18 November, 2012

Sonia Gandhi's fashion tips to NIFT students

Date Nov 2012 , NDTV 
Keep it simple. Do not over-embellish. Fashion does not mean opulence. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday virtually gave lessons in fashion designing to 38 students graduating from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Rae Bareli.

Striking a personal note, the Congress president recalled late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's "innate sense of fashion" and said that the simplicity of her elegance was admired the world over.

Known for her penchant for traditional Indian wear, Sonia said there was a trend in Indian fashion to overdo and over- embellish clothes.

"Sometimes a single garment will have zardozi, beads, sequins, patchwork and crystals. Apart from completely overshadowing the wearer, such garments are very uncomfortable to wear," she said.

"In my view, fashion does not mean opulence," Sonia told the gathering that included students and faculty of NIFT.

She said adding more ornamentation to garments was very easy, but that did not add up to fashion.

"To find the right colour combination, cut and proportion in a garment to ensure that it is comfortable as well is more challenging for a designer, but it results in a garment that is timelessly stylish and elegant," said Sonia, dressed in a bright yellow cotton saree.

Fashion was not new to the country known for its strong aesthetic sense, she said.

"Fashion has always been part of Indian life and culture. Indians have a very highly developed aesthetic sense, a sense of style and elegance which can be seen in the vibrant colours of a rural woman's sarees, her lehenga, ohrni or the cut of her choli or the myriad wonderful ways in which men wear their turbans.

"Every state has its distinct tradition of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and beadwork."

According to Sonia, for centuries foreign traders and designers have looked to India for the skills of its craftspersons and the sumptuousness of its textiles and jewelry.

"This is a heritage that is truly unparallelled in its beauty, its richness and diversity. I hope that you will take inspiration from this," she told the students of NIFT.

Anand Sharma urges young talents to promote Made in India

Date 12 Nov 2012 12:25:21 IST , fibre2fashion    Tags: Fashion Design

The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles, Shri Anand Sharma has said that with the recent policy initiatives and arrival of brands like Zara, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, new flavours will be added to the Indian luxury market which will not only give consumers a better choice but also throw open a plethora of opportunities for our young designers for better industry placement in top notch international MNCs.

Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the Convocation of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), at Rae Bareli today, Shri Sharma exhorted the young fashion designers to strive for gaining credibility for Indian brands made by Indian people.

The UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi was the Chief Guest at Convocation Ceremony and gave away the degrees to 59 new graduates. This was second batch passing out of the institute. She also laid the foundation of the New Building for NIFT Rae Bareli.

Shri Sharma said that the government is committed to invest in the institution building and invest in the young generation. He expressed hope that the young designers will enrich the traditional Indian textiles and will work in close contact with the traditional artisans. “New technology has created new stresses for the traditional artisans, there is need to create new opportunities for them,” said Shri Sharma.

Smt. Sonia Gandhi praised the social outreach programme conducted by the institute for the traditional handloom weavers and expressed hope that the young fashion designer will create their own idioms of Indian beauty and identity in the designs of 21st century. Striking a personal note, Smt. Gandhi recalled that the NIFT was conceived during the tenure of Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi and remembered the personal initiative of the late Prime Minister for the establishment of the institution.

Continuing on the personal note, Smt. Sonia Gandhi said that current designers should revisit the appeal of simplicity as some of the recent trends have succumbed to the temptation of over embellishment. “Fashion does not mean opulence. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had an innate sense of fashion and simplicity and her elegance was admired all over the world.”

Secretary Textiles Smt. Kiran Dhingra, President NIFT, Shri Venu Srinivasan also addressed the gathering. Director NIFT Rae Bareli Dr. A K Khare presented the academic report and DG NIFT Shri P K Gera was also present.

Earlier in the day, Smt. Gandhi and Shri Sharma visited the Rae Bareli campus of the Footwear Design and Development Institute and interacted with the faculty and students. She also visited coach factory at Lalganj and waived green flag for the release of new modern coaches. She also laid foundation for the doubling of railway line from Uttaratiya to Rae Bareli. She also distributed job cards for one member of the families who gave land for the project.