Mr Nelson,I agree with your ideas about designer stuff.What we need is a practical and comfortable cloth that gives us shelter and enhance our personality, but not joothi shaan. The designer cloth/ Textile industry should have an eye on export oriented business there by enriching the foreign exchange.We are already divided in to 'haves' and 'have nots'.
Let this designer cloth further not aggravate the situation. Those were the days when young, our parents used to buy a pair of dress anually preferably when the schools/colleges reopens. Some time as a special case used to get additional dress during festival. The happiness and satisfaction of those days no where near by now.There used to be a tailor,who was dads pet and we were forced to get stitched our cloths from him only.Bell bottom pants stitched out from 'Gabardine' cloth was height of fashion of those days.
This Gabardine, as it was called were available in variety of colours including fast colours, used to cost around Rs 120 per piece.The pants bottom measured in term of 26 inch, 28 inch, bordered with metal chain, zip.This tailor due to dads instruction only stitches the limited bell size,about which we were not happy.Now I understand what practical dress means. Anyway ones liking may be others dislike
Frankly speaking, I do not believe in fashion designer clothes, simply because I do not have that kind of money to blow off and feel that they are not suited for the "aam janta". This is only for people who are well oiled and heeled or have ill gotten wealth and have a major problem in spending it or have to make an ostentatious display of wealth amongst the privileged "haves" and keep up their status. Due to my interaction with retail textile sellers, I buy Raymonds, Graviera and Digjam (which are normally costly) at very cheap or throw away prices and then get my clothes done by a tailor. This tailor runs his trade not from a swanky set up, but presumably a small shop which I have not seen, but I gather he gets goods business because he is called upon by textile shops to take customers' body measurements for tailoring their clothes. And, believe me, this tailor gets business from also the U.S. Naval personnel who throng the suq. I do not think that these personnel are poor by the "third world" standards. When summoned, the tailor comes within two to three minutes to take the measurements and gets the clothes tailored in just two to three days and does a good job.
For me, all this talk of brand names or status symbol is only "joothi shaan". However, I do concede that whatever may not be good for me, may not be bad for others due to various reasons. All said and done, I am aware that Wendell Rodricks is amongst India's topmost fashion designers and I am very happy that he has been booked by an agent in Paris, France, and very soon this man will become globally renowned.
This is good for India and as it will rake in valuable foreign exchange. This should set an example for other Indian fashion designers to export their products and earn foreign exchange, rather than just concentrating in India, where the elite class is just narrow, whereas overseas, due to high standard of living, even a common man could buy designer stuff.
In a populated country like India where the masses, including many of the middle class, have to struggle in the rat race and/or for a living, they need clothes that are sturdy and functional and not designer clothes.
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