What it’ll mean to be a designer in 2023

Something has shifted in fashionrsquos centre of gravity An aura of mystery that enveloped its designers is not a groovy little secret anymore The idea of waiting for the next fashion week to find out what suchandsuch designer label will do next is yesterdayrsquos news ldquoThe days of designers referring to their brands or garments as lsquoiconicrsquo are long over That kind of attitude puts customers off the brand it implies that the designer knows better than yourdquo thinks SabinaComedienne and YouTube personality Bhuvan Bam in braille embroidered kurta by Kunal RawalChopra who over the two decades has mentored and championed an extensive list of promising young talent In this lost old world a brand that had established its influence could count on a long reign In the postpandemic world however there are no guarantees COVID has altered our relationship with clothesmdashand our bodiesmdashand this development has not gone unnoticed by designers When Kunal Rawal launched his menswear brand 15 years ago his father had suggested that he devise a plan A B and C the latter would need to factor in a doomsdaylike scenario ldquoI never understood what he meant then until the lockdown It was a frightening and uncertain time for designers It made us aware that the lsquobusiness as usualrsquo approach was no longer acceptable Agility is key to survivalrdquo Rawal tells middayThe model is wearing a SWGT dress made in 100 per cent mulberry silk and paired with a handwoven chanderi silk jacketThe changes in the market means that a designer is no longer dealing with a singular client profile ldquoTo reach this new audience a designer must adopt an acutely personalised approach sop up influences like a suction vessel listening to people across diverse societies cultures and gender identities instead of being a smug knowitall in the roomrdquo says Pranav Misra creative director at Huemn who recently added the role of executivechief to his title The genderdiverse youthfocused brand celebrated its tenth birthday last year with a collaboration with Pepsi Indiamdashmaking Huemn the first Indian fashion brand to partner with the soda manufacturerThe models are dressed in ldquodiversityrdquo puffer jackets by HuemnMore immediately though the aspects of what it means to be a designer seems to exist in the realm of cynicism uncertainty and doubt Has being a fashion designer really come to this Nachiket Barve takes a pauseandthink moment before answering our query ldquoIt is now a more complex crowded space for designers for sure and it is not enough to make great clothesrdquo The Mumbaibased fashion and costume designer is clear that he must take note of fashion while taking care of marketing and digital performances ldquoWe have to constantly switch between the roles of CEO stylist photographer cultural advocate and creative collaboratorrdquoModels dressed in brocade sherwanis by Kunal RawalThere is a Hindi term for tailormdashdarji ldquoBut is there one for a designerrdquo Gaurav Jai Gupta wonders ldquoI donrsquot design to prove a point I design because this is what I know bestrdquo the founder of Akaaro says plainlySquaring up between private and public lives on social media visual toasts and shoutouts celebrity collaborations and supercharged launches digital and brick and mortar marketing a designer is doing a lot today ldquoI see my role as a curator of influences and experiences rather than a creatorrdquo Amit Aggarwal admits ldquoWe are at a point where the very definition of what it means to be a designer is being rewritten The artistic process is probably more driven by understanding and utilising the differences between when to be a designer and when to assume multihyphenate roles to develop a customer following across multiple platformsrdquo the creative director of the eponymous bridal couture brand explainsThe model in a Nachiket Barve ensembleThe whole vibe shift from runway shows being exclusive industry events to exclusivelyforeverybody Instagram shows has not only rejiggered how fashion is designed presented and consumed but powered the rise of directtocustomer brands ldquoThere has also been a paradigm shift from erstwhile society swans to celebrities to now Instagramfamous names There are no gatekeepers to the industry anymore Everybody is a publisher including designers who have turned into stylists They are also editors of photos and content on social mediardquo says BarveRadhika Nair in a handwoven indigo cotton tunic paired with textured bomber jacket and Jamdani coat by AkaaroCustomers it seems are the new power brokers within this intricate hierarchy All that designers can do is come up with scientific ways to charm them ldquoFor us social media has become more of a portal into the way young India thinks To keep up we must add value by being specialists you have to think like a client to better understand themrdquo says RawalThe changes fashioned by the flat screen do come with potential downsides however ldquoIn between we started playing it safe and designing products for everybody We were not thinking like designers we became manufacturers of clothesrdquo explains Anirudh Birla chief marketing officer at AMPM ldquoWe canrsquot be a label that designs everything from a Tshirt to a lehengardquoActor Richa Chadha in a metallic winged saree and handsculpted corset by Amit AggarwalA ldquopull and pushrdquo approach Birla says is what helped double his brandrsquos revenue in the last one year ldquoInauthenticity is the quickest way to kill a brand We need to understand that we are consumers too What do we look for in a product designers must ask themselvesrdquo he says Birla with creative directors Ankur and Priyanka Modi therefore turned focus on developing the brand across retail spaces experiences product categories and price points and then looked at social media ldquoThe strategy worked because we realised itrsquos not always about the latest designs shows collaborations or hashtag activism but a brandrsquos authenticity that consumers recognise and rewardrdquoThe most successful designers today are positioning themselves as the celebrantmdashrather than the celebritymdashof their customer community and working with them to fulfil the brandrsquos mission ldquoIn some sense every single person on the app is their own media outlet This presents designers with a unique challenge to use new thought and tools to offer an individualised customer experiencerdquo says Aggarwal of the new generation of savvy shoppers Brand loyalty is not a sure thing anymore Aggarwal reasons using the analogy Itrsquos no longer the case of sticking to a loyal brand of butterrdquoSabina ChopraLoyalty might not be entirely dead but it is playing out differently With burgeoning online subcultures and directtocustomer business models the new look will come in different guises with Chopra going a step further to predict that branding will no longer be required in the next few years ldquoWe will see less and less of a client walking into a multidesigner store and asking for a specific designerrsquos creations unless you are shopping for bridal wearrdquoThe considerations that shaped a designerrsquos reputation have turned upside down switching idolatry to customers as their new muse andmdashcreating products that align with their worldview This Chopra asserts will determine whether a customer will become a loyal patron ldquoItrsquos like reviewing a customerrsquos KYC but in a conceptual way and building products where the designer says to them I know you so I will offer you thisrdquoMy biggest challenge and how Irsquom tackling it Fashion designers on the Indian marketKunal Rawal 36Brand MenswearHow old 15 yearsIndia is an exciting and diverse market but it is also uniquely challenging because no onesizefitsall Each city is a unique market with a different weather pattern demographic language culture Itrsquos like making clothes for 16 countries in one As a menswear designer working in the trousseau market I have learned to tailor my thinking to align with the clientsrsquo individual way of life especially traditions and customs It also means investing in people and processes across design sales and marketing methods suited to local markets and doing it consistently across all channels so that the brand becomes instantly recognisablePranav Misra 38Brand Premium readytowearHow old 10 yearsIn its initial years customers found our brand ethos and purpose of celebrating individual expression through diversity either too cool or way too intimidating The customer demands transparency accountability and authenticity from a brand in return for a purchase I am a storyteller and kapda clothing is anotherlayer to that storytelling But how can I tell a culturally credible story in English a language that is not native to me I am from Lucknow and grew up speaking in Hindi We took a step back to regroup and decided to make Hindi a large part of our brand contentAnirudh Birla 38Brand Everyday luxuryHow old 20 yearsFor us the biggest challenge was that the Indian designer market was too limited and within that scope the readytowear RTW segment too niche Spending on clothes for everyday social lives was unheard ofmdashthose budgets kept exclusively for weddings festivals and special occasions We decided to go back to the drawing board and reinforce the personality of our brand which is minimal everyday luxury We were also fortunate to have the financial muscle to back our marketing and retail capabilities Every time we had money we decided to invest it in either opening a new store or strengthening our existing spaces rather than spending it on a fashion show We managed to crack the RTW market by being fearless with our approach and that has made all the differenceNachiket Barve 41Brand profile Modern festiveHow old 15 yearsIt goes without saying that the longer a brand is around the more challenges it will face from competitors and a changing market The key issue then is how can a brand stay genuine and grow organically over time while trying not to get blindsided by the populous alleys of social media Instagram canrsquot take precedence over good design At the end of the day you have to know that you canrsquot please everybody Designers are after all not in the business of selling white breadAmit Aggarwal 42Brand profile Bridal coutureHow old 10 yearsTodayrsquos customer wants to be enthralled on multiple levels Because it is in human nature to understand concepts you have already seen or heard for instance a brand thatrsquos reinventing the past is able to easily communicate this on social media But what we imagine through our clothes is an abstract future and to translate this through compelling brand narrative was a struggle The audiences online donrsquot want a PhD dissertation on the brand and so we decided to break our messaging down to tiny visual frames to include concise information on our inclusive ideology why we design how a product is developed the emotions linked to our outfits etcOur first collection was loved by the Indian and international press but it didnrsquot quite resonate with the customers Itrsquos only in the last four years by way of carefully crafted storytelling that our products are finally in peoplersquos cupboardsGaurav Jai Gupta 41Brand profile Contemporary textilesHow old 12 yearsWorking in the fashion industry while not playing to the gallery hasnrsquot been a cakewalk At the start of my career I allowed myself to get influenced by how the media and industry functioned Intuitively my work came to my rescue I like the process of making designs perhaps more than the selling part To make customers understand good design or fashion continues to be an uphill climb I remember being told lsquoyeh toh aapko karna hi padegarsquo I understand the importance of updating Instagram and staying visible people assume yoursquore dead if you donrsquot But I like to do less and at my own pace Something about this approach oddly has worked for my bespoke brand I have not only survived but also grown I always have had a set base of loyal customers it is small but rock solid A customer who looks for something new every other month is not my core customer anyway Shweta Gupta 35Brand profile Indigenous craftbased separatesHow old 4 yearsI decided to become a designer to make sustainable quality clothes that focused on supporting local indigenous communities And these take time and effort to produce as itrsquos made using traditional techniques The scale of my operation is small which makes it impossible to keep up when customersrsquo demand constant newness and capsule collections every month While the obvious solution is to grow my buyersrsquo list by producing more clothes fast and invest the money back into the business and employ more peoplemdashin reality how is this model sustainable for the environment Also Read Of style and warmth Herersquos how to style bodycon clothes during winter