Wednesday 30 April 2014

The Edutainment Show, 2014 Part-ll

‘The Edutainment Show’, India’s largest education exhibition and summit, was back with their second edition. J W Marriott was the venue where a varied range of exciting career opportunities in the media, communication and design industry were showcased. Accomplished celebrities and established academicians interacted with the enthusiastic students.

The ‘Changing Face of Fashion Education in India’ was one of the topics that were taken up for discussion. The panelists chosen were James Ferreira- veteran fashion designer, Aparna Badlani- Co-owner of Atosa, Nimisha Tiwari- Editor at Economic Times- Travel, Times of India and Siddharth Lulla- Director Business Strategy Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion. Each one of them had insightful knowledge, which they shared with the students.




James Ferreira believes that specializing and knowing the art of garment construction and production processes is the key to be able to strongly perform in this field. Competition is on the rise, so his advice to the students was to be inspired and learn from the best. There is a need to use indigenous content for our courses and bring Indian aesthetics into play. Experience and experimentation is the key to learn for all fashion aspirants, and following an academic course helps within a stipulated time period but the process of learning is a lifelong one.





Aparna Badlani shared some valuable points on Fashion retail by suggesting that knowledge of visual merchandising and photography is an important aspect in Merchandising and also a great career option. India is an open market today; the clients are well read and know what they want. She encourages students to be curious and read a lot before venturing on a certain path. Fashion education makes you technically sound and gives the base to keep experimenting and innovating with a proper understanding of the market.




Contributing to the conversation was Nimisha Tiwari, who suggested the use of social media to reach out, to know the pulse of the people and understand emerging trends. Keep learning was her mantra; keep attending events and panel discussions by experts of the respective field. Research the finer details of the institute so that you can make an informed decision. She also shared points on Fashion Journalism, where she mentioned that it is important to learn the art to be able to talk about the art. Education, in her opinion, makes you confident and gives you the power to be able to put forth your thoughts.  






Lastly, Siddharth Lulla is of the opinion that in order to excel the 3 Es - Education, Exposure and Experience are important. Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion is an institute for the industry and by the industry. Here students get to attend regular workshops along with interacting with the best and learn from the experts. Students are sent for internships and have been involved in backstage coordination and operation at various fashion shows. Through such exposure, the learning experience is accelerated.








Fashion industry has evolved with time and there are several appealing and interesting avenues and areas of specialization can be explored today. To help all aspirants discover and learn this art holistically, we at Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion offer various courses that would suit an individual’s interest. Also, to help you identify your area of interest and for proper guidance, you can always LiveChat with our counselors to get your queries sorted.

Monday 28 April 2014

The Edutainment Show, 2014

India’s largest educational exhibition and summit, ‘The Edutainment Show’, returned with their second edition. The exhibition took place at the J W Marriott on 26th and 27th April, 2014. The Edutainment Show displayed an array of exciting career opportunities in the media, communication and design industry. 


This was not all, as there were also panel discussions on various academic careers and accomplished celebrities who are familiar with the nuances of the media, design and communication industry. DJ Akbar Sami, Terrence Lewis, Roshan Abbas, Neeta Lulla, Subhash Ghai, Anupam Kher and Milind Soman are just a few of the names that graced the event.

But the highlight of the event for the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion was securing the fifth position in the category of Best Emerging Design School at the National Level. This is a moment of celebration for the institute, but before the festivities start let us go over the highlights of this one of a kind event.


The Edutainment Show commenced on the 26th April, 2014 and the event was inaugurated by Neeta Lulla, renowned Fashion Designer and Dean of Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion along with Terrence Lewis.  That was just the start, as there were more than 50 exhibitions and workshops aimed at students looking for career paths and the second edition was bigger and better with brighter opportunities for educationists and aspiring students.

Organized by Event Capital, the two day event witnessed a coming together of the top schools and institutes from the fields of music, fashion, textile, jewelry, graphic design, animation and new media design. This platform was beneficial to both students and experts where the students got a better glimpse into courses and the institute got a chance to interact with young, enthusiastic minds.  

One of the topics that were discussed in the event was regarding the Changing Face of Fashion Education in India. The panelists for this topic consisted of James Ferreira- veteran Fashion Designer, Aparna Badlani- Co-owner of Atosa, Nimisha Tiwari- Editor at Economic Times-Travel, Times of India and Siddharth Lulla- Director Business Strategy Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion.


The panelists gave useful insight into the world of fashion and everything pertaining to it. Stay tuned to the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion blog to get an insight into this fascinating debate on the Future of Fashion Education in India. 

Friday 25 April 2014

Career Options for Fashion Aspirants

The glamorous and lucrative line of Fashion Designing has beckoned a lot of young creative minds to join this career path. For a lot of people, Fashion Designing is normally associated with only the designing aspect, but the fashion industry is huge. Aspirants with artistic skills and an extensive fashion sense can make a successful career in fashion as one of the following.

Fashion Stylist

Fashion Styling is one of the career lines that have been there for a few decades but in recent years it has reached its full potential. The job description involves selecting correct clothes for editorial features, prints, television, advertising campaigns, movies, music videos, award functions, music concerts or any other public appearance by celebrities. A stylist collaborates with fashion designers, hair and makeup stylists to create the prefect look for the client. A stylist is the person who gets a celebrity on the best dressed list. Today retail stores and e-stores boast a personal stylist, who helps the buyers in picking the perfect outfit.

Fashion Merchandising


Fashion Merchandising is where fashion meets business. The designer has to launch his product and this is where a Fashion Merchandiser comes in. From producing a fashion line to final sale, a merchandiser is ‘involved in each step’. They ensure the supply of quality apparel to the customers in the most suitable retail setting, during the right season. They should be up to date with the current trends and also be able to forecast the future trends. There are sub-careers that fall under this category, such as retail management.

Fashion Illustration


A Fashion Illustrator is someone who creates sketches and drawing or any other work of art. When staring a new line, Fashion Designer depends on an illustrator to realize their ideas through their drawing and sketches. These drawings are used by designers to sell the line before prototypes are made. The illustrator can bring the designer’s idea to life. For this line of work, artistic skills have to be polished as the illustrator has to capture the essence of the designs and not just draw lines.

Belinda Bawa a Fashion Illustrator

Fashion Journalist

Meher Castelino a Fashion Journalist

For a person who loves to write and has a soft corner for fashion, Fashion Journalism is the perfect career option. Everyday there is some fashion related event or fashion show all over the world and writing about them is a requirement. Magazines and fashion websites and blogs have popped up with by-the-minute reports on the latest happenings in the world of fashion, so let’s just say that this is one career option will never go out of fashion. 

Pattern Making (left)Textile Designing (right)

The fashion industry is filled with diverse career paths like Pattern Making, Textile Designing, Production Management and new ones keep emerging from time to time that give immense opportunities to fashion aspirants. So keep your eyes and ears tuned and you could hit the giddy heights of success before you know it.

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Knowledge Draped in Fashion

There are different facets to Fashion Designing that a young aspiring should be aware about. From the smallest stitch to the correct shade, every step has to be thoroughly thought through. Draping is another important aspect of fashion designing that a designer should be familiar with. Draping is used by haute couture designer to bring the best out of their creations on the runway.


Draping can be described as the art of creating a dress or garment simply by arranging fabrics around a dress form using the natural fall of the fabric and techniques like pleating and gathering. 

            

It is also the process of positioning and pinning fabrics on a dress in order to develop the structure of a garment design. Using a design sketch, a garment can be draped in a certain way or designers can create new designs by playing with the way a fabric falls.


The process of draping involves sewing loosely hanging material to a garment to create a flowing look. When done correctly, the drape gives a dramatic effect to the overall look.  



Muslin fabric is generally used and once the designer is satisfied, final marks are made on the fabrics to show where it should be cut or sewn. These pieces are then traced on paper to make patterns thus becoming a guide for the final garment.

Sari is the best example of Indian Draping  

A lot factors have to considered, specially the fabric. The type and weight of a fabric can affect the drape of the garment. The most frequently used fabrics are chiffons, satins and silks but fabrics with light and flowing feel can also be used, rigid fabrics should be avoided. 

Hand Pleating, Pleating Pattern, Machine Pleating are some of the common techniques that are used for draping which create different effects. Though designers are experimenting and constantly creating something new.

        
                               

Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, through their fashion programs are training fashion aspirant in various aspects of designing. The students have had a lesson in draping and have created draperies of the Kush era.
By the students of Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion

The benefits a designer can reap through draping is that it teaches one how to put together before creating a sketch, as also the art of perfecting draft and seams that will prove helpful in the long run.

      


Tuesday 22 April 2014

Oldest Fashion House

The elegantly polished streets of Paris are a residence to the best fashion houses in the world. In fact, this fashion hub is birth to most of these “haute” houses. The oldest and perhaps the first fashion house is Lanvin. The venerable house of Lanvin was found in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin.

Jeanne Lanvin

Jeanne Lanvin, the central character of this house of fashion story, was born in Paris in 1867 and was the eldest amongst eleven siblings. Coming from a modest family, Jeanne started at the age of sixteen by becoming an apprentice milliner (a person who makes or sells women’s hats) at Madame Félix in Paris, later gaining training at dressmaker Talbot

Jeanne Lanvin's Office

By 1890 she established her own milliner shop at 22, Rue du Faubourg, Saint- Honoré in Paris.  Five years later she married Count Emilio di Pietro and two years later they had a daughter named Marguerite di Pietro.

Marguerite di Pietro

Jeanne doted her daughter, Marguerite became her muse and it was said that Jeanne would use rare fabrics and furs, ‘drawing from the treasure of her studios’ for her daughter’s clothing. This attracted attention from a number of wealthy mothers who asked the same to be made for their children leading to an addition of children section to Lanvin. Soon the mothers wanted the designs for themselves too, and a year later a girl’s and ladies’ department was added.

           

After that there was no stopping Lanvin. From 1923 the empire included a dye factory, shops devoted to home décor and menswear, furs and lingerie were added. 

 home décor

Yet the biggest breakthrough was Lanvin Parfums

Lanvin Parfums

Jeanne became the most influential designer of the 1920’s and 1930’s. She had a flair for working with expensive fabrics and her creations could be easily identified. She was famous for her skillful use of embellishment, the delicate trimmings and embroideries along with fine beadwork. 


Free-flowing ribbons, ruffles, flowers, lace or mirrors were some of her favorites. Her choice of ornamentation were appliqué, couching, quilting, parallel stitching embroidery and subtle use of sequins. 





After the death of Jeanne her daughter took over and after the 1990’s the house has exchanged many hands but the idea has remained the same, where the logo says it all.

Lanvin's Logo

 A logo of a mother and child, holding hands highlights the point poetically. Lanvin has always been a family affair and the current creative head Albert Elbaz also believes that the nature of fashion is family.

Albert Elbaz

Friday 18 April 2014

Clicking Fashion

In this day and age everyone has a camera at their disposal, but few have the skill to handle one. Photography has always held a special place in the fashion industry. There are many national and international names that have mastered the art and have captured myriad instances of fashion wonders.

Adolphe Braun

Fashion photography has been in existence since the 1800’s. Adolphe Braun is one of the first and probably the oldest to be associated with fashion photography. A French photographer, Braun influenced the 19th century with his innovations. He published a book in 1856 that contained photos of Virginia Oldoini, who held the title of Countess di Castiglione and technically the first fashion model in known history. Towards the start of the 20th century fashion magazines started hitting the stands, giving a boost to fashion photography. Magazines like La Mode Practique, a French magazine, and Vogue contributed to the start of this genre.

Edward Steichen

Edward Steichen, another founding member of this genre, was challenged by Lucien Vogel, a magazine publisher, to use photography to express fashion as an art. Steichen took up the challenge by taking photos of couturier Paul Poiret’s designed gowns which was published in Art et Décoration. This went on to becoming the first ever fashion shoot. And it was said that Steichen photographed the garments in such a way that they conveyed a sense of physical quality along with the formal appearance. Throughout the 1920’s and 30’s Vogue and its rival Harper’s Bazaar developed fashion photography and photographers such as Edward Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P, Horstand Cecil Beaton captured fashion while developing photography itself as an art form.

Richard Avedon

Post 1930’s, there was a change in the field of fashion photography. Martin Munkacsi clicked models at the beach with athletic poses, creating the first of its kind images. Irving Penn and Louise Dahl-Wolfe are some of the names that gained prominence. But it was Richard Avedon with his active imagination and portray of modern women, which redefined the art in the post world war ll era.

Craig McDean

Today fashion photography has touched new horizons by talents like Craig McDean, who is known for his hyperrealism, Patrick Demarchelier is known for his focus on fashion, Mario Testino who claims that his pictures are his eyes capturing what he sees and showing what he wants to show. Other names like Steven Meisel, Peter Lindbergh and Annie Leibovitz bring something unique through their cameras as well.  

Mario Testino                                      Patrick Demarchelier


Fashion photography is still in the growing phase in India. Atul Kasbekar is probably the biggest and the most familiar name and another name is Dabboo Ratnani that is well known to you, dear reader. Fashion photography is not just to show beautiful garments in a creative manner but it is an art that gives emotional quality to the garment, enhancing its beauty.   
Dabboo Ratnani (above), Atul Kasbekar (below)

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Student spotlight: Creating a Mood board

Fashion designing as a profession and art has evolved immensely, being more accessible than ever. Different aspects of fashion education have evolved, whereas others are still emerging. Possessing knowledge about fabrics, colors, silhouette and cuts is imperative, but presenting a creation holds equal significance. A mood board is one of the methods that can be used to present a design or a collection creatively.


Mood boards (also known as inspiration boards) help to visualize the design concepts and ideas and explore the look and feel of a project. There is a uniformity of colors, fonts, images, themes or layout. The mood board becomes a tool through which a designer and clients can have a better understanding of the designs. This covers everything, from what it needs, how to take it forward, what makes it tick and more. The board also acts as a brainstorming device in which new ideas can be developed or old ones refined.



A large number of designers use mood boards, and it is not limited to the fashion industry alone. In fact, creating an inspiration board is common for interior designers, web designers, landscape designing, wedding planning or it could be a normal collage made at home by a college going photography enthusiastic.


A mood board could be created on anything- a PDF file, PowerPoint or on a physical board, bulletin or even in a notebook. The content of the board should reflect the designer’s idea. A fashion designer, for instance, would create a mood board in which the theme of their collection would be apparent, the colors to be used, sketches of the outfits, illustrations, fragments of the fabrics to be used, the source of inspiration through which the collection has been created and anything that will be of any relevance to the designer.

Pranali Oswal's Mood Board

Pranali Oswal, a fashion student of Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, has created a mood board in which she has beautifully exhibited her design and the source of inspiration. The renderings that Pranali has done are influenced by graffiti either inspired by the colors or by using text as print on the garment. Regarding the mood board, Pranali believes that they are important to designers as it gives direction to the collection while expressing the theme on its own. The board showcases the designer’s thought process giving the ideas a visual expression. 

Pranali Oswal's Mood Board

Monday 14 April 2014

The Great Prints of Kutch- Ajrakh

Various small villages in Kutch are hugely moored in forms on traditional art. Right from Rogan Art to Weaving, rare art forms have passed down generation after generation. Ajrakh, an art deeply rooted in ancient times, is one such practice. In fact, its origins can be traced back to the Indus valley civilization.



Even though the art seems to have emerged in Sindh, it has traveled down to Rajasthan and Gujarat over the centuries. Ajrakh has different meanings, one of which means to ‘keep it today’. During the olden days the color blue was a dominating color used and hence in Sindh Ajrakh was associated with Indigo.


Complex geometric patterns were used to create starry constellations in Indigo, Madder (a red dye or pigment obtained from the root of the Madder, or a synthetic dye resembling it), Black and White across lengths of cloth. The motifs and shapes used are a vestige of Islamic architecture’s intricate windows and trefoil arches. Ajrakh is a time-honored emblem for the local communities of Kachchh. Communities like the Rabaris, Maldharis, and Ahirs wear Ajrakh printed cloth as turbans, lungis, or stoles. It was given as a gift for the Muslim festival of Eid, for bridegrooms, and for special occasions.


Preparing the cloth is a sixteen step process and takes days, which involves washing, dyeing, printing and drying. A high level of skill and concentration is required in order to keep the colors even. The fabric is first soaked in a mixture of dung, oil and water to make it soft. Left for days to dry, the fabric is re-soaked in more natural ingredients to bleach preparing it for printing.


A wooden block craved with traditional designs is selected by an artisan, on which the first bock is coated in lime and Acacia gum which acts as a resist when pressed on the cloth at regular intervals. Selecting and coating the blocks in dye, aligning and pressing carefully are critical parts of the procedure.  


Natural colors are used, some of which are pomegranate seeds, gum, Harde powder, wood, flour of Kachika, flower of Dhavadi, alizarine and locally cultivated Indigo. Jaggery and gram flour are used for Black designs; alum and tamarind for Red. After each layer of print the cloth is rinsed and sun-dried. On completion, the cloth is washed and dyed in natural colors and finally laid out for drying in the sun.


Today the Khatri community appears to be have monopolized the art in Gujarat. They have passed the teaching for nine generations and Dr. Ismail Mohammad Khatri is one of the few with the knowledge of the art and will later pass it down to his sons as well.