PARSONS, New York is undoubtedly the most prestigious design school in the world. If I recall right, Raghavendra Rathore is a Parsons graduate amongst Desi Designers. Parsons has produced gems like Marc Jacobs and the team behind the label Proenza Schouler.
Fall 2013 will see the re-opening of the Paris campus of Parsons located on the Rue Saint-Roch, which will eventually accommodate 300 to 500 students. The school will offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a variety of art, fashion, design and business disciplines, with classes in English.
Next on Parsons agenda of ‘going global’ is an associate campus in Mumbai, followed by one in Shanghai and another in Brazil. Joel Towers, the Executive Dean of Parsons stated, “Mumbai is likely next and the plan may move very quickly.” Towers also reiterated, “Each Parsons hub will function differently based on local regulation, and, more importantly, on local tradition. We’re just not interested in franchising Parsons as if it was a McDonald’s, which some other universities do. We are very interested in working in-country and building this thread of globalization and localization into an educational environment.”
As per my reliable resources, Radha Kapoor, the daughter of Rana Kapoor of Yes Bank is involved in some capacity with Parsons opening an associate campus in Mumbai in 2014. Radha is a Parsons alumni and is the lady behind introduction of Pressto Dry Cleaners in India.
A bagful of lies – is that what the controversial Indian Fashion Company (IFC) all about? Just a day back AMR Group blamed their PR Agency for misspelling ‘Council’ as ‘Company’, which nobody bought and now AMR Group’s President – Kashif Usmani who openly stated to Delhi Times/ Times of India in their 30th June edition, “We have postponed the Sunday Event. It will happen a week later…” goes back on that too.
Saturday (30th June) afternoon the PR Agency of AMR Group sends out press release to various media inviting them for the Indian Fashion Company’s launch event at BlueFrog tonight, i.e 1st July, 2012. The President of AMR’s statement was an absolute lie and that too made to a National News Daily. How unprofessional and unethical can one be???
Well that’s not all. The press invite further goes on to mention names of top designers who had in no unambiguous terms denied participating in their event. Rina Dhaka was utterly shocked to hear that her name is used in the Invitation when she mailed AMR her regret and also gave her statement to Delhi Times stating, “I have declined to be part of the IFC now.” Raghavendra Rathore too has expressed his inability to be part of IFC or any of their events and his name too is printed boldly on the invitation. I also spoke with Narendra Kumar in Mumbai and he said that he is totally confused with the developments and have doubts about the real agenda of this body. Most of the names flashed on the invitation are not attending the IFC event. Isn’t this pimping of fashion???
The real objective of AMR in holding this party tonight has in fact got nothing to do with fashion. The party is to celebrate AMR Group’s MD, Kapil Aggarwal’s wife’s birthday. The wannabe Page3 couple thought it to be a smart move to pimp a ride on fashion to get some glamour and class in their party. It is high-time our designers see the underlying motives and not taken on a ride by any Tom, Dick and Harry.
When Vogue, the most prestigious fashion glossy in the world initiated ‘Vogue Fashion Fund’ they did so with Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). The Indian edition of Vogue Fashion Fund too is working in tandem with FDCI. Sir Philip Green of Topshop too constituted Fashion Awards for British designers but in alliance with the British Fashion Council. The mighty Vogue and Topshop feel the need to associate with their respective officially recognised fashion council for philanthropic projects because that is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). But it is only in India that many Tom, Dick and Harry suddenly becomes a do-gooder for the fashion industry and floats a Council and our desi designers blindly join in only to realise it’s all a farce.
By the way – Many Happy Returns of the Day to Pamal Aggarwal (Wife of Kapil Aggarwal)!