Things are not going right in Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) just before the Spring/Summer 2013 Edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) scheduled from 6th October 2012 to 10th October 2012. For the first time ever there are seven designers – a mix of top, medium and small designers – that comprises the jury, which is vetting the participation of designers in the Spring/Summer 2013 WIFW. It can’t be more unfair than this – designers playing jury in selection of designers.
Nowhere in the world the designers sit as jury in the selection of fellow designers. It is unethical at the very core of it. No designer should in their right mind pass judgement on the creations of a fellow designer. Such a jury cannot avoid criticism of nepotism, bias and irregularities however transparent they may be. I got to know that few senior designers refused to be on the jury and so very rightly so. FDCI should step in and get a fresh Jury that doesn’t have designers short-listing fellow designers.
Through sources I have discovered some disastrous decisions that had been made by the Jury. Some good designers have been rejected shockingly. Some young talents had been trashed too. And last but not the least nepotism has come into play in allocation of premium single-designer-show slots. I agree that designers on the jury may not be doing so deliberately but being a designer, he/she has a fashion sensibility he/she subscribes to and may unknowingly be intolerant to a diverse fashion sensibility.
I feel that designers should take it on themselves not to be the part of the Jury so as to make the process absolutely transparent and ethical. Is it asking for too much?
I totally agree with you on this, its high time an independent jury NOT comprising of fellow designers be instituted to judge who to bring into the fashion week. FDCI could get top retailers from India, senior fashion editors etc to be part of this jury..the present system of FDCI is allowing jury designers to settle their vendetta if they so desire. Certainly not a fair, transparent system!!!
well we all know how quite a few designers hate each others and talk such trash abt their collections–so why make them part of jury members and create problems for other participationg designers ???
had raised my voice against this last year, but no one listend to me, forget the sole thing of designer being a part of the jury, jury should be made public, the votes of the jury the comments of the jury should be known to th applicant designer, which is never done by fdci, they just say that you have not been selected, but on what basis , they never have a reply, when a designer showcases and is acclaimed by media, senior retailers, fashion journo’s , stylist, and the next season he/she becomes a not so good designer, just because he/she has had issues with someone, why not the names of the jury members be mad public after the jury is done, and jury should comprise of people, who are credible enough to be known of not coming under anyones influence, when models are auditioned everyone knows who the jury is, y not same for the designers, and last not but not the last who decides who should be the jury, if you say fdci then precise the point who in fdci, the board, the president, the working staff, the general manager, who should nominate the jury, is a big question, on the contrary lakme fashion week has a board which acts as the jury, and everyone knows who they are, there has been too much politics in fdci always. and on top of it you have to use your push and pull, money being offered and what not.
For my relative’s daughter its like a tug of war with these guys. The committee communicates through people (these people talk with absolute indignance, and are conceited to the core) who have nothing more vague to say than ”the jury thinks that you are not good enough to show this time around”. It seems that if you are not a ‘socialite designer’, and do not do ‘popular’ work then you are not good enough to show. Chances are, that you may get a show slot of your choice if with the last show you did you managed to block those many centimeters of space in the newspaper just with your antics on and off the ramp. Sad state, indeed.
this is just unethical behaviour on the part of the designers. just because some people good at sucking up and being sweet on people’s face that they get their work done and every body else and the whole industry has to suffer because of this. This just shows how insecure the designers are of their own capabilites.
This board of jury is trying 2 show nothing else but how insecure n jealous can they b 2 c someone else rising above them.all one can make out that instead of focusing n improving their own work,these jury members r trying 2 ruin the work of other designers n new upcoming talent as well.this strong bond between them is totally unacceptable as no fashion designer can comment or criticize the work of fellow designer.fashion critics from all over India could b the ones to form the jury for unbiased decisions.
read in the ht that nikki aunty and poonam madam in jury panel,do any body think they capable of judging,i dnt think so,i feel they should rather concentrate on there own collection and try to improve after all they are senior and known designer and they represent indian fashion.
DEMAND A TRANSPARENT JURY AND VOTE AGAIN
First of all, almost 50 designers who have been showing in the previous seasons have not been granted permission to showcase this year (apparently all of a sudden they aren’t good enough). Out of the blue, a council that comprises of the designers, elected by the designers, has given powers to a few (‘able’ by whose standards) to decide who gets through and who doesn’t.
A designer by profession is driven by the power to create, imagine and have a vision. They are artists. How can another ‘artist’ decide who gets to show?
Fine, pass judgements. Have judgements. But for FDCI to give power to that judgement is nothing short of “atrociousness”.
What is India Fashion Week? It is a ‘’TRADE SHOW”, its a B to B platform. It is a place of ‘business’. The jury should therefore comprise of people who have the abilities to understand a commercial aspect of a designer and his collection. It should be made up of buyers, stylist, bloggers, fashion journalists, magazine editors, professors of design and business, and off course some senior designers who have the capability to unbaisly judge a collection. Designer do “business” there, not just drink up and party! Buyers from all across the world come there to see India’s best…. and you pass on this responsibility to a handful of egoist ‘jury’ that is settling ‘scores’… wtf! What are doing to the trade? Was FDCI created for this? It is not high-school… get REAL
Some just don’t have the excess time in their lives to waste kissing others ass. They are busy doing what they do best—create.
Well, what are the designers doing about this decision, anyways. From the ones who I know, it is clear that there isn’t much cohesiveness. How many are even getting together for a ‘petition’…. who is even drafting the petition is also vague and uncertain. Everybody thinks that somebody else will do that ‘dirty job’… how do you all rise from this. Who will lead the change?
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