Eleanor
June 2018
NIFT, Hyderabad
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
EXCHANGE PROGRAM
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INNOVATIONS IN FASHION Augmented reality
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highlights of
SPECTRUM 2018 Eleanor
Eleanor Team
Editor In Chief
Creative Director
Susmitha Chandra (MFM)
Megha Arya (FC)
Editors
Chaitanya Tiwari (FC)
Eleanor
Arushi Malhotra (AD)
Vidhi Bansal (MFM)
Photographer
Graphics & Layout
Anagha Gupta (FC)
Harshal Bhadkumbe (FC)
Contributors
Shreya Maheshwari (MFM)
Mridibha Tiwari (TD)
Saurabh Sumanyu (B.F Tech)
Pradeep Yadav (FC)
Kajal (MFM)
Muskaan Agarwal (FC)
Aishwarya Raghuwanshi (FC)
Isha Srivastva (FD)
Meghavi Shah (FC)
Neha Rajesh (KD)
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Editorial's Letter NIFT, “Dream come true” for many youngsters. A place that has all the resources to glorify your journey. Most of the students here in NIFT must have gone through this thought at some point “If Fashion is my Passion, why can’t it be my profession”. Yes, things can be impeccable when Passion becomes profession. Like the beautiful Rainbow, NIFT Hyderabad has seven magnificent departments to acquire endless knowledge of fashion. To make this journey worthwhile and effectual, the span of 2-4 precious years in NIFT has to be utilized to the fullest. Exchange of thoughts, fruitful interactions, experiential learning, sharing of potent knowledge will make the professional journey meaningful. Different NIFT departments are inter-related. If one really wants to create something not just good but better or best, it wouldn’t suffice to have knowledge of one’s chosen department or field. To my surprise, there’s a huge gap and there’s no inveterate pursuit to work with students from all the departments and enhance our skills. That is when I felt an urge to create a scope where we get to work with each other. Consequently, with the support and assistance by my CC-FMS Mr. A. Srinivas Rao “Eleanor” came into light. Eleanor is an in-house Magazine by NIFTians with a vision to “Encapsulate latest happenings in the industry, provide identity to NIFTians by earning Trust, Motivating & Working towards one goal” The best thing of putting together this issue was: The editorial team represents the kaleidoscope of seven departments of NIFT, Hyderabad. In this first volume of the e-magazine we’ve focused on: Business of fashion, Innovations in Fashion Industry, Richness of Telugu states and its culture along with creative talents of NIFTians.
“A journey that isn’t easy, is indeed worthy”
Eleanor, brings you an opportunity to interact with various students of NIFT from other departments and work with them. Come, be part of our official NIFT, Hyderabad Fashion College Magazine.
- Sushmitha Chandra MFM
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Career Advice
T
he world of fashion in many ways is mesmerizing to both the initiated and the uninitiated. Fashion industry is by far the most creative industries known. There are excellent career opportunities in garment, leather and jewellery industry as merchandising executives, fashion designers, illustrators, fashion cocoordinators, etc. Export houses, textile mills, garment store chains, boutiques, leather companies, jewellery houses, consultants, fashion show organizers also look for talented fashion professionals. There are plenty of entrepreneurial opportunities galore. Knowledge and creativity go hand in hand and an in-house fashion magazine such as Eleanor provides the right platform for budding fashion professionals to not only share their experiences but also to showcase their talents and achievements to the world. NIFT Hyderabad in more than two decades of its existence has achieved many milestones and the current magazine is one such milestone initiated by fashion management students and coordinated by the students of all departments of NIFT Hyderabad. On the occasion of release of the first issue, while congratulating the student fraternity, I wish to share few tips on fashion career building. To build a successful fashion career, a student may build the right resume by exploring and choosing the right area of interest within fashion and passionately study it; consciously acquire work experience; meet up with right people and share the ideas; explore one’s own entrepreneurial skills; build creative CVs; be persistent. I am sure the industry and the academia will scrutinise the first issue of this student magazine of NIFT Hyderabad and through their constructive inputs encourage the students to come up with a better outputs.
A Srinivasa Rao CC-FMS Eleanor
Introduction to the
Departments MASTERS OF FASHION MANAGEMENT (MFM)
Two years Master of Fashion Management programme is designed to develop leadership and manegerial skills for Marketing, Merchandising, Retailing and all other aspects of fashion business. This course is a success because of the perfect clockwork and coordination between the faculty and the students. Students of MFM are exposed to creative directions of fashion trends and business practices through field visits, craft clusters and industry internships. And just like a potter shapes the vessel seamless, it takes the whole team of qualified professors of the dept. to built a strong foundation and curve the students for their careers.
B.FASHION TECHNOLOGY (B.F Tech) The B.F.Tech (Apparel Production) programme helps in moulding students to be qualified for diverse work profiles available in the apparel-manufacturing sector. The course curriculum aims to introduce important and essential streams including apparel manufacturing technology, information technology, quality management, artificial intelligence etc. It imparts extensive knowledge of raw materials including fabrics and trims and of machineries involved in the manufacturing of apparels. The programme is aimed at honing an individual’s fundamentals governing aesthetic and design elements and the fundamentals of management. Students further develop understanding of production planning, merchandising, work study and quality control which provide essential operational knowledge relating to future work profiles.
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DEPARTMENT OF LIFESTYLE AND FASHION ACCESSORY (AD) The course involves development of products and their manufacturing, exploring, processing and experimenting with thoughts, ideas and materials in order to establish a platform for new ideas and a powerful personal expression. By the end of the course, the student will have in depth knowledge, both practical and theoretical, of the fashion accessory design. They will also be able to engage confidently, professionally and successfully with the domestic fashion accessory industry. Accessory Design graduates have been able to carve a niche for themselves in traditional as well as emerging sectors of global fashion industry space namely jewellery, body gears, home accessories, craft, furniture, footwear, bag, interiors, and in the realm of Designing experiences. The graduates have also been able to tap the potential of emerging markets such as User Interface and Experience design, smart wearable, Consumer interface design and product design and online market channels.
TEXTILE DESIGN (TD)
KNITWEAR DESIGN (KD)
From fibre to fabric, the design and development of textiles is the key to the business of fashion. Woven, print design, embroidery and surface embellishment are the core textile subjects and together impart an extensive and versatile training for the students. Offering ample opportunities to students to create, experiment and innovate with materials the textile department is doing flabbergastingly. The programme builds upon the integration of creative forces of design with textile technology, and also keeps in mind the historical, social and cultural contexts in which the designers work today. Alongside there is also emphasis on learning specialized software in order to explore digital and non-traditional approach to design, fabric structures and surfaces. The students also get exposure to a craft environment by way of craft cluster initiative, which sensitizes them to traditional practices.
The four-year Knitwear Design programme is developed towards creating design professionals who can cater to Knitted Apparelan exclusive segment in fashion, particularly in sportswear and lingerie.The programme has been designed to create well-rounded professionals equipped to handle the challenges of circular and flat-bed knitting in the domestic and export fields. They can pursue careers as Designers, Creative Managers, Merchandisers, Production Managers and Entrepreneurs.Knitwear design students are exposed to a wide milieu of subjects including Fashion Art and Illustration, Garment Construction, Pattern Making for Knits, Flat and Circular Knitting, Computerized Flat Knitting, Trends and Forecasting, Design Process, Knitwear Production and Planning, Merchandising and Marketing. Traditional design acumen is honed with craft surveys, design and documentation.
FASHION COMMUNICATION (FC) In the areas of Branding, styling, social media marketing, photography, space design, and graphics, Fashion Communication graduates are both versatile and passionate about more areas than just one. The Fashion Communication programme encompasses integrated course study relating to the areas of visual merchandising, styling, graphic design, display/exhibit/space design, advertising and public relations, fashion journalism, creative writing, photography, interaction design and new media design, specific to the fashion and lifestyle industry. Come graduation, the students are well versed with the knowledge, concept base and skill which qualify them to offer the most effective and financially viable communication solutions for the fashion and lifestyle industry.
FASHION DESIGN (FD) Fashion Design program has played an influential role in the growth of the Indian fashion industry. In the 3 decades of its existence the graduates of the department have had remarkable presence in the Indian as well as global fashion scenarios. The curriculum helps honing a design sensitization that balances global fashion aesthetics with an Indian soul. It addresses the needs of the export market as well as both couture and pret-a-porter in India. Holistic inputs on generic design with focused approach towards apparel inculcates the ability to develop and channelize creativity. A logical, sequential hands-on experience enables students to conceptualize design, make patterns, drape and construct garments of impeccable quality. Eleanor
Business of
fashion
Predictably Unpredictable By Vidhi Bansal
T
o many people fashion is an escape. It is an imaginative and creative abode, where they forget about the hustle and bustle of this world. But one cannot separate fashion from its strongest influencer. Everything that happens in the world influences fashion, so does Global Economy. Significant world events from terrorist attacks to geopolitical turmoil, from the growing nuclear tensions between North Korea and the United States to the referendum passed for Brexit, all influences fashion and its industry. Fashion executives term these times we are living in, “predictably unpredictable�. Today fashion industry is running because of outsourcing, globalization has made imports and exports the crux of this trade hence, making economy of one country dependable on the other. Such global events change fiscal and trade policies, making it difficult to procure raw material and the finished goods from/by an affected country. For instance Brexit, if the UK take a hard exit from the European Union they will stand alone and will be barred from all the trade and immigrant benefits they used to get. Not only the UK will not be able to have tariff-free trade with the EU countries, the EU countries will not want to have any trade relations with the UK as it exited the Union. All of this in turn, will affect the sales for British brands like TopShop, Burberry, Mulberry and many more , which distributes its products to other European countries. This is one aspect of the impact, other potential challenges of Brexit are still unclear. As the stakes get high, the bubble of risk of another financial crisis comes on the verge of popping.
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Meanwhile, the US fashion market is facing other challenges. Countries like India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and many more manufacture 97 per cent of the clothes sold in the US, but Trump has threatened to rip up trade agreements and impose tariffs in a bid to bring domestic jobs back. This led many clothing giants to freeze their overseas expansion plans. PVH chief executive Manny Chirico, whose company makes Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein clothing, acknowledged in a recent interview that industry executives and the stockholders are nervous. Despite a market rally, PVH and Ralph Lauren are both down more than 13 per cent since Trump’s victory. But the fashion executives have changed their outlook for 2018. While domestic political conflicts, policy reforms, and geopolitical instability are identified as common risks to growth, they believe that the conditions are improving. They have accepted that the only thing that can predicted is the unpredictable and uncertain nature of the events. “You can’t control everything,” says Levi Strauss’s Chip Bergh in an interview for the State of Fashion 2018 report. “But we can control what our actions are. We can control what we’re going to do. We can control where and how we deploy our resources, what areas of our strategy we’re going to focus on.” They recommend the companies to increase their cash reserve while the market is stable for future crisis and to be agile in technical sense: working fast and alliteratively, build flexible supply chains and delivery models that can respond quickly when the environment changes, strengthen risk management, make decisions based solely on the anticipated short-term effects of sudden disruptions. “There’s so much that is happening all the time that you need to be quite reactive, quite nimble, quite flexible,” says Victor Luis of Coach – adding that companies need not to lose “sight of the fact that you can’t make a lot of short-term decisions that impact the long-term health of a brand.” So fashion, which in itself is so big, is part of something even bigger. Countries and cities might not be termed as “Fashion Capitals” if there fashion cannot be taken out to the world. Fashion has to be creative but also aware of significant world events. You never know, even a soft breeze might make an empire fall.
Business of
fashion
Innovations in Fashion T
he two knights, e-retailing and brick and mortar have been in a longwarsince,whatitseemsnow like forever. To survive and grow their markets they have to give customers an experience which they cannot imagine and has the right balance of the strengths from each knight. Augmented Reality (AR) is that weapon which cannot stop the war but can make these knights co-exist. AR has superimposed computer-generated images on the real world. Their applications and usage feels right out from a futuristic fiction movies we all have seen growing.
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Augmented Reality Changes Everything! By Vidhi Bansal
side-by-side and visualize looks in the very room where they are standing.
“Users can interact with garments, virtually try them on, compare pieces side-by-side and visualize looks in the very room where they are standing”
The first indication that AR could be a global consumer phenomenon was when Niantic Inc. released Pokemon Go in 2016, an app that has since been downloaded over 750 million times and driven over $1.2 billion in sales. While Pokemon was a lightweight 2D AR experience, it showed consumers and brands the potential of an immersive, mixed reality consumer phone application. Did you know that Pokemon Go has driven over 500 million in-person visits to sponsored physical locations? It’s incredible. Since then fashion giants like Zara, Burberry, Macy’s and even Dior has added an AR element for their customers. Users can interact with garments, virtually try them on, compare pieces
With this, stores will behave more like websites and websites more like stores. According to BOF, ”Within three years, it is safe to predict that an “AR View” will be an expected part of every brand’s digital shopping experience and will help increase conversion and reduce returns, the two key metrics that have greatly suffered in most online apparel businesses.” But if given a thought, is it really safe and respects the privacy of the customers? Let’s take an example of Beacons, a small wireless device which transmit signals detected by your smartphone, which is used by Macy’s to push targeted content to your phone. Say, you’re walking past a Macy’s stores and they are having a sale, through a beacon nearby your phone could alert you to the sale. Through this the retailer can gather information on your movements, where do you go, when do you go and how often you go. And it will be you, giving them the consent to do so. All AR technologies have great potential for the brands as they can segment their customers better, give more targeted advertising and know consumer behavior but in the course of achieving this the customers would be giving private information which can be misused, if not by the concerned retailer by someone else. We referred AR as a weapon, but is it the right weapon, that is the question. It is not the companies that decide whether they have to opt for AR or nor. It is the customers who will decide it for them,as“Thecustomeris always right”.
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P H O T O G R A P H Y
Featured!
Team FC: Akash Verma Shefali Singh Ishi Jawarker
Anagha Gupta FC Semester 6
Pradeep Yadav FC Semster 6 Eleanor
P H O T O G R A P H Y
Akash Verma FC Semester 6
Sanjoli Arora FC semester 6
Harshal Bhadkumbe, FC semester 6
K Abhinav KD Semester 4
Aashi Sharma, FC semester 6
Megha Arya , FC semester 6
Saurabh Suman FC semester 6
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Spectrum 2018 Theme: Arabian Nights
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pectrum is one of the largest inter college youth and cultural festivals hosted by the students of NIFT. It strives to create a space where students from NIFT as well as leading educational institutions in and around Hyderabad co-participate in events spanning the performing arts, aports, debates, fashion shows and literature along with a number of workshops on different themes. The entire NIFT campus is adorned with the galore of groovy Arabian Nights, highlighting the madness and excitement of a middle-eastern fiesta. The student organised implores students to create a network of creative and ambitious minds to get together, break boundaries, socialize and have a great time at the two day extravaganza. The main events of spectrum are: First day- Mr and Ms Spectrum, Cultural Night- Where students showcase their talents like Dance, Singing, Special talents. Second Day- Fashion show – ART TO WEAR on the second day. The garments are created keeping a particular theme in mind and judged accordingly.
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Highlights of the Cultural Night
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Fashion Show
Theme: Life under Microscope
T
he students are divided into groups according to their respective departments. This year the main focus was how to bring together all the departments so that the knowledge of each field could be applied while making the garment. Keeping the theme in mind the groups designed 5-6 garments using fabric as well as unconventional material. They were then asked to showcase it in a form of fashion show which is known as ART-TO-WEAR. Particular time period is given to all the groups to study, research, source and make the final garment. Prior to the show they are approved by the jruy members and asked to do any changed if needed. While the show goes on, they are judges and marked upon
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Highlights of ART-TO-WEAR
The winnng team- Moody neurons
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Rediscovering Cultue Transforming Fashion INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has organized an international conference on the theme ‘Rediscovering Culture: Transforming Fashion’ at New Delhi from 31st January to 2nd February 2018. The conference theme is dual-pronged, reflecting the issues and concerns of the fashion industry that are of relevance within the Indian subcontinent and also globally. It aims to initiate conversations on fashion, culture, textiles, crafts and sustainability by creating an interdisciplinary platform to share perspectives and practice-led research experiences on transforming fashion practices. It is envisaged that within the ambit of cultural rediscovery, the forum has initiated transglobal cultural narratives that impact and are, in turn, impacted by issues and concerns, innovations, challenges encountered and solutions formulated by the fashion industry.
Cross Culture Collaboration In Design
Julia Raath, Rakhi Wahee Pratap & Karthikeyan Balaraman Globalisation has brought a shift in design thinking. Companies worldwide are not just opting for sourcing new markets and production grounds but also new design thinking across national and cultural boundaries. An education system in design which promotes understanding of design requirements across another culture and nations can feed these new markets. For establishing this understanding it is important to be familiar with various design elements prevailing in another communities.
created design. The project was executed between textile departments of two design universities (Australia and India) where the faculty expert with extensive international experience mentored the project with Indian design faculty.
The collaboration generated design queries among the students and helped them to explore design expectations of an international market. It enabled decision-making between limited exposure and restricted access of information resulting to predicted outcomes vs. cross culture collaboration The paper explores how an interactive classroom which enhanced student performance making project based on cross- culture collaboration them equipped with strong research base for can help in creating a shift among the design handling multicultural design. students in a tertiary learning environment. Such a project can also enable the understanding of The research findings have generated extensive an actual client rather than assumed one by design related opportunities for students. researching various social and cultural aspects of a community. This inculcates design decisions which determine the success and scope of the
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Julia Raath Textile, Print Designer & Educator Melbourne, Australia Rakhi Wahee Pratap Associate Professor, NIFT, Hyderabad, India
Tradition And Contemporaneity In Fashion
Karthikeyan Balaraman Associate Professor, NIFT, Chennai, India
Unifying India Through Design And Defining The New Urban Chic
Surbhi Ahuja (Assistant Professor, NIFT, Hyderabad ) Cultural transformation is the dynamic process whereby the living cultures of the world change and adapt to external or internal forces. Given the global shift in design thinking and apparel production systems towards sustainability, handloom weaving in India is an industry that holds promise in transforming the way women perceive fashion. Fashion comes a full circle as the association of swadeshi movement with hand-woven khadi during India’s freedom struggle, is once again unifying the country where in women of various communities and traditions are gracefully donning the handloom sarees from other cultures, appreciating and cheerfully accepting the aesthetics of various Indian crafts spread across the country. Owing to India’s rich heritage and diversity, each state adds another dimension of culture, which is captured beautifully by the weavers and graced by the women in India strengthening inter as well as intra - relationship between different communities and states of India. This appreciation and adoption of the handcrafted and handloom textiles that represent India’s rich heritage and diversity is a tribute to the skills of the weavers. The sheer magnitude of people who either create handloom or possess handloom, has unified the nation towards a common objective of ‘Make in India’ and contribute towards revival of crafts either through design intervention by various designers or acceptance and promotion by the celebrities. Albert Einstein warned “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” India’s strength is in its vast reservoir of crafts and hand skills while simultaneously being a part of the technological revolution. This paper aims to further the understanding of how the ‘Make in India’ campaign has unified the design community in India and how Indian fashion designers are increasingly engaging with handloom weavers to retain and even enhance its unique hand-woven characteristic. The paper will also attempt to establish the connection between Indian fashion designers, Bollywood celebrities and social media in inspiring Indian women to bring sustainability in their wardrobes and defining the new urban chic.
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Fashion Retail Appropriate Apparel Products For E- Retailing Business Shakeel Iqbal & K. Anant Phani (Associate Professors, NIFT, Hyderabad ) Any commercial activity that uses any electronic medium is considered as e-commerce. Electronic Retail (E-retail) provides goods and services to the consumer through the use of the internet. The term ‘E-retail’ has been in use since 1995 but has become more widespread in the last decade. While the products ordered through this channel largely include those of intellectual content such as software, music and books, e-retail has also become very important for apparel retail. To build reliance on this retail mode, retailers require free shipping and lenient return policy. The increase in the clothing business done through e- retailing is reportedly closer to 40% of the total e-retail business which is more than double of the returns from brick and mortar stores. There are different losses that the retailer has to bear due to these returns such as loss of e ort in selling the product, loss in value of the product, and loss due to product becoming obsolete. These can cause errors in business forecasting and management in returns and liquidity for repayment causing major loss through dilution of brand value. The objective of this study is to identify fashion apparel which are more suited for e-retail medium and designs which are not affected by changes in body measurements or body shapes. These include traditional garments like the saree, other draped garments such as the wraparound skirt, and other garments in free sizes. To highlight the product features that can induce acceptability in the target group segment, this study identifies the causes of returns in apparel e-retailing and suggests technical details of apparel which make them more suitable for a successful e-retail business model.
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Sustainable Business Practices Perceptions Of Ethics Among Garment Manufacturing Industry Professionals
Rajani Jain PHD (Associate Professor, NIFT, Hyderabad) The era of self-centered companies trying to maximize their shareholders wealth at any cost has been replaced by the new era where companies are also concerned about their social responsibilities. Public perception, activism and increased government regulations are other factors driving organizations to adopt ethical business practices. The adoption of ethical standards not only determines the wellbeing of all stakeholders, productivity and profiability of the organization, but also the macro-economic development of the nation. The garment manufacturing industry is one of the fast growing and one of the largest contributors to India’s exports. Recent research shows that consumers prefer ethically produced goods and services are, in fact, willing to pay premium for the same. The conscientious consumer demographic, while still a minority, is growing. This stratum of socially conscious customers who demand ethical standards and practices for products and services as well as human right activists are calling upon companies to take responsibility for the conditions under which goods they sell, are being manufactured. Therefore, global brands are increasingly committing themselves to conduct their business a airs in a socially responsible manner. They want to ensure that their suppliers in India also follow regulations to protect the rights and fair working conditions of workers in the factories. This necessitates compliance with ethical standards and code of conduct by Indian garment manufacturers. This paper examines the perception of ethics among the professionals in the Indian garment manufacturing industry. Data on perceptions of ethical issues, transparency, legal considerations and sustainability are collected using Likert scale type questions. This data is statistically analyzed to determine if there is a difference in perception across gender, job tenure and education based on the hypotheses that ‘There is statistically significant difference in perceptions of ethical issues among garment manufacturing industries professionals across education/ gender/job tenure”.
Craft Showcase Khatri Abdul Gafur Daud Craft: Rogan printing, Nirona, Gujarat
Shri Guruappa Chetty Craft: Kalamkari Painting, Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh
Craft: Back-strap loom weaving, Imphal, Manipur
Smt. Nankushiya Shyam Craft: Gond tribal painting, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Shri Jahabhai Rathor Craft: Tangliya weaving, Surendranagar, Gujarat
Shri Ram Kishore Chippa Craft: Dabu Printing, Bagru, Rajasthan
Shri Ram Kishore Chippa Craft: Dabu Printing, Bagru, Rajasthan
Shri Montu Chitrakar Craft: Patua Painting, West Bengal
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“A weaver who defines our prestige, wishes us to define the right value for their hard work.” The first cluster occurred in the global economy many years ago. Clusters have been in existence in India for centuries and are known for their products at the national and international level. India has more than 6400 clusters. These have been typified as industrial, handloom, and handicraft clusters. “Issues that weavers are facing are not just restricted to few clusters, in fact every cluster has a lot of issues in common. If addressed and resolved timely, lives of weavers can be improved. All that the weavers wish for is, a ray of hope where they find right value for their hard work” As part of our cluster study, we MFM students have worked with weavers of Gadwal. Gadwal is a town and the district Headquarter of JogulambaGadwal district in the Indian state of Telangana. Gadwal saree is a handcrafted woven saree style. From the study it has been found that the handloom industry has been adequately facing huge competition from power loom and miller-made sector. Apart from that inadequate infrastructure, poor marketing support and weakening distribution network has depleted an already fragile supply chain system. Also customers are not fully aware of the handloom industry. In many cases consumers do not even have knowledge about the industry. In order to resolve the problems being faced by Handloom Weavers and for the socio-economic development of Handloom Weavers in Telangana State, several schemes are being implemented both by the State and Central Governments including Schemes with matching grants of the Central Government and State Share as per the budget provisions.
Cluster Study
GADWAL Eleanor
Recommendations by NIFT MFM students
Production: • Handlooms can be equipped with motors such that the drudgery of handloom saree making and occupational health problems could be addressed. 24/7 power backup could help production to take place. • Facilitating weavers with optimum effective lighting setup, so that they do not suffer eye problem.
Product: • Innovation in terms of designs is required. • The process can be well organized. Weavers should be notified about the trends and requirements of consumers. They can be trained accordingly by which they can maximize sales.
Marketing: • Encourage customers to buy Handloom Gadwal sarees, which is possible by promoting the saree with the Handloom marks and organizing and participating in fairs. • Since customers are willing to order/purchase sarees directly from weavers. Therefore it may be prudent that every weaver should have a catalogue of products manufactured by them. • E-commerce giants such as Amazon and Flipkart have provided platform for weavers can directly sell online. Having spoken to co-operative societies and master weavers, training for e-retailing is the need of the hour. This will require weavers to be trained in such fields which can be done though workshops. • Creative ways of packaging will add value to the Gadwal handloom sarees. The packaging can be used for enhancing the authenticity.
Health: • Many weavers are suffering from eyesight issues. Government must come up with eye care centers and should provide timely medication. • Yoga center should be established to improve health of weavers.
Quality: • In places like Gattu etc. some educated youth could be trained in maintenance and repairs of jacquard looms such that the work happens unhindered and weavers need not to wait for technicians to come from Dharmavaram etc.
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JAPAN travalogue
-Oorjita Shahi, FC
“Anata no shītoberuto o kotei shite kudasai” “Please fasten your seatbelts for landing.”
I woke from a light, uncomfortable sleep- 14 hours long, with no leg room for my tiny legs and dry fish and stale coffee for dinner. Haneda Airport lit in a distance and I looked out only to shield my eyes from the crazy number of lights in the city. Japan had already put her crazy foot forward. 12 days in Japan were chaotic, tiring yet mesmerizing. The Japanese were different from anything I had seen before. Everything they did reflected a deep rooted consciousness to not bother anyone you cross. Their trains never ran a second late, no one honked, no one raised their voice. They always walked up to us when we seemed frazzled and went out of their way to help us find our way. Each day in japan made you increasingly conscious of your place in the society. The cities were chaotic, the people were calm. Everything in Japan reflects a deeply rooted system- a well-planned organization of people churning out some of the world’s best technology, revitalizing fading cultures, and believing that quality stood above all. We started the trip with an enthralling view from Tokyo’s government Metropolitan building in the Shinjuku district! While we missed the Eleanor
Cherry Blossoms by a month, we still walked around holding our breath. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, Japan brought you to your knees- in quiet worship. Japan was black and white, even while it was flooded with colorsone part so violently bright that it’s an assault to the senses. The other so subdued that you wonder if your heartbeat would bring ruin. One unforgettable thing about Japan was their outrageous love for technology. We walked in to Tokyo’s buzzing Yodobashi Camera and if science fiction movies predicted 2020 rightthat’s what it would look like. From self-heating toilet seats that blew out warm air to Lightsaber chopsticks to catwalk robots that were designed to replace human models on the runway, Japan was giving the world a serious competition. We spent at least 3 hours walking down hundreds of aisles of freaky gizmos, holding back the urge to make impulse purchases. Japan has something for everyone. Funny yet memorable themed café’s for the foodie travellers, museums for those looking for a historical romance, lush green parks, buildings so high, you can’t see their tops till you walk far, far away, and markets selling everything under the sun. Love Anime? Pick up a Manga from the
countless 7/11 and Lawson stores dotting the streets, eat at the local morning fish market, go to Hiroshima and experience the chills that will run up and down your spine as their horrific history comes to life in front of you. While discussions about Japan’s dinosaur cafes, love hotels, and music make them look like funny people- their enterprising dedication to grow, to make better food, and more efficient networks, has made the people of Japan rise from the ashes multiple times and has made them warriors. The horrifying atomic attacks turned millions of people to vapor within minutes, and the tens of tsunamis wiped out their coastal cities but, Goddamn these Japanese are unstoppable. Everything about Japan inspires you. The quiet whispers of Kyoto’s Bamboo forests, the walk of pilgrimage at Kyoto’s Senso-ji temple, the lovely aromatic food market at nishikujo- everything taught you about how things worked in a nation that was way, way ahead of the rest of the world.
What is development? Just that no part of the country is out of a network that connects the nation together. Wherever you went, you could never be more than 10 minutes away from a subway. Nothing about Japan made you feel unsafe, uncomfortable or at any inconvenience. People ride bicycles everywhere- teenagers in ripped jeans and neon socks, and even seniors in suits. The whole Japanese community was the perfect utopian society. Still is. My advice to you is save whatever money you get, and explore the world like you have never imagined it. We all think our stories are worthy of being written about, but there are unbelievable stories of love, courage, and pain around the world. Pain because pain seeps through all our walls. Courage, because courage follows. Save your money, don’t buy too much stuff, and learn to be at one with this huge, outrageous, and brilliant world.
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Sketches & Artworks
Swejan Venkata KD Semster- 4
Sagarika Chavara KD Semester 6
Sanjoli Arora FC Semester 6 Sanjoli Arora FC Semester 6
Md Aquib Ali AD Semester 4 Eleanor
Saurabh Suman FC Semester 6
Swejan Venkata KD Semster- 4
Md Aquib Ali AD Semester 4
Megha Arya FC Semester 6
Mansi Singh FD Semester 6
Garima Assija, FP 2nd semester
Closed Door!
Poems
The open doors seems to be locked In crowd of hundreds alone I walk Wandering around to find my own self No book had the answer not even the elf Miles and miles and I still ramble Then I realised this life is a gamble The true bliss is hidden within you Just do whatever you feel is true Don’t bother what people say You’re unique just go and slay Fly as if you’re free spirit In the sky where there is no limit Then you’ll feel the doors have finally opened All the bonds you are tied in will get broken
Chaitanya Tiwari FC 4th Semester
Old voices echo my past, The new ones curious about those echoes. The days go by fast, Lurking alone in the shadows. Suffocated by concern. Guilty of not hiding my scars from those eyes.
Can’t blame me, “Towers of exaggerated lies you’ve built.”
Shake eyes but smile is firm, Still failed to sell my lies.
Don’t know if its me, Or the souls who roam around.
Brain is a brilliant deceiver, Made me believe there was no light.
But I feel free, Blocking myself and the world out.
Then called me a liar, Shining shame right into my eyes.
Fight or flight, My will to care is snatched.
Blamed no one, Yet some willing to drown in guilt.
So I hold my breath. Till the door of my room is latched. Eleanor
Exchange Program The idea of studying abroad feels like a dream to most of us, it feels like a treasure trove of knowledge, experience and needless to say, fun. But exactly how close to reality is this dream and is it even worth it? Where to apply? How much will it actually cost? Will it even make a difference? These are the weapons that our rational self uses against the dreamer within us. So, to look for a glimmer of hope and clear the fog of doubt, Eleanor sat down with Parit and Shreya of semester 8, Lifestyle and Accessory Department, who had the glorious opportunity to be an exchange student in Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Their stay in the continent of down under might have only been a semester long, but they have a lot to share, so without dragging it for too long let us spill the details of their experience in Australia step by step.
Eleanor
Everything you need to know!
PARIT SHARMA Accessory Design
SHREYA SAXENA Accessory Design
Discovery
Parit shared that he wanted to be a part of the exchange program as soon as he entered the gates of NIFT. So, in pursuit of gaining information about his quest he seeked out a senior for guidance, who told him to that he would have all his questions answered by the faculty members of his department. We tend to forget that our own departments hold the key to all our doubts. You will be surprised on how helpful our faculty could be if you just dare to approach them for guidance. NIFT has partnership with 32 leading international fashion institutes and organizations, to apply you fill up a form online available on your CMS. A little read through NIFT’s website can help you explore your options. However, at the end of the program you do not receive any certificate, the only proof you have is your acceptance letter, even your grades are converted according to NIFT curriculum.
Education
When the subject of education was brought up, both the achievers had a lot to share about their individual experiences. But one thing both of them strongly agreed upon was that the level of education there is very detailed, and they backed up their claim by sharing some of the guidelines they were given during an assignment. Parit broke down the entire system for us to understand. First, you only have 2 days of classes in a week, and rest of the time you work on your assignments, and you also don’t have a minimum attendance requirement. But since you only get two classes per week, you can’t afford to miss even a single class. The university provides you a range of subjects to choose from, if your past knowledge and education level makes you eligible to opt that subject, the knowledge is yours to conquer. You have to choose minimum of 4 subjects, Parit chose 3 subjects in Industrial design and 1 in Interior. However Shreya chose 2 from industrial design and 2 from Interior design. The curriculum is such that a fourth year student can choose a second or a first year subject and they refer to this as “Minors” over there. This breaks the unseen yet existent walls between senior and junior students and also creates expert competition for you.
Preparation
“The preparation I think begins from your very first semester.” answered Parit when asked about what he did to not let this opportunity pass by. Shreya explained that the admission is based on your performance in the college, from your attendance to CGP, it all adds up in providing you the gateway. You have to keep in mind that you are competing with every NIFT center in the country, only the best of the best can get the opportunity.
Eleanor
Facility & Campus Interaction “The faculty members are really approachable, I was in contact with them even before I went to Australia” explained Shreya on her experience with the faculty of QUT. Parit added to the conversation by explaining that the faculty is available for discussion anytime the students want, all they have to do is send an email and fix an appointment “Time with faculty was precious, since they take class for only two days a week.” When it comes to the student atmosphere, they clarified that QUT is a huge university thus it was not possible to be familiar with all the beings under the roof, yet they did end making a few friends with whom they are still in contact with. Besides that there were a lot of activities, and club events within the campus.
Benefits and takeaways Let us summarize the experience without wasting many words, worth it! Parit and Sheya mention a lot of benefits, first and foremost is the great learning experience, a new found sense of design ethics, and a better understanding of work areas not to mention a great addition to their portfolio, since the work they did there is one of their best. “We worked a lot there, we found ourselves focusing on minute details and going in depth of the subjects.” And when asked which assignment he was the most proud of, Parit replied without hesitation, “All of them.” He explained that QUT is the peak moment of every single one of his interviews as it never fails to impress. All of the assignments they worked on in QUT have made it into their portfolio.
Eleanor
The facilities provided to the students are delightful and impressive. The library and workshops are open 24 hours for all students without any boundaries. These labs and libraries are huge in size and are beyond helpful. On top of that, students don’t have to source their own materials and resources for their projects, everything is provided to them by the university workshops. And if what you require is not available, you can give them one day notice and it will be available for you ASAP. The labs are firm with their security precautions, “Even for cutting foam we were instructed to wear safety glasses.” explained Parit.
Accommodation & Finance The NIFTIANS, who were four in number, shared an apartment near the campus. The living cost was not too expensive either, the cost of groceries is same and unless you have very obvious financial constraint, then it costs just a little more than it does at NIFT. “You only have to pay your NIFT fee, it is very much possible to maintain a reasonable budget without sacrificing the fun stuff, we have been to beaches and ate at many places, yet our budget never got out of hand”
Alumni Advice Parit described his experience as an opportunity that should not be missed, and everyone should cease it without a doubt. Both advised that if there is no harsh financial constraint and you do not plan on doing masters, this exchange program should not be slept on. In addition, they felt it is better to venture to a country of English speakers, otherwise you feel isolated outside of your campus, and then added that you are bound to feel homesick while you are there, but in the end it is definitely worth it.
State and its
culture
A
ndhra Pradesh is a state known for its rich culture, heritage and history. In June 2014, Telengana emerged as a new state getting separated from Andhra Pradesh. With respect to fashion, the two states have a lot to offer! Both the states are home to some of the finest traditional textiles in India, owing to the excellent weaving and dyeing techniques that originated in the ancient times. Apart from textile making, the fine jewellery of Andhra Pradesh and Telengana are something to look out for. Jewellery like Buttapusalu, Kasulaharam, etc. are well known for traditional value and artistic beauty. The pearls of Hyderabad are very popular since the time of the Nizams. Until 1826, it was believed that Andhra was the only source for diamonds and some of the most popular ones like the Kohinoor and the Hope diamond have originated from the mines of Andhra. Andhra Pradesh and Telengana are widely popular for handloom sarees from Pochampally, Mangalgiri, Dharmavaram, Venkatagiri, Chirala, Ponduru, Uppada and Gadwal. UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites acknowledges Pochampally as a part of ‘Iconic Saree Weaving Clusters of India’. Pochampally has become synonymous with the saree which is essentially an Ikkat weave. Most of these sarees are made with cotton or silk. Also, Kalamkari is a very popular fabric which refers to hand painted or block printed cotton fabric which originated in Andhra Pradesh under the patronage of the Qutub Shahis. The women of the two states typically wear a 6 yard saree and the men wear kurta with a dhoti or a pyjama. The draping styles have evolved over the years and slightly differ from the other states of India. There are many tribes in the two states like the Lambadis, Chenchus, Koyas, etc. who still wear their traditional tribal attires which have not changed in many years. However, over the years there have been many fashion influences from other cultures in India and outside India. In cities like Hyderabad today, fashion is very heterogeneous in nature. We can see a lot of western influence in the attires worn by millennials while traditional garments are seen worn only during special occasions and festivals. Many popular designers have emerged from here like Gaurang Shah, Anushree Reddy, Jayanti Reddy, Anand Kabra, Suhani Pittie, Asmita Marwa, Archana Rao, Shriya Bhupal etc. Hyderabad, the capital of Telengana, has slowly emerged as a big luxury market but this did not happen overnight. In the past decade, the city saw the arrival of International luxury brands. Indian Couturiers started setting up shop in the city and this is mostly attributed to the wedding market. The willingness of people to experiment with fashion and ability to spend has given rise to a fashion revolution in the city. As a market, the industry expects that the city will become the next fashion hub of the country. -Preneetha Balachandar
Eleanor
Preeti Kuber
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Sanjoli Arora
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Ishi Jawarker https://ekcommonladki.wordpress.com/
Oorjita Shahi
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Chaitanya Tiwari
https://breatheinthepetrichor.wordpress.com/
Prachi Nagpal
https://chzink.wordpress.com/
Meghavi Shah https://celestiallimerence.wordpress.com/
https://celestiallimerence.wordpress.com/ https://thequirkyvogue.wixsite.com/blog/blog/ summer-lookbook-easy-breezy-outfits
MEGHA ARYA
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AKASH VERMA
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ISHI JAWARKER
ABHISHEK DAS
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https://www.behance.net/dabhisek
ASHI SHARMA
RITU GUPTA
https://www.behance.net/ritugupta78b61 https://www.behance.net/ashisharmac02f
MANSI SINGH
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SAGARIKA CHAVARE
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