FASHION SEMIOTICS

SEMIOTICS OF FASHION

“FASHION “ A MISNOMER IN ITSELF HAS ALWAYS ELUDED THE SOUL OF HUMAN DIANETICS.FROM THE GLOBAL LIBERALISATION OF EXPRESSION IN 19TH CENTURY TO THE CURRENT ERA FASHION HAS BEEN A STATEMENT OF THOUGHTS AND LIFESTYLE.
SO “IS FASHION A STATEMENT OF THOUGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL”
RECENT STUDIES HAS DELIVERED THAT FASHION DEFINITELY PORTRAYS AN INDIVIDUALS ORIENTATION TOWARDS LIFE,ITS DISCIPLINE,ACTIONS AND DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES.FASHION CHANGES ACCORDING TO TIMEFRAME AND OCCASIONAL SHIFTS.FASHION CAN DEFINITELY REVEAL AN INDIVIDUALS FEATURES AND IS A PORTRAY OF SOUL.FASHION CAN NEVER BE IMBIBED UPON ,IT’S A NATURAL INSTINCT WHICH CAN BE CULMINATED BY VISUAL PERCEPTIONS.FASHION BORNE NATURALLY IS LESS VIMSICAL THAN FASHION BORN OUT OF CHANGING DEMANDS.TIMEAGAIN FASHION DESIGNERS HAVE TRIED TO EMPHASIZE ON SILHOUTTE OF SOUL,RATHER THAN EXTERNAL MODIFICATIONS OF HEART.FASHION IS A FORM OF LOVE WHICH TRASENDS THE VERY BASIC ROOTS OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION POLLINATING THE FLOWERS OF CULTURES,SOCIETY IN THE FORM OF SHADES OF COLOURS WHICH FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF FASHION CREATION,MAY BE NEUTAL,MAY BE PLACID MAY BE SEASONAL OR MAY BE EARTHLY.
FASHION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ELUSIVE IN ITS OUTLOOK BY QUICK MODIFICATIONS IN OUTLINING THE SOCIETAL PAINTING THROUGH ITS DISPLAY. IN INDIA FASHION HAS TRASENDED FROM MERE POLITICAL EXPRESSION POST INDEPENDENCE ERA,IMBIBED WESTERN ROCK AND ROLL TO FALL INTO THE REALIZATION ERA OF ETHNIC CONFLICTS.FROM THE FASHION CAPITALS OF MILAN,PARIS TO OUR OWN NATIONAL CROSS BORDER FOSTERINGS FASHION HAS INDEED TRAVELLED A LONG WAY.THE CONSERVATIVE ERA OF INDIAN FASHION WAS HIGHLY INFLUENCED BY INDIAN FILMOGRAPHY WHICH BROUGHT CABARET ROCK ND ROLL SENSATION INTO ITS MANIFESTATION.THE 80S SAW THE INFLUX OF WESTERN INFLUENCE OF HELMUT LANG AND JILL SLANDER PORTRAYING INDIAN SOUL.THOUGH GUCCI AND ARMANI INFLUENCE IN INDIAN PANORAMA WAS A BIT LATE ,SO WAS PROFESSIONAL DESIGNING GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION IN FRAMING DESIGNING INSTITUTES FOSTERED PROFESSIONAL GROWTH IN INDUSTRIALIZATION OF FASHION.POST NARASIMHA RAO GOVT WHEN MANMOHANOMICS FOUND LIBERALIZATION,INDIAN FASHION INDUSTRY DREAMT BOOM.DESIGNERS SUCH AS ANITA DONGRE,ARJUN KHANNA,ASHISH SONI,MANISH MALHOTRA,RAGHAVENDRA RATHORE,TARUN TEHLANI,WENDELL RODRICKS AND THE MAESTRO OF SILK ROHIT BAHL THOUGHTS LIFTED THE SPIRIT OF INDIAN FASHION.MONEY ALWAYS HAS BEEN A SETBACK THOUGH,CLAIMS FEW,FASHION NEVER WAS PAST.RETAIL BOOM BROUGHT GLOBAL INFLUX INTO INDIAN PANORAMA AND THE NATIONAL MARKET BECAME THE 2ND LARGEST FASHION TRADING ARENA WHERE GLADIATORS OF FASHION PLAYED HAVOC.CORPORATE PARTICIPATION FROM BRAND RECOGNITION,LAUNCH,BRAND ACCOMODATION BROUGHT FASHION AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIAN BUSINESS SCENARIO.
“THE RECENT ECONOMIC GROWTH TRASCENDED FASHION TO LOCAL STATEMENT WITH RISE OF GLOBAL BRANDS “-IN SUCH A SCENARIO ARE WE FORGETTING OUR ROOTS?OUR CULTURES?DESIGNERS DENY.TILL TODAY GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE IS MORE ON ETHNIC WEARS LIKE SAREE,CHURIDAR,SALWAR KAMMEZ,LEHENGAS,CHOLIS,GHAGRA, THAN WESTERN MODIFICATIONS.SO HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE?OUR GEOGRAPHICAL FLORA AND FAUNA HAS ADDED LUSTRE TO FASHION WHICH HAS EVEN CROSSED BORDERS TO BE DISPLAYED BY GURUS OF FASHION PIERRE CARDIN AND ZANDRA RHODES.THE ELVIS PRESLY ERA SHIFTED FASHION TO HEIGHTS OF ETHNIC REALIZATION WHERE STATELY COLOURS FOUND HIGHER RECOGNITION.NIKE,NAKSHATHRA,TITAN,TOMMY HILFIGER,ADIDAS ,RALPH LAUREN,MARKS SPENSER ,HAS SHIFTED ITS BELIEF TO LOCATION BASED FASHION WHERE LOCAL SENTIMENTS FOUND GREATER REALIZATION.THE RISE OF INDIAN MODELLING INDUSTRY POST SUSHMITA SEN EXPLOITS HAVE MADE INDIAN BRAND CREATION GLOBAL.THOUGH FASHION EXPRESSIONS OF LOCAL BRANDS CREATED HAVOC IN VICTORIAS SECRET OR FCUCK LOCATIONS STILL ETHNIC COMMUNICATION IS IN NASCENT STAGE.
THE KOTWARA CREATION OF MUZAFFAR ALI,THE ROHIT BAHL BRAND,THE MASKA BRAND OF NIKI MAHAJAN SHOWCASING KALI IN KOLKATA,THE BRIDAL COUTRE OF NEETA LULLA,THE DIFFUSION LINE OF INDIAN CINEMATOGRAPHY,THE PUJA NAYYAR CREATIONSIS AN ALL OUT SUCCESS IN “CHOKHRI “
IN SINGAPORE,THE ETHNIC SHOE COLLECTIONS OF JJ VALLYA.THOUGH BENGAL FOUND A LATE ENTRY IN NATIONAL HALL OF FAME,STILL DESIGNERS SUCH AS KIRAN UTTAM SINGH’S KIMONO IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST SELLING BRANDS IN INDIA.AGNIMITRA PAUL CREATIONS FOR LINEN CLUB,HER FILM DESIGNER VARIETIES AND LOCAL SHADES “INGA”(PRET WEAR),THE ETHNIC LINKAGES OF PRITHVIRAJ,RITUPARNO INFERNO,SABYASACHI HAS LIFTED BENGAL FASHION BRANDS.
IN SUCH A CONFLICTING SITUATION ARE WE FORGETTING THE ROOTS?OUR TRADITIONAL KHADI?OUR STITCHING?NIFT OR OTHER INSTITUTES LIKE NIFD MIGHT BE THEN AT A LOSS IN CURRICULUM.GLOBAL PRACTICES DEFINITELY SHOWCASE A GREATER ACCEPTANCE OF RURAL REMIXES WHERE ONLINE SURVEYS AND STATISTICAL DATAS GIVE A POSITIVE SIGNAL.THE BANKURA ART,MURSHIDABAD FABRICS,TRIBAL ARTS OR CHINAMATI OR LALMATI CREATIONS IS STILL A HIT IN TODAYS INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO OF DOMINICO DOLCE AND STEFANO GABBANA.