Catty couture: Fash frat face-off on Facebook

On Wednesday night, right after the first show at India Couture Week – which may or may not be a coincidence – Rohit Bal went online to let it fly about his disgust with all the “schmoozing” and the “wannabes” while Rina Dhaka pitched in about what “poor Deepika and Sonam” are made to wear. Turns out, the mood was a bit like that even before the Week began. Now we don’t know who is
referring to whom, but we’re sure, for want of a better phrase, The Fashion Wants To Know!

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Rohit Bal (BCCL)

Rohit Bal on Wednesday night
What fascinates me more than knowledge is actually the complete lack of it . Within my own fraternity..... I find so much blindness and ignorance that it astonishes me . An absolute disregard for originality, or any genuine creativity. Parasitical designers who have been piggy backing on the talent of just a very few . The abomination of it all . The schmoozing. The despicable wannabes !

JJ Valaya on Tuesday
The ‘REAL’ press release of some Indian ‘Couture’ designers nowadays:
“This year I celebrate 10 years in Indian fashion (where 8 were spent as an assistant to 15 designers and the last 2 in 'getting inspired' by elements from some of them into a single cohesive original look i.e. mine). My collection this year celebrates Haute couture (really... Pronounce it please?) and is inspired by Our rich heritage and interpreted in a modern manner using hand embroideries (machines operated by hand = Hand) and luxurious fabrics (sourced from Nehru Place). Since I am a strong supporter of animals, I therefore use only 'fox' fur (errr... That would be faux) and no body parts (leg-o-mutton is a sleeve style Einstein!... Did they not teach you that at the prestigious Rampur institute of fashion technology a.k.a. RIFT?). Furthermore, I do lots of research (instagram/pinterest/facebook accounts of all master couturiers of India and of course, from 'abroad' also; have to be ‘trendy’ after all) and work intricately with rare embroideries (I use every fancy embroidery term I can find on the Internet to include in my communication….who reads books after all...Blah!). My look is voluminous (fabric used equivalent to 25 king size bedsheets without any thought of cut, detail or fall…

Kalyani Saha
There are so many brands without products ...it always fascinated me ... As a marketing person .. All I can say is : bravo if you can sustain that

Rina Dhaka (BCCL)

Rina Dhaka’s reply to Rohit Bal’s post
Today there is no innovation , it’s a mass quick reproduction of what poor Deepika or Sonam are told to wear...

We are facing a crisis of ideas, creativity: Rina

When I read Gudda’s post, I could actually understand what he meant, what is frustrating to us is that today there is no requirement for any R&D for some people, everything is just out there. I can say that it is really hurting when you spend months holed up in a studio working on your original idea with your tailors and then when it is out there, it just goes. In the 90s, I started designing cat suits and it was my innovation. It was really hurting to see it going to my contemporaries, some of them were sweet enough to call and say that Rina we can’t help it, there’s so much demand for them, but many didn’t. This is sadly the cross that we all bear. What we are facing is complete crisis of ideas, creativity. What Rohit is talking about is complete mediocrity of design. Where is creativity? Why does everyone want to look like the other?