Chennai :
Over 200 creative designs were showcased on the ramp at Hotel Clarion recently. No heavy expenses, no competition and no over-the-top decor. This fashion show – Life is a Label — was all about giving a platform to student designers who may not have had the resources to showcase their designs on their own.
Taking this initiative forward was Fashion Students’ Association (FSA) president B Arul Mozhi who was a designer herself. After watching one session of avant garde on ramp, City Express had a chat with her in the green room, which was chaotic and energetic. “A year has passed since FSA was launched. This is the first time we have had sponsors for our second show. The first was held in a resort in ECR. There were only about 12 designers that time,” recalls Arul about the initial journey of FS
So, why did she decide to create a platform for young designers? “I’m a B Tech fashion graduate from Anna University. When I attended job interviews, they’d ask for my last collection and I hadn’t done any more after my college project. Many colleges don’t teach students about what should be done to flourish in this creative field. Moreover, designing new collections and putting up shows is very expensive. There are also those who don’t have a degree but still get into the industry because they can afford the entry fee of fashion shows,” she opines. This got her thinking and FSA was created.
A student designer, S Priyadarshini, who was a part of two fashion shows by FSA, chips in about her experience. “Last year’s show was my first and I struggled to come up with good theme and creative ideas. Though I chose nature as my theme, I was not happy. But I watched the other designers and learnt a lot by mere observation and further research. This time, I am pretty confident,” she smiles and continues to talk about her new cocktail collection.“Sometimes, designers do come out with their own collections, but then what? Hosting a show is expensive and the clothes end up collecting dust. Hence, we’ve decided to host four shows a year where designers can exhibit their latest works at an inexpensive entry fee,” informs Arul.