Lose-lose situation for designers: Rohit

Rohit Bal is very attached to his Kashmiri roots, even when it comes to fashion, but what he���s not attached to anymore is fashion weeks.
When asked to comment on recent developments in the fash frat, he says, ���It���s just the usual, there are just more fashion weeks all the time. This time, I���m thinking of not showing my collection anywhere as a mark of protest.No matter what you do, you���re displeasing more people than you please. You���re displeasing the buyers, clients, press and the organisers. For the designers, this is a lose-lose situation! Now, there���s going to be a Bangalore fashion week and the FDPC fashion week. Kolkata has started with its fashion week already. Fashion needs to be made into one strong platform. Think about the kind of strength that we will have if Mumbai and Delhi come together,��� says Rohit.
But why don���t ���they��� do anything? ���I���ve had meetings with all parties, for days on end. But nobody sees eye to eye. I am, in all probability, going to do my own thing without upsetting anybody. I don���t want to be doing a show when another designer, who���s a friend, is doing his too. We���ve done it twice now (DFW) but it really is not making sense,��� he says.
But then why doesn���t he speak to the fashion week chiefs? ���We���ve begged them to get together. But nothing seems to be happening,��� he says.
So there���s just going to be more mudslinging then? ���As a part of the same fraternity, I don���t understand that ��� we���re slinging mud upon ourselves. It���s incredible! But just think, if we have one fashion body ��� how strong will that be!��� he says. And that sounds Utopian right now? ���Apart from sounding Utopian, it also sounds impossible,��� he says.
However, while the fash fighting might be upsetting him, the thought of how he can do more for Kashmir excites him. We told you that he���d been pining to see the tulips in Kashmir, as this is the tulip season, and he did get to go, finally ��� not for a holiday, but to shoot a programme for a TV channel.
���Yes, we covered the craftsmen in Kashmir. We met weavers who do embroidery, make rugs, carpets, etc, while shooting for almost three-and-a-half days. I hope this programme brings to light the plight of the Kashmiri weavers, what they���re going through and the lack of work. Kashmiri craft is incredible, and very contemporary. Young boys from villages there make fascinating stuff. I wanted to go because I realise the amount of talent Kashmir has. But I also feel that we���re doing nothing for Kashmir. How many people actually go there? The textile ministry should do something. It is incredible that the weavers there are not making jamewar shawls anymore! I���m doing this because I think I need to give back to Kashmir. Also, I���m aware of what we are losing,��� says Gudda.
And Kashmir and he share a strong connect ��� many of his creations have had Kashmir as the inspiration. ���Many of my collections are odes to Kashmir. I did a Chinar collection and another one that I dedicated to the first snow of Kashmir among others. The government needs to figure out how we can help the people there. I���ll be happy to drive this thing forward. We take initiatives for textiles in Varanasi, Bhagalpur, silks in the North East, Chanderi and Maheshwari, but the sad part is that we do nothing about Kashmir. And there are hardly any tourists in Kashmir either,��� Rohit adds.
Did many of the weavers there recognise him? ���The fascinating part is that all of them knew me well. They were aware probably because they are watching TV all the time,��� says Gudda.
What should the government should do? ���It could start with setting up centres in Kashmir that could provide weavers incentives, organise exhibitions for them, link them to designers, provide financial help and bring them here (to Delhi) if that is needed. The art there is dying and in order to sustain it, we���ll have to act NOW. The ministry could send a team of creative people there, but everybody is afraid to go because of obvious problems. But we still need to go. We went into troubled areas too. I feel it���s my responsibility. And let���s face it ��� we depend on these people,��� he asserts.
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