 |
|
Harilein Sabarwal at her residence in Bandra |
"There is a reason why a particular colour is in. Same goes for print," says Harilein Sabarwal, trend forecast consultant, who did a specialised course in Fashion Forecasting - Research and Development from Romeo Gigli's team way back in 1980s. And this was after a degree in fashion designing. What other way to combine a love for research, travel and fashion? After working full-time with Raymonds - she forecasted the pink-purple colours for men in 2002, multi-coloured stripes in 2003 - she has been a consultant for Killer Jeans, Donear Suitings, Stori and Snowhite among others. Today, Sabarwal conducts workshops at fashion institutes including NIFT, BD Somani, Raheja College of Fashion, Wigan and Leigh in Mumbai and Canadian Institute for International Studies, Mohali.
Colour colour on the...
To predict what the future holds for the fashion industry - which colour or print will be in or not - trend forecasters take a lot of statistics into account like sociological, psychological, political, technological as well as environmental changes! So the next time someone says particular colours are in for the season, it's not because designers draw a chit on the choice of colours.
"International designers follow the trend forecast. In fact their team attends the Trend Forecaster fair where agencies bring out books on the subject. Also, when you go to Paris or London, everyone will be speaking of one trend, only, their interpretation of that trend will be different in their designs. Sadly, that's not the case with India," says Sabarwal.
Designer blues
She feels that the fashion industry here is still teething. "Most designers don't have a signature style. I was once asked to design a signature style for a designer. But I can't devise a signature style for someone else. It has to be within you," says Sabarwal, who has been in the profession for over 18 years.
Way to go
She wishes designers would do more backward integration and research. "For most, it's a cut-copy-paste. But designing is about innovation, not just creation. And you can't innovate if you don't understand the needs of the masses," she says.
As an example, she says that if a layperson goes to multi-designer stores, they probably won't get their size because dresses are mostly made till size 12. "So if a person who is size 16 walks in, she may have money to spend, but she will have to walk out of the store empty-handed. Especially, haute couture which only has sizes 8, 10, 12. But that size is for a young college girl, and how will she have that kind of money to spend?" she opines.
All that fuss
Okay, so we ask what is trend forecasting? "Intelligent marketing. It's as simple as that. It's all about timing. When Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge released, Shah Rukh Khan became a superstar. The film did well overseas thanks to the NRI generation. Shah Rukh always says in his interviews that the timing was right. And that's true because India was a trend then because of spirituality. So Bollywood had to become a trend," says Sabarwal.
She is piqued with the designers who say trends don't work in India. And doesn't see a reason why our fashion weeks shouldn't follow trends.
Fashion Week rules
"If you go to a Fashion Week that's Fall-Winter, some designers will showcase Spring-Summer collection. Fashion Weeks are not for you and me. They are for the retailers. So if Kimaya, Aza or Ensemble or buyers from abroad say Selfridges, Browns or Masseys come for the show, they are obviously going to buy a season ahead. When an international buyer comes suppose in October for Spring-Summer booking, it will take six months for the designer to produce and deliver to the buyer. Now if you are doing Fall-Winter at that time, it's futile. You can't predict a year ahead. That's why many buyers go back without placing any orders," she reasons.
Old days, new days
Prior to 2000, one could predict two years ahead. However Sabarwal says that in today's time, that's not the case. She feels even natural calamities, terror attacks and inflation or depression affect fashion. "When you are going back home there could be a bomb blast or heavy rains. There is a phrase we forecasters use, 'We are living from economic nightmare to an ecological disaster lifestyle'. This is because economics and ecological events like hurricane or a tsunami affect fashion," she says. So how far can one predict trends now? "I think it's good to forecast trends six months from now," says Sabarwal.
Mumbai vs Delhi
She finds Mumbaikars a bindaas crowd, but with too much Bollywood influence. Delhi has a certain amount of style and that's only because it's the base of exports. So is Bangalore and that's why brands and retailers prefer those two cities over Mumbai. Delhi and Bangalore are resource centres.
"We don't need haute couture, we need street couture. When you are out working, you need stylised garment. That's missing. We also need to cater to the middle class," Sabarwal says, adding, "Multi-designer boutiques will have just browns because five designers have sent them browns, or black. But there is no trend."
Solution
Going local. That means keep local themes in mind and blend them internationally. "Indian designers go very western or very Indian. There is never a balance. The reason Japanese designers like Issey Miyake or Yogi Yamamoto went ahead is because they used the international trends first but didn't forget to blend Japanese elements," emphasises Sabarwal.
The bright spot? There are few, in fact: Narendra Kumar Ahmed, Arjun Khanna, J J Valaya, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Ravi Bajaj who have a distinctive style.
For joining Harilein Sabarwal's trend forecasting workshop, you can get in touch with her on 9769258382
