Common people keep wondering how and what the fashion industry has to give back to the society. Whereas people who are interested in design and want to make a career in it keep thinking how to earn a living out of this industry. At the recently held ‘Amazon India Fashion Week AW’16’ many of these doubts were dealt with on a twin-day panel discussion sponsored by Pearl Academy, India’s leading private school of fashion and design. The discussions were graced by the presence of stalwarts of the industry who are increasingly devising new ways to reach out to the untapped-but-interested-masses, micro small and medium enterprises dealing in textiles. The discussion also had a special feature to address the doubts of students regarding the management practices of this dynamic industry. The first initiative of Pearl was #BeSomebody, an inspiring talk for all the budding designers as experts shared their experience in this industry. They narrated anecdotes from their own journey – including both success and hardships they faced. Anju Modi whose career spans over two decades, recalled how her designs charmed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It eventually resulted in her collaborating with him for two of his epic movies – Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani. She described the process of designing for these two celluloid dramas for which she undertook strenuous research expeditions by visiting the hinterlands of India. She also remarked how she would rather look into India than going to the international hubs like Milan and Paris to be inspired. These visits to the remotest parts of India (like Kutch), have shaped her views regarding the importance of giving back to the society. She has plans to set up an R&D centre to promote development of crafts. Rahul Mishra, on the other hand, had a clear perspective on how …
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