The second day of the Amazon India Fashion Week, 2016, saw around 600 students and would-be-students congregating on the grounds. This created a record as this was the first time in the history of India Fashion Week that saw such a gathering. The occasion was Pearl Academy’s Be Somebody event. Sunil Seth set the tone for the proceedings by giving his welcome note where he announced, ‘Today, I am Gucci, today I am Adidas…. I can be anybody I want to be…’
There was an impressive line-up of eminent speakers from the world of fashion, Anju Modi, Suket Dhir and Rahul Mishra, who struck an instant chord with the audience. They inspired, motivated and got the show under way.
The programme started with designer Anju Modi, who has recently won accolades for her work in Bajirao Mastani. She has come a long way from a one room tenement and just one ‘Masterji’ to working on projects involving millions of rupees. She spoke about her journey and how she overcame every obstacle that came in her way. According to her, “Passion, energy and talent and the conviction to follow one’s heart is all that is needed to stand out in today’s world.”
Suket Dhir is an accidental designer. By his own admission, he was never good at academics and he has had a chequered career. After working for a multimedia company, he joined a call centre. After a year, he realised he was not going anywhere in this line of work and decided to take a break. He joined a 3 year course in NIFT and the rest is history. His advice to the students is to be smart about what they want to do. “It has to be very close to your heart.” He exhorted everybody to take competition very seriously and assured them that dreams do come true. According to him, one should take time instead of jumping into a career. A period of 5 to 7 years is hardly anything if one wants to make a mark in this world. He gave his own example as to how he jumped from one thing to another before he found his calling in NIFT.
Following Dhir on the stage, Rahul Mishra was welcomed enthusiastically by the students. An NID alumnus, Mishra needed no introduction. He spoke about his experience in the fashion industry and admitted that when he started out, he had no experience. He also stated that he felt he started out too early. After 2 seasons at the Lakme India Fashion Week, he went to Milan to study. While there, he was fascinated by the designs surrounding him. He saw and observed everything and this, he feels, moulded him into what he is today. He exhorted students to soak in everything around them like a sponge and be themselves and not try to fit into somebody else’s shoes. He also reiterated the importance of having the right idols. According to him, “Success is not about talent, it is about persistence. It is about the right attitude.”
Towards the end of the show, there was a question and answer session where the audience participated enthusiastically. The mood was upbeat and the vibes energetic.
