizers and willing sponsors. And even if we manage to do shows, there´d no positive feedback. Therefore, in Nepal, boutiques are safe landing zones for those who study fashion designing."
Shraddha Rajbhandari, proprietor of Chahaat Boutique in Kupondole, also shares the same views. "Frankly, we have no market to host fashion shows here. Take for example the coveted Miss Nepal beauty pageant. When Neeru Shrestha won the title, I was declared the best designer. But forget about cash prizes, I was given a bouquet and not even a certificate. I had hard time convincing people that I was the best fashion designer. Many models order dresses for shows and don´t even pay us back. I´m still owed payment by many. In such circumstances, would you think I´d be doing a fashion show to promote my label and not get even a single paisa in return?"While the reputed names in the Nepali fashion industry have their own business to take care of and believe the only way out is by owning a boutique, students studying fashion designing, in contrast, believe that they see a lot of career scopes as fashion designers.
Nirmala Sharma, diploma course student in fashion and technology at the Lakhotia Institute, says, "Fashion designing is much more than just sewing, knitting and embroidering. It´s like studying mathematics. If the calculations don´t match, the results won´t be acceptable."
She adds, "Many textile and garment houses demand fashion designers today, and even if we don´t land anywhere, we can at least establish their own labels."
So be it then - one way, or the other!
avash@myrepublica.com
Related story
Fashion events in Asia
