2017
ISSUE
YOUTH TIMES ADVERTORIAL ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PROMOTIONAL FEATURE BENGALURU
11 DEC/17
#1
EDITOR: Toby Youell News Editor: Riya S. Feature Editor: Nav. K S. Media Officer: S.K ONLINE EDITION & BLOG CITY EDITION
FASHION & TRENDS
Pg. 2
Trend Report. FALL 2017 How the fashion businees promotes Anorexia?
Interview: Founder of anterDESI : Manish Tripathi Top 7 makeup trends. Take-care this monsoon.
TECH-CRUNCH
Pg. 3
Bitmoji: Trending social secret weapon. Who controls who? Technology?
THE POWER OF YOUTH
Pg. 5
Fear of missing out. Photographer Prodigy : Manish Kushwaha Youngest Event Manage : Rohit Raj
Khadi
Pg. 7
: The Thread of Freedom
The Khadi movement promoted a socio-cultural aesthetic, an idea that Indians could be self-reliant on cotton and be free from foreign cloth and clothing.
FASHION CRITIQUE Pg. 10
New York Fashion Week - S/S 2018 New York Fashion Week - Bridal Wear 2017/18 Paris Fashion Week - S/S 2018 Lakme Fashion Week - 2017/18 Festive London Fashion Week - S/S 2018
INFLUENCERS Blomming in 20’s : Vasudha Dembla Interview : Aarabhi Veeraraghavan
Pg. 14
LIFESTYLE How to stylise your home? Top 7 trends 7 Media Trends.
WEATHER 22 C | 71.6 F
Pg. 15,16
PAGE 4
www.youthtimes.com
facebook.com/youthtimes
instagram.com/youthtimes
30 pages
Rs. 10.00
FASHION & TRENDS
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
“Vintage is the new black”
TREND REPORT FALL 2017
Y
Hemant & Nandita
ou don’t have to go shopping this season to look like a million bucks. Just raid your basement for old clothes: yours or your parents. Vintage clothing has always had an ardent following with each piece costing even more than the new ones. Now with the new pieces imitating the old ones, vintage fashion is our current obsession.
Osacr de la Renta
Band tees: Rock the look From the original vintage to cheap knockoffs, band tees are everywhere. No oneknows whether Kendall Jenner listens to thrash metal but she sure does wear a Slayer t-shirt. With band tees from fast fashion retailers like H&M or high fashion streetwear brands likeVestments, exude the ‘coolerthanthou’, anti establishment attitude withband tees.
Chanel
PETAL POWER Mulberry
PERALY WHITES
Petal Power was out in force, in inky colours and through sheer net underlays. The florals, and Hemant & Nandita were moodlier than their spring counterparts.
Marni
There were suspersized versions of pearls at Oscar da La Renta, a conceptual spin on the classic necklace at Marni, quirky rings at Mulbuerry, and updated multi-strand layers at Chanel.
Huemen
JEAN GENIUS:
From collared shirts to formal blazers and tailored trousers, top-to-toe denim got out out of the ranch snd into the city courtesy Abraham & Thakore, Calvin Klien, and Dior.
Christopher Kane
PUSH YOUR BUTTONS
Dior
Abraham & Thakore Calvin Klien
Munkee
Mary Katrantzou
Mulberry
Fastened right to the top or left slightly undone, buttons added a dollop of drama this season. To see how it done, look to Mulberry and munkee. see munch.doo.
Bell bottoms: Does it ring a bell? A good pair of bell bottom styled well with a tucked in, fitting shirt complements the body. It is feminine,dramatic and makes one wonder why it went out of fashion. But don't worry, its back. Its fitted fitted crotch and flared bottoms, the bell bottoms makes the legs look longer especially when paired with heels. You can channel your extra-ness by taking inspiration from Gigi Hadid’s all pink suit with bell bottom pants. Corsets: Cinch that waist Corsets have always kept coming and going from the fashion scene and our fashion police claim that its back; we don’t know for how long. Forget uptight and constricting, this season’s corsets just merely add definition to an oversized shirt, a lumpy sweater. It transforms the normal to something more exciting. Skater dress: Do it your way Skater dress with its fitted waistlines and full circle skirt is just so simple and easy
Manish Tripathi Fashion Designer And Founder of Desizn Circle & antarDESI.
Textile Govt. of India. A knowledge craver. A passionate learner. A creative head. Student’s literal Guru and the man who hasn’t taken a day off from his work. Manish Tripathi, is one of a kind! Do share your design aesthetic? My design aesthetic is contemporary designs on traditional silhouettes. It is experimental yet classic and aims at creating something for everyone.
Undergoing a continuous process of exploring, creating and volunteering arenas of various caliber excites the Delhi based designer Manish Tripathi hailing from Lucknow, the designer who is also a passionate caricaturist, immediately set his foot into running his own men’s wear label antarDesi after graduating from NIFT, New Delhi. He proudly showcased his first caricature exhibition on CWG issue at habitat centre. As he worked with many celebrities, socialites,politicians who supports anterDesi designs, Manish Tripathi simultaneously ventured into the Bollywood circuit as a costume designer, the first movie “Life ki toh lag gai”. From participating in college fashion shows, as a judge to promoting the handle textiles, Manish has respectfully achieved a membership within the National Centre of textile Design, Ministry of 2| YOUTH TIMES
to style. it can be feminine and edgy depending on how you style it. What’s great about this dress is how universally appealing it is With the current trend of layering, the skater dress can be worn as tunic with jeans or leggings under it.
How fashion industry treated you after graduation from NIFT? I was like any other grad student, had my own dreams to conquer the fashion industry with my skills and abilities of fashion. But it’s “life” and as you know you get nothing easily. I was living on a hand-to-mouth budget back then, so I started doing caricature, to raise funds for antarDESI setup. Though I didn’t get any sponsors in early days. So I was funding antarDESI essentials with my income from caricature. Can you share you journey of your brand “antarDESI”. In 2009, me and my friend, Sumit Saurabh, used to get second hand equipment to establish our setup for the brand. The initial years were full of extreme real struggle partially because it was 2009 (recession time) which affected the fashion industry the most. And partially because we did not have any funds of funders. Gradually, when we started pooling in sources, it expanded. And today we have an elite clientele. Tell us about “antarDESI”. antarDESI is holistic design platform, wherein the urban Indian man will find something to suit his individual style and preferences, whatever age group or professional background he may
belong to; we ensure that he will find something that complements him and helps him stand out in every walk of life. Who comes up with the idea of naming the brand, ‘antarDESI’ for you label and what makes your label unique? ‘AnterDesi’ is the name of an elite postcard. We endeavored to deliver the best quality products at people’s doorstep, just like a postcard. Hence, the name just clicked. We fulfill the needs of our customers, by customizing them instead of selling the clothes direct off the shelf. And we believe in craftsmanship, so we train our designer by providing with a platform to discover their talents. Who is your inspiration behind all your work? My parents. I’ve seen my parents work really hard when i was young. At a very young age in my life, i had learnt from them that worthy things don’t come easy. Also, I find inspiration in everything. You just have to be a keen observer to get inspired. How is it challenging to work for international designs with indian aesthetics? It is sometimes difficult to justify international designs with Indian aesthetics but it’s all the more rewarding and appreciated when you are able to pull off something like that, which is why personally they are my favorite projects to work on. How do you select the materials you use? It’s an organic process. It involves a lots of thought process. We do silk and cotton. It depends on which kind of fabrics work for which printing technique. We do focus on that.
Oversized Blazers: The modern powersuit The 80’s favourites, oversized blazers with shoulder pads and pantsuits are coming back with a twist. Oversized blazers with bell bottom pants gives a fashion forward touch to workwear. Oversized blazers also give a cozy casual fall look with denims. -By Parvathy Anand
What is important-commercial appeal or creative force? A fine balance between the two is very important in today’s time. As the world is growing too fast and everything is available at the tip of a click, combining the creative force with commercial appeal is important. What are your opinions towards the social upliftment of weavers cluster and handloom textiles? Weaver clusters are going through a very hard time, where the whole sector is unorganised and disintegrated. They lack of infrastructure and sources, hence younger generation sometimes migrate to other career options for a better future. Despite the hardships they go through, they enjoy their work. And our brand source fabrics from the weavers community and serve it an audience that will not just appreciate the collection but also value as it deserves. We are trying to do our best to support the weavers community that will also help to uplift the future of handloom textiles. What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designer? There is no trial and tested formula. Some people work so hard but they lack talent and some people who have talent but don’t work so hard. It’s important to be fresh and have a signature style and then do the rest. Doesn't matter if you’re going at snail’s pace, slow is good. Skipping to success fast will keep you away from the chance to learn properly from your failures and struggles. And never at any point, compromise your ethics for the same. Go slow but ethical! It's bracing to see that such a successful man is so down-to-earth and inspiring. Interviewer Rashi Sharma
FASHION & TRENDS
7
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
Top Makeup trends of this Season.
Make up is essentially a play of shadow and light, one of the most transforming ricks that your make-up kit can play. and it’s inspiring to know how much it can change your game. Metallic eye shadow:
As “eyes are the index of beauty” the main focus should be on them. The return of metallic eye shadows marks one to the most exciting trends of the season. Emerald greens, rich coppers should cover your lids at crisp nights. Starting with the Smokey look or faint shimmer around the corners to the bold metallic look on the lids. Keep the shades monochromatic and pair it with big eyelashes to intensify your beauty.You can also keep the look darker and bold at fancy night outs or can even smudge it up.With this metallic eye lid the other unique key element that is new to this new season is Eyebrows the most noticed feature of the face. Thick, bold eyebrow weather filled in or feathered with proper highlighted eyebrow bone is the main trend for this season. The latest beauty trend is feather brows, and it’s quite possibly one of the most bizarre and outrageous looks to date. The bold new look involves parting your eyebrows and splaying the hairs into a feather-like shape with the help of some Vaseline.
Bold lips:
Sometimes all it takes to make a statement is one single tube of lipstick. It can never build a backstage beauty without any mention of bold red lipstick. Just to mention peach, electric orange, burgundy, colorblocking and purple gray are the colours in trend this season. You can also experiment with a variety of lipstick color and textures, from matte cherry shade to pop of neon pigments. To match up with the bold metallic eye makeup that was mentioned above you can also carry a glossy plum lip accented by a line of metallic pigment above the cupid’s bow. Texture variation can be created by applying a few different shades of the same hue. To get a metallic effect use a rooted lipstick to start, then layered on different eyeshadows to get that effect.
Smudged and smoked:
Eyeliner should be worn only one way this season: smudgy and imperfect, gravitated towards the shades of brown. But the color doesn’t matter as much as the application: either trace your eyelid like a waterline or randomly smudge across the lid, or both. Pair your sooty black eye with an equally bold lips.
Take Care, this Monsoon!
M
Highlighters:
We all can’t really get enough of that highlighted skin. The shinier and glowier the skin, the better. But the skin doesn’t have to sparkle to shine. other than use the highlighting pens and blushes, the more traditional highlighter route is simply with intense skin prep and moisturizer. Nothing glows quite like healthy skin. To give it a metallic look one can use silver pigment to highlight the inner corner of the eyes as well as the cheeks, nose, and cupid’s bow.
God blessed a select few with supermodel high cheekbones and chiselled features, for the rest of us... there’s contouring!
Pop of Color:
This season the make up took a bolder approach- the colours like- purple, yellow,blue and more- had made a triumphant return to the beuty. Colours can br the focal point of the entire look. Weather it is subtle as a pink swept around the eyes, or using some dramatic colors like yellow paint dashed across the cheekbones. Pile on emrald green and cobalt eyeshadow to lent a fun and energetic vibe to the entire look.
Blush bomb:
The 80’s are back and they are fresher than ever. The latest trend rocking the season’s backstage is all about electric colour worn with confidence. Weather applied with a heavy hand and a nod or lightly blended from cheek to browbone. After prepping and moisturizing the skin, trace the rosy cream colour across the cheekbone , up towards the eyes, and all over the eyelids. To add on the look, dab a little colour on the lips. The look the glam up the beauty is relied on two things: serious false eyelashes and intense pink cheek highlight.
Tips for Monsoon Clothing for Women: 1. Women can start with their fresh light fabrics, bright colours like yellow, orange, red, pink, blue and some mixtures of fluorescent and electric colours. 2. Light fabrics like cotton, chiffon, and silk dry out quickly. 3. Follow Bollywood celebs and incorporate culottes, playsuits, printed dresses and skirts, cigarettes pants, in your wardrobe. 4. There is a new trend of wearing short kurtis with leggings or churidar; long dupattas can be replaced with scarfs and stoles. 5. Jeans, long skirts, and heavy material should be avoided in this weather. 6. Accessories like fancy umbrellas and jelly shoes will help to complete your look.
onsoon is one of the most beautiful season to explorer India, its culture, people, natural beauty and wildlife. The much-awaited monsoon hit the Kerala coast on June 1 and till the end of June or by the first week of July, most parts of country experiences monsoon. Farmers of India welcome monsoon season, It gives them reason to celebrate their festivals, pray for good crops and made special monsoon delicacies. Monsoon in India really gives one of the best natural scenery, as rivers are on full swing, mountains are awake after a long sleep and monsoon decorated the whole valley’s with sparking waterfalls, magnificent lakes, lush green trees and beautiful flowers. The rains flood our emotions and the next moment we are on cloud nine. Life in the monsoon season can’t just be expressed in words. It is our priceless possession and we must thank our beloved mother for Tips for Monsoon Clothing for Men: that for because of her we are enjoying all the necessities of life. 1. Go for cotton shirts or casual printed shirts this season. Monsoon sure does bring the much needed relief from the sweat- 2. Shorts and capris are attractive and easy to wear. Even getting ing heat of summer but it also brings its own set of problems drenched in rain will result in less of a hassle. along. With rains and rise in humidity, a number of viral, bacteri- 3. Athletes who are into running, football, cricket wear dri-fit (a al and fungal infections become active. Cases of dengue, malar- polyester microfibe) mechanized clothes as they are comfortable ia, conjunctivitis and a series of viral infections rise. The humid and dry off sweat quickly. weather may also cause dehydration. 4. Monsoon accessories men can opt for are waterproof bags, a waterproof watch, umbrella and flip flops. Do follow some healthcare tips to have a hale and hearty However there’s much you can do to stay comfortable, and enjoy yourself during the rain. Here’s a suggested monsoon packing monsoon: list for India. Guard against mosquitoes: Keep a mosquito repellent cream in your bag and apply it on “Let it rain. Let it pour. But don’t forget to explore.” your feet and hands. Also apply the repellent when travelling in public transport like buses or metro. Busy in the hustle-bustle of our lives, we never realise the Mosquitoes also breed in cars. Make sure you spray mosquito importance of winsome earth, which has given us birth and nurrepellents in your cars. tures us even after death. Unfortunately due to the monotonous nature of urban lives we have forgotten about her. She works Drink sufficient water: for us every day and every minute yet we remain thankless Drink sufficient quality of water to keep your body and skin hy- and greedily ask for more. Nature is our life and our soul; we drated. should rather thank her in our gratitude. - Riya Singhai Prevent bacterial and fungal infections: Dampness triggers fungal infections. Use anti-bacterial soaps, creams and talc to keep bacterial and fungal problems at bay.
- start with the base, match it to the colour of your skin. choose a cream base one shade lighter to highlight and three shades darker to contour. - using the lighter shade, put two dots under each eye from outer end moving in towards the nose, two dots on the bridge of the nose, close to the brows and downward, one dot above the bow of the lip, one dot on the centre of the chin, three dots on the forehead centre. next up, contour. - using the deeper shade, streak thin linear marks. - one line each from the outer corner below the cheekbone (place your finger in the groove below your cheekbone) and pull the line downward toward the centre of the cheek. - one line on the outer corner of each eyelid moving inward, one line on either side of the nose, one line across the bottom of the chin, one line on either side of the forehead, one line on either side of the jawline, just below thw ears, extending toward the bottom of the chin. - now that you have marked your face like a tribal, use your blending brush to blur away all traces of lines, moving in small circular motions till your skin looks flawless. - dab a spot of cream blush in a fresh spricot, or warm pink on the apples of your cheeks and blend. dust a little translucent powder to finish off. - you can add a sweep of highlighting powder to emphasis your features and then using gentle sweep of deep brown, contour the cheek bones and jawline, making sure there are no visible lines following the above face map. - streak some mascara on lashes and dab of tinted lip balm and you’re ready to take on the day.
10 Essential Tips For Skin Care In Rainy Season • Cleanse your skin at least 3 times a day to remove excess grime and oil that can clog your pores. • The humidity that the rains bring can dry your skin something awful. Use a nourishing moisturizer like Olay Total Effects Day Cream to make your skin moist, supple and healthy. • If oily skin is your problem then moisturizers that are water based are a great option to help keep oil secretion in check. • Use a reliable sunscreen with a good SPF. It may be cloudy but that doesn’t stop the sun’s UV rays from wreaking havoc. • Stay hydrated by drinking at least 8 glasses throughout the day. Humidity can make you sweat a lot and skin that doesn’t have enough moisture can look pale and dull. • While shampooing and conditioning your hair twice a week will suffice during any other season you might want to do so more frequently during the monsoons. YOUTH TIMES | 3
TECHNOLOGY “PERSONALISED, SOCIALLY-SHARED COMIC STRIPS ARE MUCH MORE THAN A VIRAL ANNOYANCE.”
B
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
itmoji:
Trending secret weapon
Komal Lakhwani
C
omic is a form of visual language that combines images, symbols, composition… When you have characters conveying things about emotion, it’s more like the way humans naturally communicate face-to-face, with facial expressions, body language and hand gestures. It’s a really powerful medium of expressions. Bitmoji uses this idea of expressing the emotion and combine the aspect of identity used by both sender and recipient, that goes beyond just being a medium for expression and becomes a really powerful and socially expressive tool.
B
itmoji’s origins can be traced to a Toronto high school, where Blackstock, a skilled comics artist, used to crack up his classmate by passing him profane sketches during class. Ten years ago from now, he teamed up with two of his friends to create the web-based comic-strip builder Bitstrips. “The idea was to make comics as fast as writing an email.” The Snapchat playground is walled off, but bitmoji roam freely. Users can insert them into conversations everywhere from text to iMessage. Within three years of Bitmoji launch, more than 150 million people have downloaded the app. Bitmoji is ruling App Store in more than two dozen countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Much of this growth is directed to Bitmoji’s integration with Snapchat; the two apps complement each other, creating a digital ecosystem. Bitmoji gives a wide platform to the users to express their emotions rather than texting. “With the increase in popularity the company keeps launching new features likefriendemoji, actionemoji, snapmap etc. to give users a whole new experience.” Bitstrips’s avatars, are becoming increasingly central to the Snapchat experience which offers a menu featuring avatars of both sender and recipient, known as “friendmoji.” And also some specialized Bitmoji avatars, commonly called “actionmoji,” take center stage on the snap world, the active new feature that pinpoints friends and location-based Snapchat stories on a map of the world.
“Bitmoji is a very creative tool, that aligns with Snap’s overall mission to empower people to be more self-expressive.” Bitmoji’s partnership: it’s source of money How Bitstrips makes money? Knowing that the application doesn’t charge for the app or its scenes and stickers, nor does it carry advertising. The in-app purchases are one likely avenue, that offer a mixture of free and paid stickers for people to send to friends. Premium scenes might also be a way for Bitstrips to partner with celebrities, film studios and other popular brands – although it might also be able to charge brands to sponsor free scenes.
‘‘We’ve thought about those things, and we do have pretty detailed ideas. But we are really focused on growth and improving the experience right now,” says Blackstock, mirroring the words of other rapidly-growing-app entrepreneurs before him ( Instagram, Snapchat, etc). We still have a lot of work to do on the app to get it to where we want it to be before we start to look at those things. We don’t like apps that do things that detract from the experience, so we’ll make sure whatever we do is really true to the brand, and adds value.’’
Bitmoji’s partnerships with movies and TV shows (Zoolander 2, Game of Thrones) and retailers such as Forever 21 and Steve Madden allow user’s avatars to be familiar and don outfits from beloved brands, hitting a marketing sweet spot. Bitmoji is continuing these experiments, most recently by letting users select uniforms from their favorite professional sports teams. How bitmoji is a new area for the graphic designers? Whereas, Snap Map opens the door to location- based branded Today bitmoji is ready to spread its wing in the society and content. make itself strong and unique. With the growing use of virtual Stacks thick papers and pens are distributed, a timer is set, and expressions inspite of struggling to type is making the users use the room goes silent for 15 minutes as the team sketch out little their identity in a form of comic. Bitmoji is a great platform and a scenes to go with each phrase. Then they pin the results to a career opportunity for the upcoming communication designers. It’s bulletin board and take turns explaining the reasoning behind a new scope in the field of graphic designing. From the growing their various choices. It typically takes three or four weeks for use of digital tools and virtual expressions to matching up the new trends around, creating a bitstrip comic is very intresting the finished bitmoji to be used in the app
How Bitmoji’s Creative Team Turns Ideas Into Avatars ? Each week, the members of Bitstrips’s creative team design some 15 to 20 new bitmoji designs. Here are the steps how they get from concepts to addictively used avatars by us. 1. SKETCHING THE CONCEPTS The content team bats around ideas for future bitmoji over Slack before picking six concepts, such as “Drive Safe” or “I Can’t Even,” to explore at the next Bitmojam session. During the twiceweekly brainstorms, illustrators armed with pens and index cards offer riffs on each message. The group then selects its favorites. 2. FINDING AN EXPRESSION The team uses a modified version of the Bitstrips comics builder to create a scene with a generic avatar. The program lets them choose from different eyebrow positions, eye shapes, tongue lengths, and more. Small facial tweaks can change the entire tone of the bitmoji from worried to inquisitive to elated. 3. FINE-TUNING THE DESIGN Since users’ avatars can include hundreds of variations—including face shape, hairstyle, and body type—the Bitstrips team tries out potential bitmoji on test avatars to make sure they fit within the frame. Finally, they take out anything extraneous, winnowing the image down to its simplest iteration.
“People are saying ‘ This is replacing emojis for me’ or even ‘ This is replacing texting and I comm only send bitmojis to my friends,’” Blackstock said. “I really believe Bitmoji is the next level beyond emoji - and what we’re seeing from users is that they’re not looking back.” 4| YOUTH TIMES
TECHNOLOGY
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
Technology Do we control it or does it control us?
V
ulnerability of people especially Millennial is been questioned today ? With the millions of apps, websites and other platforms for people to communicate through media that are all over the Internet these days, this is truly the age of social media. It is no more just a platform to communicate, it is designing the lifestyle of generation Y. Millennial like myself are among the top users of most social media. Whether it’s updating a Facebook status, fitting a joke into 140 characters or uploading a picture of our lunch in Instagram, we are on the Internet due to its feature of sharing communication in seconds. Now, social media is a huge part of our culture. Augmented reality ! is the echo that everyone of us encounter in our day to day life. In the race of defining each other, every millennial is
trying to belong to a cult. Recently many trends were followed by people on social media such as Pokémon Go, Snapchat selfie, Live video, Instagram Stories, etc out of which Blue whale grabbed the startling attention. Philipp Budeikin, a Russian psychology student who was expelled out of his University is the mastermind this game. He was arrested in 2015 but the other administrators are still working on the Blue whale game. On the making of this game, he says “I Want to clean this society from Biological Waste.”. There are hundreds of thousands of posts relating to the sick trend on “Blue Whale is not a game but danger and once entered you can never exit”. Instagram. There are certain number of tasks that Player has to follow. The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies ‘Blue Whale’ is an internet game consisting of a series of tasks assigned to players by and waking up at unusual hours, but these administrators during a 50-day period, with the final challenge requiring the player to commit suicide. gradually get more extreme.
Dare to do !
K
This game has 50challenges. Player have to complete one challenge per day. At first challenges will be very easy, Later challenges become more scary. This game slowly makes player fearless. Players even stop respecting their parents since they aren't afraid of them.
Most obvious answer to this would be pleasure of achieving. While playing this game and after accomplishing the challenges, players overcome their fears. As the player complete one task, his urge to play more goes on increasing. With every completed task he slip more into the trap. With every challenge player become more fearless, things he was always afraid of, he practise them and overcome it. But after a point of time the administrators blackmails the players by showing their naked photos which were uploaded by them. This is the time when millennial are not able to share their thought with anyone. they are afraid of being exposed.
nowing the controversies of the game , millennial still download it and play. why ? What is it that is fascinated them ?
Like wake up at 4 am
Go to graveyard alone at night
Stand on a hill and take a selfie
upload a picture of your bike’s speedometer when in top speed
Watch horro movies and upload a selfie
Draw blue whale picture on your hand with blade
Shout on your mom for no reason
Upload your naked photo
Mock your dad for no reason
Spill hot oil on your hand
Age is not a concern! anyone can become the victim of this killing game. A 7th grade student in Indore, Madhya Pradesh tried to jump from 3rd floor in his school, fortunately he was saved by his fellow students. Schools officials, who spoke to students, said the teenager was an avid gamer and had been talking about going to Russia since past two years. Sunny Valia, a friend, said all his friends knew that he was playing the Blue Whale game. “He had in fact told them that he was going to commit suicide, but they thought he was joking,” said Valia. This is the reason why this game has killed so many lives. Still many people believes it is just a hoax. This is not the only case which traumatised everyone followed by another story where 14 years old kid in Solapur ,Maharashtra ran away from home and he also wrote a letter saying he will die for sure if someone searched for him. Luckily he took his phone with him so police found him by tracing the network.
Players think that they are playing the game but game is playing them.
Can we download Blue Whale game in India? No! You can't download Blue Whale Game easily because it is not publicly available. It is not available in Playstore, 9Apps, or iOS App Store. after so many incidents happened in recent years government has banned this game but still this game is available on the dark web. How to stop this puppet game? Millennial should remember not to follow the crowd and not feel pressured into doing anything that makes them feel unsafe. It can sometimes be hard to stand up but It’s your choice and you don’t have to do something which makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Spend time with friends who can take you away from your aloofness. It takes confidence and courage to overcome such challenges. If you don’t feel comfortable doing what your friends are doing, suggest something else to do. Share your problem with the one whom you trust. Children are exposed to violence, bullying through media. This can influence their behaviour and if left unmonitored can lead to depression, self image issues, violence or aggression. But if they are taught to critically approach any content online, they will find themselves better equipped to face threats of the unreal world.
ANDROID SECURITY SUITE
Security Suite for Android, an innovative, progressive anti-malware and antivirus app designed specifically to protect your passwords, identity, bank account info and other personal data on your Android devices
Free Antivirus YOUTH TIMES | 5
YOUTH
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
“ A picture speaks louder then words”
Should we fear the FOMO? PARVATHY ANAND
are not participating as a real person in your own world.”
It’s what every millennial is worried about; It is inevitable and can even be considered to be anepidemic. Its the FOMO ( To those who are not familiar with the trending vocabulary, it is a acronym for ‘Fear Of Missing Out’.) There is always a party you could be attending, a flash sale, a new movie…The list actually goeson and on. The fear of missing out has always been with us but because of social media constantly reminding us of all the fabulous things our peers are doing, one wonders whether ignorance isbliss. For the experience craving millennial, social media is the journal except it is for everyone to read. To them, every party you go to or every store you visit is an expression of oneself. So, missing out not only seems like missing a great experience but also a chance to express yourself. Hence, anyone who wishes to be a part of the society is bound to have the FOMO. In fact, a little FOMO helps people become open to new experiences. There could be a marked decrease in isolation among the teenagers because of FOMO. Sometimes FOMO is the result an underlying unhappiness about oneself and a feeling of inadequacy. "The problem with FOMO is the individuals it impacts are looking outward instead of inward,” says Darlene McLaughlin, M.D., assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Centre College of Medicine and a psychiatry and behavioural health specialist with Texas A&M Physicians. "When you're so tuned in to the 'other,' or the 'better' (in your mind), you lose your authentic sense of self. This constant fear of missing out means you How was your journey so far ? I Got my first photography assignment when I was in class 10th Standard from a wing commander of Indian air force, and shot the Pictures for the novel and for the cover page of the novel’s Rajdhani at night & the infinite living. After this assignment I applied for Nat geo covershot : a hardcore photography show telecasted on national geographic channel but had to back out because
of an unexpected issue of age eligibility ( At that time I wasn’t 18 ). Then in 2015, after collecting all my good work I had done so far I curated my work, studied a bit about art and decided to put exhibition of my work. This was first photography exhibition people of Jhansi was encountered with and it was successful as I invited a good friend of mine and my mentor Mr. Varun Mehta (Winner, Nat geo covershot) to inaugurate my exhibition. After this I participated in a photography contest by Nikon India and stood as winner of that contest of the north zone for which I received Great appreciation from Nikon through their winning prize. This was my first achievement at national level. Then in 2016 I 6| YOUTH TIMES
Manish Kushwaha
Born and brought up in Jhansi, Manish Kushwaha is budding photographer of the industry. Currently working for Bollywood movie “ yamla pagla deewana 3” as an assistant DOP ( DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)his life story is inspiring. What is the best thing about being a photographer? There’s nothing favourite as such, it’s Just that I enjoy photography & the thought process behind every shot, that’s the part I enjoy the most. It’s a prospect of being creative, where in your work you visualise your thoughts. What are some challenges you’ve encountered? There are several challenges I’ve been going through from convincing my parents to convincing clients and meeting there expectations.
It is of no surprise that FOMO is closely related to disorders like anxiety and depression. In a 2013 study by Andrew Prybylski of University of Essex, found that FOMO is associated with lower mood, lower life satisfaction, and an increasing need to check social media, texts and other electronic communications — a behaviour that, unfortunately, only increases the sense of loneliness and discontent. The truth is that you can't get rid of FOMO, but you can live with it in a healthy way. Here’s how: Have a reality check: Understand that social media does not depict real life. It is just a rosy version of it. Understand that most social media influencers put a lot of effort to show that don’t and try to appreciate the real thing. Be Mindful: Mindfulness is the act of being completely in the present. When you're mindful, you carefully observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them good or bad. It helps in being satisfied with yourself and where you are at the moment. Limit Social Media: It is impossible to stay away from social media today. It is form of self expression and can be more effective than news sometimes. But there should be a limit to every good thing. Choose your friends wisely: Friends should challenge you and bring out the best in you. But they should make you feel bad about yourself. Have friends who accept who you are and canspend quality time with you.
worked for uber, I was assisting my mentor varun Mehta and did a first commercial shoot, soon pictures was published out on web, social media, print media and on hoardings all over India. After this I started influencing the market in pune, I got to work with several clients for pune, some of good brands like seasons mall. I Worked for several Punjabi artists for their video shoots, and making after movies for them. I’ve worked
with several celebrity management companies, and have covered several celebrity events. Then soon got to work again individually for uber, shot a YouTube commercial for them. I’ve been working with Redbull since last 3 years. Recently, I’m working with a Bollywood movie “ yamla pagla deewana 3”As an assistant DOP ( DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY). Brands you’ve worked? Uber, seasons mall, Creám fashion magazine, MTV Roadies,Redbull. How has photography influenced you as a person? Photography has influenced me in various ways, it has made me know myself, as an artist and as a person.
Not only about me but also about people, life and phenomenal activities happening in nature. What are your favourite things to photograph? Favourite type (action, landscape, portrait, etc.)? I mostly love shooting people, I can interact with them, they never makes me feel bored, and through this I get to meet new & different people. yes, so portraits & fashion is my favourite field. Other than this I shot documenting kind of stuff and travel & landscape. W What software do you use to manipulate your photographs? Manipulation is sometimes required in fashion for which I use Adobe Photoshop cc 2017 but I try to keep the originality in the picture as much as possible without manipulating. What is your favourite photograph that you have ever taken? Actually I’ve always been confused during selecting my best shot so I’ve saved it to my drive in a separate folder as best shots which includes my best from fashion, portrait, travel, streets and documentary. When you go in one of your travels, what all you take with you? Why? My travel backpack includes stuff like camera, Extra batteries, Extra memory cards, Laptop, Hard drive, Camera rain cover, raincoat, Medicine, A cleaning kit For camera, Tripod /monopod, Preserved food & chocolates and a tough camera case. All this stuff
is really necessary for you to carry. You might be shooting a Remote area where there is no electricity so if in case your batteries drains you can use extra batteries and at such places preserved food can help You fulfil your appetite during shoot if necessary. you may run out storage so extra hard drive and memory card are life saver. And always keep medicines when you’re travelling you may need it after a day of long walk and trek. Tripod is must for a travel kit to make best Landscape shots without shake, you can also shoot long exposure like galaxy shot or star trails. How do you educate yourself to take better pictures? I prefer browsing more On internet and reading magazines to keep myself update about photography and the new arrivals. and to polish my knowledge of art I prefer visiting my mentor regularly Where I get my work reviewed by him, learn my flaws and get to learn something new every time. What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos? Knowledge about a good camera, I didn’t focused much on that while buying myself a camera and I Bought a advanced beginner level camera but I’ve been shooting with the same camera for all my professional assignments but now I think the time has come I’ve to update with it soon.
Whose work has influenced you most? In documentary style my mentor Mr. Varun Mehta & my colleague Sayandeep Roy work has inspired me a lot. In fashion and lifestyle photography Mr. Tarun khaiwal is an inspiration and yes my faculty for fashion photography in my college Mr. Sachin Chandane, his fashion style has always inspired me. What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring photographer to actually doing it full time, for a living? The moment when I took my first picture, I admired it a lot and that same moment I realised that okay!! This is what I actually enjoy. So then I decided to pursue photography, symbiosis was only college who was offering a full time 3 year degree programme for visual arts and photography. I made it an aim to get admission there in class 9. I use to see and Admire it’s advertisement in better photography magazine and today it’s almost done finishing my college soon. What motivates you to continue taking pictures economically, politically, intellectually or emotionally? I’m way too emotionally attached to photography which has made me continue photography till now as a full time photographer. Interviewer
Navneet kaur
YOUTH
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
How the Fashion Business promotes Anorexia?
RASHI SHARMA
I
t’s not hidden information that the fashion industry has been credited with promoting anorexia and other multiple eating disorders.However, it is terrifying that the industry makes such a deep impact on women around the world. There have been numerous research studies that indicate and study this impact - tracing and documenting the history of thinness in fashion models. And it has been suggested that it was only in the 1980s that this trend became prevalent amongst multiple fashion outlets and brands. It’s believed that Kate Moss working for Calvin Klein was the tipping point when ultra thin models were starting to get favored by designers. This implicit demand for ultra-thin models
combined with the horrible struggle to meet these requirements mean one and only one thing. The working environment and the stress associated with the profession of being a model has won no brownie points over the last decade. Documented cases of health issues and incidents ranging from chronic diseases to heart failures strongly support the hypothesis. Brands and fashion designers have shamelessly been promoting size zero over the years. As a result, the models have to resort to terrifying tactics including extreme diets and artificial skin treatments. And that is the ugly truth behind the story of size zero. Also, data collected by various such studies also show that women often fall prey to multiple eating disorders just to keep up with thisimage. It is extremely sad that we allow such impressions and images to exist in the 21st century. The role of fashion designers and content creators in the fashion industry can not be ignored in promoting and perpetuating anorexia. Designers have been swamped with allegations of making sample sizes for photoshoots smaller and smaller, forcing models to maintain weaker and thinner body structures. Some magazine editors have confessed to adding extra flesh and skin via Photoshop to pictures because models showed up all weak and unhealthy. One of these editors was quoted as saying - “Thanks to retouching, our readers - and those of Vogue, and Self, and Healthy magazine – never saw the horrible hungry downside of skinny. That these underweight girls didn’t look glamorous in the flesh. Their skeletal bodies, dull, thinning hair, spots and dark circles under their eyes were magicked away by technology, leaving only the allure of coltish limbs and Bambi eyes.”. A fashion-shoot stylist once said that it was not uncommon for “plus-size” models to show up looking much thinner than their job titles would suggest—and with padding under their clothes to make themselves look more substantial. Consumers have long been aware of this situation
and there have been multiple instances of pushback from the customer base , albeit infrequent. One such incident was when the fashion web site Revolve asked their fashion model Allie Crandell to gain weight before they could use her again for the photoshoots. Certain countries and fashion organizations have been banning extremely thin models to address the issue. For example, Drop Dead Clothing was prohibited in the U.K. from using Amanda Hendrick in any further ads. However, the role of the consumer has not always been this positive. Models often complain that they face extreme pressure from the public and the media to maintain and confirm to a certain body type image. Recently, there has been a surge in social media groups that advocate eating disorders and anorexic behavior so that they can look a certain way. Recently an issue made headlines when the editor of PLUS Model complained that former plus-size model Crystal Renn had slimmed down from a size 16 to a sample size, after she appeared in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. Renn hasstruggled with an eating disorder and unfortunately she is not the only one. Digital imaging including Photoshop and airbrushing allow brands and advertisers to retouch photographs to make models look even thinner. In this way, these people have figured out a way to circumvent these regulations as they don’t employ models who are anorexic event though the final pictures turn out to be nothing else but anorexic. Stronger regulations, media and customer awareness about better health and eradication of body image stereotypes can help solve this problem. As they say, if there is demand, there is supply. If we can attack the root cause which is the demand and irrational fan-following behind these fashion outlets, we can surely see the situation improve.
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” sometimes, considering that I have just entered my twenties. But it is only when you see the other side of the coin that you realise that there is a lot of hard work that has been put into it. Yes it feels good to see so many happy faces around. You dared to step outside the rat race and do something uncommon. What inspired you to take such a risk?
alf the people in any engineering H college don’t want to be there. Rohit Raj was one of them. But he gave it all up, dropped out and became one of India’s youngest event managers. Sounds crazy? His journey is exactly that. Starting in one event management company and then forming his own, a chain of hotels with his father, social media start-up, public speaking and also starting a foundation for feeding the poor, his resume looks nothing like that of an average person. Living by the motto, we make a life by what we give, his foundation Sneh, aims to ensure that every single person in Haridwar is fed at least one meal. Rohit is ambitious and has the capability to realize it. He is very kind and a total people person, after every talk show in different colleges he forms an amazing equation with the students he meet. Apart from the love towards his work he describes himself as a foodie and travel enthusiast, travelling 5000 km every week on an average. I got lucky- pretty much very lucky to take an interview with Rohit Raj. So without any delay lets come to the question and answer part. How does it feel to be one of the youngest event managers? It obviously feels good but I would like you to elaborate on that point. Yes, it definitely feels good to be managing someone who you preach and follow, and rather overwhelming
The word ‘failure’ only comes into play when you are doing something that you are not passionate about. When I went to my engineering college, I was never passionate about it but was doing it just for the sake of it. And that is exactly why I came back after a year. But when I joined Journalism and Mass Communication and thought of pursuing into Event Management, things have been a roller coaster ride, but the passion has remained the same- I love entertaining people. And nothing specifically ‘inspired’ me to take such a risk because the idea was to get out of engineering and make a better living and lifestyle for myself and make my parents proud of me.
How did you come up with Rohit Raj events? I did my schooling at Delhi Public School, since then I discovered my skill of managing events. When I was in my senior school, I was honored with the position of President – Co-Curricular Activities and then organizing Inter-School, Inter-DPS, and Inter-District level competitions. Post every event; I felt another positive vibe which made me think to become an event organizer. Ever since I had been organizing small parties which later turned into mini concerts, followed some college festivals. All the economic events were held under the banner of Rohit Raj Events. How do you wish to live, what all thing you enjoy at your leisure? I wish to wake up every morning with a view, new place, new people, new area to cover. I love to travel and am a big foodie. So now that you have described yourself as a foodie, what type of food/ which cuisine you prefer?
What was your parent’s view on your decision of leaving the course and making a path towards your passion?
I enjoy every type of food- street food, casual dining, fine dining. I can relish the road side chole-bhature as well as a fancy dish. But chole-bhature are my favourite since they are easily available and yummy to eat. At such young age you are planning to do so much for the poor, the needy. How did this noble idea become reality?
The only hurdle which I considered difficult for me is the society. When I left engineering and came back home, I was bombarded with ques-
‘You make a living by what you take, you make a life by what you give’ The basic idea behind ‘Sneh Foundation’ was to serve hungry and underprivi-
40,000 rupees straight, and being a 19th year boy with no big savings, it was a stuck on moment for me. That was when I called my father and asked for a financial help. Without giving it a second guess, he told me that he will transfer the money immediately. My father has been the source of all the inspiration, I believe in him, for the fact that he has been
the ideal entrepreneur, and I would love to take him and his name forward to newer heights with time and age. My mother, on the other hand, has been the source of motivation because every day I step out I wish to do something that makes my mom proud and the results have been good. Event management seems to be glamorous from outside. What all challenges you faced while striving to achieve your dream and prove yourself? A. dreaming is easy, but it is only when you see the other side of the coin that you realise that there is a lot of hard work that has been put into it. There were nights when I had to sleep in my car, days when I had to work with my empty stomach, days when I had to put up a show when it had been raining the whole night before, but in the end, it all feels to worth the ‘kick’ I get when I see all those people, having a great time.
one is supposed to react when “I love to travel and am a big foodie.” How he gets all the attention/ limelight
- Rohit Raj
tions from my relatives and also it was faced by my parents. For the initial few months, I was in the sense of depression but then work happened, profits happened, fame happened, and success will happen too, hopefully. But the feeling was good, it became even better when I took the first paycheck and gave it to my mom, she was proud of that. That trust in me, was a good feeling.
leged individuals with whatever food left over at our restaurant and other nearby restaurants. This joint venture between me and my father is still a dream and needs some more time to become a reality. Who was your support while you struggled? I struggled while managing my first event itself, the vendor asked me for
to avoid going blind?
Being famous or being in the limelight is a part and parcel of the game. Even if I become a brand, I still want to stay grounded and stay connected to the people because at the end of the day, it’s the people who are source of revenue. Being in the limelight doesn’t mean that you need to fly around, just that when you are famous it is because of the people who are watching you. You are made by them- you need to give it back to them.
What is your mantra/ your motto? I only have one mantra in life which I completely believe- ‘you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.’ I am sure being such a kind and successful person at this age, you must be having a hand full haters. How do you avoid negativity around you? I think, till the time people don’t talk behind your back you are not doing something right. I have had many haters, and they trace their way back right to my school days. But I believe that not all of the ‘haters’ need a response from me. Although, being the self-aware person that I am, I make sure that I am aware of everything that is being said about me- good or bad, and definitely try to improve on the things my critics have pin-pointed. And yes, I have been blessed to have a fair share of supporters as well. How do you imagine yourself after 5 years? Well, not exactly 5 years but 8 years to be precise. I see myself in the Forbes ’30 under 30’ list, and you will too. Haha. You prove to be an inspiration to all the upcoming entrepreneur. With such an inspiring personality would you like to suggest them something? In this age, I believe it’s more about the presentation and marketing rather than the product itself. And to all those coming up with start-ups and are hunting for success- it is not as easy as it looks, you don’t get success overnight, but if you keep all your excuses aside and put your passion in your project nothing can stop you. If you put in your hard work right now, you can chill afterwards Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. It’s definitely a difficult way, but trust me guys- it is worth it! His story is inspiring, to say the least, but also attests to the fact that we can achieve everything we aspire for, even if it’s not the conventional path.
Interviewer Komal Lakhwani YOUTH TIMES | 7
KHADI
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
KHADI-The thread of freedom RASHI SHARMA
The long-standing socio-pictorial map of modern India has consisted of islands of well being surrounded by vast sea of degradation, denial and poverty. Though the islands have grown especially in the last fifty years, so has the sea. Either because the peace of development has not been far reaching enough or it has been outstripped by the growing numbers whole traditional sources of livelihood have collapsed or can longer provide livelihood enough to live in the present. The sea has grown faster than the islands. It was perhaps the starkness of this reality that had inspired Gandhiji to look for a self-sustaining means of livelihood with dignity that should be nurtured by every member of every family. It required a minimal availability of raw materials being provided and a very useful end product bring widely marketed. His persona experience with the Charkha had given him enough insights into the quality of Dhyana- a concentrated, mediative, liberating communion for the practitioner of this most primary art. It was an essential element of rate training of the inspired soldier who would fight for India’s freedom from within. Knowing the numbers of game required at least ten spinners to support a single hand operated form, he knew the potential significance of this selfmade cloth for those who made it and wore it instead of mill made imported. As for the Indian mill-mades were concerned, he did not foresee their serious challenge in clothing the millions. Today, Ghandhiji seems many more than the fifty years ago. In this multi-faceted democracy of ours, many centuries co-exist simultaneously and no matter how rapidly islands may grow, with our attempt to industrialise, catch up with world and more recently liberalise and globalise, the catch words go the last fifty years, the sea or at least segments of it remain out of reach. In 2001, walking down a stone gravel path in the district of Srikakulam, a lush farm-lined path in drastic of Madhubani,
a fertile Gangetic village in district Dhampur, or even a group of New Delhi, one meets up the segments that continue to spin by the hand on the Desi Charkha a yarn that is marked by the lived experience of spinning. In all these circumstances but the last, they were spinning before the advent of Gandhiji and have continued not because they could not join the faster production dictates of the Ambar Charkha- a merchandised version of the original, that only requires one to turn a leaver by hand and not to draw the yarn from the cotton silver, euphemistically referred to as the ‘New model Charkha’. At the turn of the millennium, cotton khaki encompasses a far wider range of material and human contexts than that evoked by its public image. It includes today many types of cotton fibre, yarn and fabric, produced with the aid of a semi-mechanised and fully auto mated technologies. These process are worked in artisanal situation that differ not only in thetechnical skills of their members but also, to some extent, in their human needs and aspirations. Stringing together this diversesystem is a more singular economic compulsion as perceived by the state: the provision of assured employment and income to a million khaki workers, nearly 80 percent of whom are rural women. In this presence of chronic poverty, the usefulness of nationwide mechanism for facilitating and controlling. It is hard to overlook, either, that such hammer of and nuances of textile craftsmanship that can command, in our time, human and economic value in their own right. The primary importance in this must be the preservation of those characteristics of hand-spun cotton yarn and fabric that may still yield a greater degree of comfort, tactility or aesthetic appeal than those their machine made counterparts. To be informed patron, such as exercise brings unique textile whose appeal lies far deeper than its attractive material and aesthetic values. Fo the women and men artisans that are its focus, it reaffirms their status and worth as citizens of progressive, democratic nation.
‘Khadi from revolutionary statement to fashion Statement’ -Navneet Kaur Khadi is symbol of Indian textile heritage but in the year 1920’s, it was a major factor for starting Swadeshi movement. Father of our nation “Mahatma Gandhi” always wore Khadi spun and made by him. Cotton was grown majorly in India during British rule. It was transported to Manchester where it was woven and clothes were made in the industries and sent back to India, where it was sold at inflated price. Mahatma Gandhi saw this as an opportunity of self Reliance for Indian people. Mob started boycotting foreign goods and promoted Indian goods which boosted the Indian economy, this is why Khadi became integral part of our society. It was a symbol of patriotism. In today’s era people association of Khadi is not restricted to politics instead it has become a fashion statement for a fashion industry. It stay cool in summer and warm in winter. No matter which season it is people can wear it throughout the year. Fusion of traditional Khadi with contemporarized version has become more prominent. Brands like Fabindia,Khadi, cotton world has taken Khadi to next level. From dresses and jackets to bridal lehengas and deconstructed local silhouettes, several leading designers (like Sabyasachi, Wendell Rodricks and Rajesh Pratap Singh) have taken on the fashion challenge to reinvent the humble fabric into high-fashion wear.Great designer- Ritu Kumar has incorporated the Khadi in her collection in 2016 and their own there’s no going back till now. Designer Khusboo Agarwal said “khadi has been neglected for years, but it’s fashionable now because it’s being blended with silk and cotton while retaining its qualities”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the one renowned personality who carries the khadi in the most fashionable way and apt to become the Brand Ambassador of the Khadi. In one of India’s largest radio telecaste show “man Ki Baat” stated that “Khadi is not just a cloth but a movement that should be taken forward as the campaign”. Khadi has evolved in decades from a piece of cloth of Patriotism to a fashion statement. Today Khadi is not only used as symbol of empowering the poorest but also as a contemporary fashion statement. With every year passing the awareness about Khadi and its products is increasing abundantly.
The Philosophy of Khadi
T
he consumer market’s khadi, means a handspun, handwoven natural fiber cloth from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But Khadi or ‘Khaddar’ is not merely a piece of cloth, it’s a philosophy. A history of freedom struggle, a way of life. Khadi is a symbol of empowerment, self-dependence and Gandhi’s vision of relevance of roots. Decentralize Solar Charkha as a unique programme initiated by Maharashtra Khadi and Village Industries Board, Amaravati in the in the year 2015-2016 to employ 130 women from 13 villages of Amaravati district. After having successfully working and achieving its goals, the group has been converted into a committee called “Kasturba Solar Khadi Samiti.” Khadi is a micro model of women empowerment, by employing Indian remote villager women to produce a raw material that speak of Indian roots. Beyond empowerment, it works towards the elimination of farmer suicides by creating an opportunity of stable income to farming families. Khadi also brings in with it a huge social impact at micro level helping strengthen the foundation of Indian societal system. Moreover, “Revival of Khadi”, a fabric that breathes warm while winter and keep cold in summers. Khadi is the most sustainable and eco-friendly product solution on even a universal design stage. Gandhi’s vision was
8| YOUTH TIMES
to make Indians understand that they can self employ and be self-reliable only on cotton without having to depend on high priced foreign goods. But now with the existing notion of “Revival” of Khadi and handcrafts being considered rich in design sense these days; Khadi is pictured to the market outside as a functional and rich in authenticity, product of extreme value. The pages may turnover to see Khadi as a luxury fabric and more innovation and exploration in both manufacturing process and design skills. End of the notch, Khadi is an any day, any season option for fabric clothing. -Riya Singhai
KHADI
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
REVIVAL OF KHADI Global warming is the consequence of man’s own greed; it is the nature’s answer to the drastic deed of man.
of interest of the nation’s youth.” The manufacturing of khadi requires manual labour, and hence is a mass employment generator. Clearly the focus is on the segment’s potential as a job provider in rural India. If it employed 14 lakh people in 1997, it employs only 12 lakh today”. Khadi has a lot of advantages over other textiles which are discussed further.
Sustainable development is the new buzz word created to curb global warming. Khadi has been linked with india’s fight for freedom for many decades, but today it is perceived as one of the major agents in our fight against global warming and climate change. khadi has a limited market catering to consumers who either believe in it’s ideology or want the comfort of wearing cotton clothes. The textile industry is known to be one of the most polluting ans energy intensive industries.it comprises a large number of plants, which consumes a significant amount of energy.
LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT With global warming becoming a serious concern, energy conservation has become crucial. Today in India, the words ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly’ have become quite dominant in a world plagued by pollution and GHGs. India is constantly looking for ‘green solutions’, which can help mitigate global warming. The irony of it all is that India has the most sustainable and eco-friendly product-khadi. As khadi is made from cotton, silk and wool and is spun and woven manually, i.e., without any electrical support, it becomes the only activity that is not utilizing fossil fuel. If dyed with natural dye it becomes a green fabric.
“Like swaraj (self-rule), khadi is our birthright, and it is our lifelong duty to use that only. Anyone who does not fulfil that duty is totally ignorant of what swaraj is,” Gandhi had said in 1922. Marketing is one of the very crucial elements when it comes to products like Khadi.countries around the world are looking for ways and means to reduce the carbon footprints within the textile industry and are spending heavily towards less energy intensive technology. India too, is following this trend, but many of us have overlooked the low energy alternatives like Khadi, which is eco friendly and hand made. On Jan. 30 this year, Modi again appealed for the widespread use of khadi. In his Mann ki Baat address on Martyrs’ Day (Jan. 30)—the death anniversary of Gandhi—Modi said, “Khadi has the power to provide employment to crores of people. It has now become a symbol and a centre
MIDDLEMAN BLUES Considering the amount of effort involved in the manufacturing of khadi, if weavers spend hours spinning and weaving and receive little returns, they will eventually migrate to other occupations. To add to this, middlemen exploit weavers by pocketing profits earned on sale of khadi cloth. The middlemen quote a much higher price than its actual cost and pay the weavers inadequately. The art and skill of weaving is passed down from generation-to-generation. And if weavers are not receiving enough remuneration, the next generation would discontinue with the
Khadi: Political but Fashionable?
Khadi,the simple handspun, handwoven fabric and the reminder of the country’s freedom struggle is in the process of a facelift thanks to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has appointed himself as the ambassador for the fabric. In the 36th edition of ‘Mann ki Baat’, he stated that the Khadi sales have rocketed by 90% during Diwali. “This boost in the sale has provided an additional income to the weavers and artistes. The new mantra is ‘Khadi for transformation’. Khadi and handloom are transforming the lives of the poorest of the poor. Khadi has emerged as the most potent tool for traforming villages,” he said, in his monthly radio address. The prime minister with his influence has coerced public sector enterprises, government departments and ministries at the centre and the states to not only buy and use khadi but promote it to their extent. KVIC’s yoga kit for the International Yoga Day which consists of nine items, including upper and lower wear for men and women, khadi napkins, a yoga mat and a bag is popular among government organisations like NTPC, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Ministry of AYUSH, the agency which is re-
legacy and pursue other professions. The declining workforce strength in the khadi industry is making the productions of khadi seem very challenging and without skilled weavers, the future of khadi may be on the decline. DESIGNERS’ TAKE The government needs to take cognizance of the soaring prices. However, fashion designer Rahul Mishra feels differently. “The softest cotton to ever be produced is khadi. The reason being, it is hand spun and hand woven. The soft texture of khadi cannot be produced in a machine. So, khadi is sheer luxury and that’s what consumers need to understand; it is 100% couture. For e.g., in China, one machine produces 10,000 metres of regular cloth a day; but, when someone is using khadi yarn, we are producing just three metres a day”. So should the price of khadi be reduced? “No!” he replied vehemently. “If people are willing to spend money on luxury items why should they have a problem with khadi?” Sunaina Suneja, a fashion designer, is of the same opinion. “For something that is handmade, I personally do not think it is expensive, considering how much effort it takes to spin the yarn”. VISION OF A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY Khadi is sustainable not only because it doesn’t harm the environment, but also because it provides employment. The logic of shifting to khadi may be convincing, but its adoption has not been easy due to the reasons cited earlier. - Komal Lakhwani
K H A DI
2017
sponsible the Yoga Day. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also has issued an order stating Central government hospitals and medical research institutions across the country – including AIIMS, NIMHANS and others to buy only khadi products. With Prime Minister’s signature slogans like “Khadi for Transformation” replacing “Khadi for Nation” and “Khadi for Fashion”, it becomes evident that the prime minister wishes to maintain Khadi’s political image which hinders it from expanding its market. KVIC threatened Fabindia with legal action if the latter did not stop the practice immediately. The KVIC’s notice stated that Fabindia uses the word “khadi” on its price tags without the Khadi mark tag which is required for a Khadi product to be sold. With so many obligations by KVIC, its seems to hinder Khadi’s growth. The government seems to Love Khadi but it is too short sighted to realise that Khadi’s growth relies in breaking away from its political image. After all, to love something is to let it go. -Parvati Anand YOUTH TIMES | 9
RUNAWAY REVIEW
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
Spring/ Summer 2018 The spring/summer 2018 season was full of exciting moments, but which did the The Youth Times team enjoy most? From Christian Dior’s feminist spirit, Christopher Kane’s gilded cage dress, The new colorful and bold Calvin Klein to Zuhair Murad’s dreamy bridal gowns, here are the hights of the season...
1 Paris Fashion Week CHRISTIAN DIOR
Paris Fashion week 2018 kicked into gear today with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s new collection for the Christian Dior. The desert landscape and natural California elements, inspire the collection, which was flush with handcrafted details, artisanal touches — fur, shearling, feathers, fringe — and rich desert colors. Gathering a collection of muses that joint together with the feminist spirit she’s infused the house with beginning with the spring “We should all be feminists” T-shirts. The desert brocade bustier dresses with fringed Bar jackets over full skirts and ruggedly chic hiking boots were few of the highlights. There were colorful feathered
dresses, a colorful leather western shirts, earth-toned robes, leather moto jackets over embroidered tulle skirts, a rainbow patchwork dress, denim, fur vests done in cave patterns, as well as immaculate, black and white looks, like a beautiful sober coat over a starched white shirt. Chiuri’s tribute collection to Dior wakens the spirit of the luxury label with silk velvet and tulle dresses and gowns that evoke a profound sense of beauty. Meanwhile, it incorporates late-’50s touches that almost recall Coco Chanel with other looks making use of modern textiles.
ISSEY MIYAKE
Christian Dior
“Movement is very important for Issey Miyake”. Lava, water, land. Issey Miyake creative director Yoshiyuki Miyamae likes to draw on nature for inspiration; this season, he elected to focus on its prehistoric elements. Uneven pleats imprinted with the natural landscapes bounced in an accordion-like manner. Long, white zig-zagging stripes softened the blue and ocher landscape imprint on a wide legged pantsuit ensemble. A dramatic and primeval dance performance kicked off the show. It began with hands pushing from behind a fabric wall, stretching it with increasing depth and intensity until dancers suddenly spilled out from the sides. Locked in a pair, they twisted and turned, pulling their covers into unrecognisable forms before breaking loose and sprinting, individually, down the runway. The earthy brown hue on a checkered ensemble came from the traditional Japanese Dorozome dyeing process. Bursts of yellow and fuzzy fringes cropped up on layered dresses, evoking the moss-laden lava fields. Japanese are famously — and with reason — obsessed with moss and Miyamae is no exception.
Isssey Miyake 10| YOUTH TIMES
RUNAWAY REVIEW
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
CHANEL
MANISH ARORA
This season, the designer tells a story with aquatic tones. An showing luminous colours, with scintillating gold and silver accents, echoes the reflections of the sun and the moon on the water’s surface. Aqua prints in blue and white, luxuriant greens, delicate pinks imbued with the energy of nature all adorn the SpringSummer silhouette. Defined by wide shoulders, structured lines are softened by an extremely delicate and light fluidity. From metallic to crushed-smooth silk, from chiffon to lace and to the richly embroidered drops of water, each design features a play on light and water. This play is reflected in the materials as well; leather paired with rough surfaced cotton cloth on tops and mini-skirts, patchwork dresses in bold colors. With elegant humor, Karl Lagerfeld accessorizes the Chanel woman with wide-brimmed hats, capes, fingerless gloves, rainboots and thigh-high boots in transparent plastic. The water-drop earrings are accompanied by necklaces of crystalline beads.
Manish Arora was in an amorous mood for spring. His pastel-infused “Ready for Love” collection was a joyous riot of vintage-inspired psychedelic prints, elaborate embroideries, rich Indian brocades, sequined motifs and Middle Eastern references. Luxurious sleepwear-inspired designs with a dream-catcher pattern mingled with gowns covered in hearts, kitschy embellished knitwear and embroidered denim jackets. Sequined boxer shorts, pants and dresses, brocade or printed bombers and a chain mail top made up of interlinked embroidered hands all contributed to the festivities.The designer’s romantic message was sewn in sequins on a couple of looks, adding a touch of street into this maelstrom of candy-colored extravagance.T his collection was designed for the young jet-setting woman living an elegant life but has a playful side and has no intentions of hiding it. Arora managed to evoke femininity and frivolity in one fell swoop with this rainbow of a collection, a welcome ray of sunshine in contrast to the rainy Paris day outside. Chanel
2 London Fashion Week CHRISTOPHER KANE Christopher Kane has managed to surprise everyone this season. There is no surprise in that. In this collection, Kane explores the concept of the perfect suburban wife obsessed a pristine cleanliness yet has a certain darkness inside filled with secrets. His primary reference was the scandalous tabloid sensation Cynthia Payne, a South London brothel keeper who was famously busted in the ’80s for entertaining Members of Parliament . It said that these men would line up to receive ‘personal services’ in the upstairs bedrooms and be treated to a nice cup of tea and cake in the sitting room
afterward. Kane captures the femininity and eroticism without being outrightly vulgar. His inspiration of mundane cleaning tools: The silk fringing inspired by mops, the clothespin embellishments, the shower curtain skirt, gives the idea of a true ‘domestic goddess’. Floral slip dresses, ruffles, sheer night dresses with matching evening coats are evening coats are a staple. in fair warning, the gem encrusted crocs of his previous collection do return. The highlight is the ‘caged woman’, wearing a who wears a guided diamond cage with a pastel pink satin dress underneath.
Manish Arora
ERDEM Erdem’s 2018 Spring/Summer 2018 collection is quite royal in the literal sense. He take inspiration two parallel events from from 1950s. Using a photo of Queen Elizabeth II’s meeting with Duke Ellington, American composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra, in 1957 as inspiration, He thought “What if the Queen kind of went to New York, and what if Dorothy Dandridge ended up in Buckingham Palace? It was this weird kind of switching roles.” The collection is a fusion of Queen Elizabeth and the 1950’s harlem. . The elegance and royalty of the queen, and the glamour and sexuality of Dorothy Dandridge, a performer and the first AfricanAmerican actress to to be nominated for
an Academy Award is the meeting of two entirely different worlds that becomes the crux of this collection. The balloon skirted hems, which is an emerging trend this season gives the collection a contemporary look without being too dated. Sophisticated bellshaped overcoats cut in floral jacquards and embellished with sparkling gem buttons, pearl and gold embroideries of leeks and flowers imitated the symbols planted in the queen’s coronation gown, and long embroidered gloves are truly reminiscent of fifties. Although floral, Erdem brings a certain darkness to the collection, which is refreshingly different or the spring summer season.
MARY KATRANTZOU Mary Katrantzou gives an ode to the decade of her childhood : the 80s. Her collection gives us a way to escape our drab and dark reality. Every piece is vibrant, sugar-coated and nostalgic. From paint by numbers, spirographs to school uniforms, childhood innocence forms the core of this collection. Bright polka dots, lego prints were some of the Katrantzou’s outrageously colourful prints in the collection. This season’s favourite exaggerated balloon dresses are staple in the collection. The glossy nylon material, reminiscent of the old yellow raincoats and the friendship band dresses excite our inner child. The exaggerated mix of prints and silhouettes is a fitting representation of the 80s. Mary Katrantzou turns kid’s crafts to high fashion and it works!
Christopher Kane
Erdem
Mary Katrantzou YOUTH TIMES | 11
RUNAWAY REVIEW
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
3 New York Fashion Week MICHAEL KORS
CALVIN KLEIN
What you wear in office, out to dinner, at the theatre or on vacation, it all matters to Kors. Especially on vacation, the idea for his new collection laid on the beachy vibes of vacation. Inspired from the signature style of Jackie Kennedy and the laid-back luxury; Kors continued his American style in his collection, and stuck to his philosophy that runs on the concept of uniforms. He proved that there are no boundaries when experimenting with fashion. His love for travelling and maximizing comfort for the customer truly reflected in his collection. The terrific clothes raised a relaxed beachy feeling: tie-dye cashmeres, see-through sundresses, and crocodile flip-flops that even city girls will have a hard time resisting. Kors worked in a palette of breezy pastels—the colors of the New York season—gradually moving towards navy, gray, and black; and, in addition to the subtle tie-dying, he induced palm tree–shadow prints in the same breezy spirit. KThe collection gave a perfect perspective of how to see urban touch even on a lousy vacation time.
In 2017, the brand has a radically different identity from the one it had not so long ago. And that shift can be attributed to one man: Raf Simons. The Belgian designer has been in his role as chief creative officer at the American brand for just over a year. The minimalist brand is now colorful and bold. For this collection inspired from Hollywood cinema he added motifs that included Andy Warhol prints of Dennis Hopper circa Easy Rider and a 1971 Sandra Brant, cheerleaders, and horror movies. The collection had a connective thread to what the designer presented in his Fall 2017 show (colorblocked marching band-meets-western shirting, streamlined suits, all manner of excellent topcoats, cowboy boots for city dwellers) but moved the CK aesthetic into darker, moodier territory. The crowd was pumped. It isn’t often that you can feel the anticipation at a show— actually sense it in the audience’s body language—but you could in this show. Michael Kors
Calvin Klein
VICTORIA BECKHAM
ANNA SUI
“Delicacy can be strong”, Victoria Beckham’s inspiration for this collection truly described her own personality and style of work. It’s also an idea that’s taking hold this New York season, with transparencies and soft colors emerging as key trends. Beckham’s thinking on femininity has changed over the years. There was concept of wearable boldness with the essence of feminism. The sheer weight of Beckham’s silks strengthened what she said about delicacy, as did her prints—one of which reproduced a moiré pattern and another that was a photo print of mixed striped fabrics. But alongside delicacy this collection had quirkiness, and that was more of a surprise. You saw it in the crushed ruffles of Pierrot and notch collars, even in the necklines.Starting from more of boxy oversized shirts, sheer pencil skirts, pajamas, long shirts, trench coats and single breasted suits the garments gradually moved towards more edgy yet feminine silhouettes with ruffles on the seams of garments. Colours ranges from pastels to bold red, grey, black and whites.
Anna Sui’s collections take you on a creative journey that is unparalleled in the world of fashion. Mixing vintage styles with her current cultural obsessions, she effortlessly makes trendy and cheerful original clothes. Her collection was a stand-alone work from all other designers, she keeping her design philosophy in mind created the garments that can merge with the current trends; as she’s more of a historian than a forward thinker. Her attachment to more of psychedelic approach and ideas, the inspiration for this collection also emerged from the same. The garments showcased had traits of the 60’s hippie subculture and bohemian look. The collection was unisex, silhouettes were loose and forgiving—toss it on and go! Peplum cut was more visible in bodice garments. The backdrop was a colourful applique artwork with mixed materials and texture depicting the collection. The boundless energy and creative ingenuity of her runway presentations always make her shows a high point of New York Fashion Week.
Victoria Beckham
Anna Sui
4 New York Fashion Week (Bridal) SACHIN AND BABI
INBAL DROR
Sachin and Babi’s bridal collection for the season focuses on the lifestyle of the bride, the ease and comfort. The collection satisfies all the customers who are in search for occasional apparel rather than the bridal wear. Their lifestyle vision builds a path that encompasses the bridal and ready-to-wear as well as handcrafted accessories. And the designs can be customized accordingly. But even without the extras the collection will please the Sachin and Babi customers. The collection this season reinterpreted the ready-to-wear styles as the bridal fall wear, which satisfies the looks for the festivities. The designs include a pair of sequined wide leg trousers and a jacquard bomber jacket helps to get an easy look for occasion like reception. The brand’s signature hand embellishments were crafted on the other look, which was a minimal silk faille column with embroidered flowers crafted with origami technique. The designer’s runway also showcased few princess-y ball gowns with intricate thread work for traditional brides, too, but the slinky, trumpet hem dress would be worth wearing more than once.
Israeli designer Inbal Dror designed the bridal fall which is more like the red carpet flow gowns. Her art form of designing the dresses makes her fans to expect elegant yet sexy couture creations. The line-up ranged from regal gowns with beading, embroidery, and corsets to columns with sweet bows and lace. Her designs incorporated the details like long sleeves and sweeping trains while focusing on contemporary silhouettes. The emphasis on shoulders with padding and gathering, as well as tailored jacket over a tulle skirt gave the theme a hint of menswear too. the other ready-to-wear inspired look which was lined-up consisted of a pair of high waist shorts under a flowing side-slit skirt, which was ideal for a quick-change reception outfit. Dror’s other sassy designs which included nipped waist, attention-grabbing poufed skirts and off shoulder necklines. The line was shimmery as Dror’s statement “it’s meant to shine like stars.”
12| YOUTH TIMES
Sachin and Babi
Inbal Dror
RUNAWAY REVIEW
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
ZUHAIR MURAD
MONIQUE LHULLIER Streamlined isn’t a word typically associated with brides, but that’s how Monique described her vision for the Bridal Fall 2018 runway. In the past season it was all about embellishments, lots of lace, and more over-the-top. She is even working to build a partnership with pottery barn, which designs for the bridal suite and reception dinner. Instead of a traditional runway show to showcase her bridal fall, she transformed a Grand Academy Mansion to allow the guests to experience the dresses and furnishings in living colours. The set up of a lively reception hall, as well as a staged bridal suite in Lhuillier’s signature shade of rose. Given all the extras, her design approach for the gowns was simple and understaed, the runway comprised of just 16 dresses. The standout gown was made from 250 yards of Spanish fabric which still managed to fit close to the body. Alongside the streamlined theme on the runway, an edgy look was also given to the bridal couture. Lhuillier’s designs were focused to give her bride new options that people haven’t seen before.
Zuhair’s designs for the bridal fall 2018 focused on detachable overskirts and shoulder-grazing capes. Both pieces offer the bride the flexibility to switch their look from ceremony to the reception without any extras. The couture was constructed from tulle and silk chiffon, the most elegant showstopping dresses were beaded , embroidered, and beautifully embellished. The line also showcased the more understated A-line structures with intricate handwork. The extras which complimented the designs were simple, flattering necklines- from illusion boatneck and off-the-shoulder to a deep Vnecks with embroideries and 3D petals, each dress came in pink champagne or off-white. Murad’s bridal collection has of detailed couture gowns ruffled tulle stoles tied around the shoulders, floor-skimming capes, cathedral-length embroidered veils. They certainly aren’t for the minimalist, but if these pieces are meant for a real-life fairy tale, they are also customized for a fit so flawless that can make a bride look like she does this every day. Monique Ljullier
Zuhair Murad
Back Home
5 Lakme Fashion Week, Winter Festive MASABA GUPTA
UJJAWAL DUBEY
Designer Masaba Gupta brought the vibrancy of natural colours with her bridal collection that was colourful and comfortable. is collection was inspired by the tribes of Madagascar and Himalayan waters. The vibrancy of the shades of pink, blue, red and green brought the festive mood to the show, contrasting well with minimal prints and simple cuts. With the intention of upgrading the conventional style of Indian wear, Masaba has played with some contemporary trend. Lehengas and dhoti’s were paired with o -shoulder blouses and bow tops, and sari-pants and slit dresses with pine motifs. Fluid lines inspired by water made the garments look more owy. With the own philosophy of Masaba in healthy and natural living and the purity of Himalayan Orchard, Pure water has created this event a successful one.
Ujjawal’s construction and designing techniques have been his signature that has revolutionised the concept of men’s and women’s wear. At Lakme fashion week surprise element of the show was Ujjawal’s new colour palette, which stayed loyal to black and charcoal grey but brought in pops of lavender, dark burgundy, air force blue or cadet grey. Men’s wear had the characteristic asymmetric silhouettes for waist coats and kurtas. Knit Sherwanis, collarless shirts and shawl collar jackets made great fashion statements. Women’s wear had a gentle, feminine, touch with stark shapes. When the inspirations for the collection are the draping styles of the Buddhist monks; then the look had to be serene, spiritual and sophisticated which he justi ed completely. Although collection was not going with the festive theme, Still it stand out and spoke about heritage of India. Ujjawal Dubey
MANISH MALHOTRA Celebrity designer Manish Malhotra put on a stunning show to conclude the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2017, titled “Tales of Indulgence”, the show marked Malhotra’s indulgence into bespoke tailoring. menswear had the characteristic stylish vibe, the designer is renowned for. The colour palette for a Manish Malhotra collection involved extensive use of black, white and chrome. Baggy pleated pants, long velvet coats with peak lapels, embroidered jackets, collarless jackets with embellished sleeves and double- breasted velvet numbers with fur emphasis on the shoulders were interesting. Followed by men’s wear, Women’s wear was an assortment of evening and cocktail dresses in various fabrics along with handcrafted embellishments. It was array of glitter, dazzle and glamour with crystals, sequins and zari making dramatic style statements. Corsets were a popular choice, teamed with feathered skirts, slit gowns, ornate lehengas or as minis with long shoulder capes.
Masaba Gupta
Manish Malhotra
Jacqueline Fernandez for Manish Malhotra YOUTH TIMES | 13
INFLUENCERS
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
AARABHI VEERARAGHAVAN Aarabhi Veeraraghava is a dancer specialised in contemporary dance and Bharatanatyam based in Chennai. She tours around the world with her dance company. She is a mother of one and runs a successful blog. She is also active in Instagram where she has 40.2K followers. You are a lot of things : a dancer, a mother, a blogger and most importantly a social media influencer; How do you manage to balance all these aspects? Its not hard to balance all of them at once as I am all of the things I love to be. Life is just easier when you are absolutely passionate about something which you do everyday but I always try to make time for myself.
‘NOT SO DIFFERENT’ BUT YET SO DIFFER-
B
eing a blogger in today’s scenario is like a hobby; especially young women are indulging themselves solely and are actually very determined about this being a career option. Therefore, we invited a very young, confident and rising fashion blogger from Delhi, to inspire youth that there is nothing called as age bar in today’s world. You can explore and make use of the opportunities that come your way. Aspiring women like her are breaking the stereotype of being a doctor or an engineer in our society and broadening the minds of people to think in different perspectives and options available. From being a ‘not so different’ student of a college in Delhi University, this 21-year-old has changed people’s view of seeing blogging as mainstream. Vasudha Damble, student of Media in Jesus and Mary College of DU, started fashion blogging in 2015 and now has around 30K followers; is a brilliantly charming and confident person for her age and experience. We invited her to share her views on blogging and also knowing her journey from being a normal teenager to a famous fashion blogger. Can you tell something about yourself and your work? I am a Mass Media student in Jesus and Mary college of Delhi University. I am very keen about fashion. It interests me a lot, which is why I started to blog. My blog is not solely focused on fashion or makeup but also on lifestyle. I review on current trends and also guide my readers as a stylist. I also collaborate with various fashion sites and upcoming designers like Nykaa, Amazon, Jabong, Meena Bazaar, Polago Clothing, Nayna Kapoor studios; for shoots and promotions.
My blogging style is not particular in nature, I focus on every kind of styles that fashion could have and promote the things that I genuinely like; May they be sponsored or no. And also every time I try to get the perfect look captured for my followers. As you are studying, how do you manage your time to write and study as well? It sure is difficult to manage time along with college work and internships, but I realized that these work pressures and being busy throw ideas in my head to write something new and so I somehow take time out and do it. You can always make time for the things you love to do.
“You can always make time for the things you love to do.”
Your plan was to become a journalist, how did dance get in the way? I grew up like every other Tamil Brahmin kid, the thrice a week dance/ paatu classes and stories from indian mythology. As I grew up, I was inclined towards literature and decided to get a bachelor’s degree . After 3 yrs of english, when I ought to have become a journalist writing about art and culture I decided to do a Masters in Contemporary Performance studies from London. Dance was always there in my subconscious mind. It just had to come out. Sarees. Its evident from your Insta feed that you collect them with a passion. What is your favourite among the huge collection? It is impossible to choose a perfect saree but I literally cannot say enough about my love for a nicely starched cotton saree. I would pick a cotton over any other fabric any day of the week. I wear them everywhere from weddings to coffee meetings. You’re quite an avid reader. What is your current read? I’m not reading anything now as I just returned from a tour. But my last read with ‘Hateship, Friendship,Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. Alice Munro : This book shows you stories of human relationships
in their complexity and layers. Munro is an excellent choice for a day when you want writing that is easy to read but is still deep. You’re also trying to inculcate the habit of reading in your child. How do you that? We (My husband and I) always read bedtime stories to him. He always picks his own stories and is very serious about it. I look forward to discuss and debate on our favourite books and authors with him someday. You identify yourself as a feminist; How do you raise your son to become one? We believe in keeping our home as gender sensitive and neutral as we possibly can. I grew up in a family where the boys and girls were treated the same to the point of unfairness even, sometimes. The most important thing to do is to stop seeing the world in shades of blue and pink. I want my son to respectful and sensitive adult who believes in equality and is able to be expressive without being judged. As a fellow woman, what is something every woman should know? Your body is a temple. Don't let someone say it any other way. Get fit or not but do it on your own terms. Never let anybody define your worth our your body’s worth by their idea of perfection. Stop evaluating your body by their standards too. Do not compare. Not somebody else old body with their new, yours with theirs or your new normal with your old. Interviewer Parvathy Anand
What is your ideal working environment? To write, my ideal working environment would be quite. But to really find out what’s in trend I love to travel and attend parties and promotional events.
-Vasudha Damble
Tell me about what motivated you to start your blog? I like fashion and all things related, which was the reason to start my blog. Along with fashion I also like to just write and express myself and so I also write about some basic issues of every human’s life, which my readers can relate to. Also we know that a girl wears her confidence and most of it comes from the way you dress up, so one of my reasons was also to boost the confidence in women and be a role model to them. How did you first start blogging? I started writing my blog on Wordpress and posting pictures on social media that increase the number of following for my blog. Then I started Vogueaholic and the growth of the blog is a complete matter of time. It’s like a gestation period that you have to face before you become a successful blogger. We all had ups and downs in our lives, what was the pull down in your life where you felt demotivated and disturbed? The gestation period as I mentioned can take really long too in some people’s case and it can be demotivating.. During that period itself you experience people’s hatred too and it can be demotivating. How will you describe your blogging style? 14| YOUTH TIMES
What do you think the best service a blogger can provide to his readers? When a person is write something for others he/she has gotten an opportunity to put forth their ideas about anything possible in the world and so they should try their best to inform, inspire and motivate their readers. What else besides than writing interests you? Well, shopping and looking out for the newest trends interests me. Also our readers will love to know your proudest moment till now? It would be when I got selected for the ‘Get the Look’ show on NDTV Goodtimes hosted by Ambika Anand. Where they actually style models to get the look for latest trends or famous look of celebrities. The show was also the winner of best lifestyle and fashion show at the Indian Telly awards, 2010. That was a great kick for me. All your followers out there are really looking forward to know little something about your personal life, so what is your favorite pastime? I love watching movies and TV series, I am a total Bollywood geek and I love reading too!! What is your favorite fashion magazine and why? My favorite fashion magazines are Elle and Femina, because they have a global outlook with an Indian touch. And every issue has a different theme mostly related to current issues.
What are some of your current fashion obsessions? My current fashion obsessions are jumpsuits, off shoulders & cold shoulders; olive and dusty pink colors and floral prints.;
And what is the one thing your readers would be surprised to hear? I don’t think that there’s anything that would surprise them.
What is your dream job? I think that this has been my dream job always, being into fashion all the time is what I love. I would like to grow and achieve more and more in the field of fashion itself, everything I will pursue will be related to fashion and lifestyle. Being a designer or a stylist would restrict my options, but I would definitely want to try being a fashion consultant maybe, I am really not sure yet!!
At last where do you want to see yourself in next 10 years? I see myself at; of course, a 10 times better stage in my career as a blogger and wish to be a crucial part of the fashion industry. And most importantly, a happy and satisfied human! Interviewer Riya Singhai
LIFESTYLE
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
HOME DECOR to look for in ‘17
Top 7 Home Decor Trends for Fall/Winter
Have you ever thought, what if the place where you live is converted to a place where you have always wanted to live in? Let your home feel like a dream home and gradually you will feel the positivity coming out. Being trendy doesn’t apply just to wearing fashionable clothes, nowadays it’s also about your lifestyle. So, here are some amazing upcoming fall/ winter ‘17 trends for your home. Of course, remember to choose what you love, regar less of what might be in style. Here’s what we predict will be “in” and “out” for fall and winter 2017.
1
All-White Interiors ‘OUT’ and Colours ‘IN’ Say Bye to white, cause now it’s all about shades and hues. Colourlovers! Here is a chance to re-decorate your home and add some colours to your life. Interiors are moving away from all white and gray. Instead, people are embracing warm, rich shades of brown, black, green, and blush. Green is the colour of the year! Green induces nature and freshness, it can be used to break the monochrome of a space. We can use it as an accent wall or blend it with furniture. This season is about creating drama through darker shades. Colours like dark chocolate brown and deep onyx are making their places. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard that dusty pink is pretty popular right now. Light pink, also known as rose quartz or dusty rose, is now being referred to as "Millennial Pink," due to its popularity with that generation. If it comes in pink—whether it's furnishings, homes accessories, clothing, or even beauty products—youngadults want to buy it.
2
Marble ‘OUT’ Marbles are timeless but interiors with complete marble flooring has become cliche. Though, you still can add a few marble touches here and there and it can be perfectly lovely; for example in home decor accessories like lamps and showpieces. And for the majority of interiors you can opt for earthier materials, like wood, clay, and metal with rough finishes.
3
Copper Home Accessories ‘OUT’ ; Brass and Matte Black Home Accessories ‘IN’ Overly shiny and fake copper accessories are getting outdated. Instead, the trend is now moving toward classic aged brass. It is the new copper, especially when incorporated into furniture in a noticeable way like incorporating a brass frame in a center glass table. A little element of black can totally add a stand-alone element to your home. In both the bathroom and the kitchen, look for matte black light fixtures and faucets
4
Boring Bedding ‘OUT’ Relaxing Retreats ‘IN’ Nowadays people are all surrounded by technological devices and seek out for places that are more comfy and relaxing. An obvious place to unplug? The bedroom. Surround your sleeping space with canopies or lace curtains hung from a wooden beam. Pull a comfy chair into a corner for reading purpose, or a hanging chair and layer with soft blankets. Instead of going with a very pure white bedding try new patterns and soothing prints with a bed of comfortable backrest and variety of pillows.
5
Velvet ‘IN’ What could be more soothing than velvet? The fabric feels luxurious and welcoming for fall and winter. Velvet combined with rough flooring or the wall and the smooth metals and ceramics creates an interesting visual. But as velvet is not that pocket friendly, we can use velvet pillows or velvet sheets instead. It gives feeling of coziness and comfort as soon as you enter, all it needs is just little more effort while cleaning.
6
Woven Texture and Faux Finishes ‘IN’ Don’t underestimate the depth woven textiles and handicrafts bring to a room and home. Hang baskets for decoration on the wall, put plants in basket-weaved stands, or try out your light lamp for a basket pendant light. You can make a statement with just adding some terracotta and bamboo products. It will make your home look more earthy as well as you may be entitled as a crafty person!
7
Terra Cotta Tile and Rough Textures ‘IN’ Terra cotta tiles are back. Incorporate the classic earthenware to add warmth and character to your home. Even the rough textures incorporated in the floors such as rock tiles, more of granite maybe! The terracotta exposed brick walls and concrete surfaces will give a very vintage look to your home. Home is where we enjoy time with friends, relax after a long day, and create amazing memories. Nowadays there are more and more those who realize the true importance of having a space taken care of by interior designers but actually you can be the stylist on your own. Just following these trends and adding your touch to it would give your home a great makeover. So let the creativity of yours come forth and reflect through your windows! -Riya Singhai YOUTH TIMES | 15
SOCIAL MEDIA
7
top
BENGALURU THE YOUTH TIMES MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2017
Social Media Trends of 2017
you have with the number of memes you tag them. From alia bhat to Ross( from Friends series), you have abundant amount of memes available.
2.Updating Stories
By Navneet Kaur
T
he advent of the Internet has completely revolutionized the way we see the world. Social media is one of the biggest platform in the modern world, where every day we meet new people . Due to constant updates, social media platforms continue to grow in popularity, showing no sign of slowing down. Every second individual is using social networking sites. It is no longer limited to younger generations, but has now become popular across all age groups and is an essential marketing tool. Every year some weird and famous trends on social media is spotted. Many trends has been followed by people in order to sustain on Social Media. Here is list of few Trends that is spotted from past one year.
1.Tag your Friends
Snapchat was the first social media app that used the feature of updating the stories. You can let people know where and with whom you are. You can send snaps to them. This trend of updating stories took a hike and now almost every social media platform has this feature. Be it Facebook or whatsapp people update their stories from waking up to the late night parties in Minutes. It's up to you what you want to show them. This type of content is known for its popular feature of lasting for a short period of time. Typically, these video stories last 24 hours from the time of initial posting.
3.Filters on Social Media
Facebook is flooded with such memes where you tag your friends. It has become an important ritual for millennial to tag each other. People even compare the bond of friendship
Conclusion Gone were the days where people came together and had the casual talks, now with the era of digitalization, everyone is moulding themselves according to the modern world. There are many new trends that are yet to come, there are many trends that has dissolved. Trends are spontaneous, you’ll never came to know what could be a trend.
These artificial intelligence facial filters is an interactive and unique way for users to engage with social media. The idea of augmented reality actually came into practice with these filters .You want to beautify yourself use them. With just one click you can be anything. The era of filters is creating a shared experience for all individuals who engage with the app, forming a sense of community when people Well yes ! Recently Dhinchak pooja around the world use the same filters. and Om prakash Mishra were in news because if the way they sang the songs. The more weird things you do and post on social media more likely famous you’ll get.
SUDOKO PUZZLE
16| YOUTH TIMES
4.Do weird stuff and gain popularity
5. Anonymous Feedback Apps.
Recently, there was an app Sarahah which allows people to send completely anonymous comments to other users, with no way of the receiver replying or knowing who sent it to them. It was created by Saudi programmer for honest feedback about their company
but people have taken it for the next level. They are using it for the other purposes. People send messages and then receiver screen shot it and update it in their stories. Everything is interrelated.
6. You are LIVE!
by public personalities are Q&As, where followers get to comment and ask questions live on the stream and see them answered by the person in real time. These videos are a great way to create a sense of community between viewers and the person streaming the video.
7. Ludo
Similar to video stories, live video streams are also becoming increasingly popular. They are now seen being used on Facebook and Instagram. While these can be used by anyone, they are especially popular celebrities who want to give access to their followers to an event they are taking part of. Another popular format used mainly
After the series of obsessing apps like prisma, dubsmash and candy crush social media has recently become obsessed with a Smartphone app called Ludo Star, which is apparently the 2017 version of everyone’s favourite board game from the 90’s and it has been downloaded over a million times already.