New normal: Designers try hand at softer clothing, customised masks to keep head above water

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 11

It is mainly the gatherings where people love to dress up, no? But with the get-togethers down to naught amid the pandemic, the fashion industry has endured severe blows. Weddings have been scaled down big time and parties have vanished into thin air. This leaves designers with the task of evolving and adapting themselves to a whole new set of clientele, especially those with a taste for relatively modest clothing. As softer linens and pastel shades replace heavy golds sequins and embroidery, the designer masks are the new fad for a clientele choosing face masks that also match their attires.

Shelja Dureja, one of the leading designers in Jalandhar who has an illustrious Bollywood/Pollywood clientele — including Jyotica Tangri, Alnaz Nirozi, Avantika Handal, Raj Dhaliwal and Sargun Mehta — has taken to social media to illustrate her newest line during these testing times. Meanwhile, designer Hiten Nanda and Punit Arroa have both unveiled a collection of customised masks for grooms. Designer Bhawna Pushkar Sandal has embraced a bevy of pastels and nudes in soft linen, khadi textures to cater to her clientele who no longer prefer the gaudy, larger than life pre-Covid apparel anymore.

The professionals are striving for survival by rolling out innovative ideas to keep the supply chain going and are somehow managing to rope in the clients. Designers Arora and Nanda have been offering customised masks with every high-end apparel they design for the customers and this is helping them repackage Covid attire to suit the times of the pandemic. Social media use has also shot up in a bid to gain clients. Nanda even disbursed thousands of masks for free, just to to send across the twin message of both upscaled safety and fashion during the crisis.

The autumn-winter season is one when the weddings hit the crecsendo. However, with weddings a tad of an episode the designers say that the number of virus cases plays a major role in clientele’s decision to go for a big fat celebration and enagage them for a big bash or keep it a low affair as the ones witnessed in the ripe months of the lockdown. Moreover, their NRI clientele pack has been deeply impacted by the pandemic as most of them are stuck abroad.

Quotes:

Shelja Dureja says, “I have been dressing up Bollywood divas but Covid has brought in a new fad. Due to reduced social distancing and unavailability of models in keeping with social distancing protocol, I am my new model. I post pictures with new dresses. Though businesses have been impacted – thanks to social media my followers have climbed from 2,000 to 18,000 during the pandemic. This has also translated to buyers in business. During covid times, social media presence is essential.”

Hiten Nanda, whose men’s clothing line Creaters Villa has been among the first to branch out to making designer masks, says, “The basic Indian economy relies heavily of gatherings. During Covid however, this basic premise for dressing up is gone. The NRI clientele has been hit hard. However, on the flip side the time until August is always a lean period for us. The November weddings are still on and we hope they will sustain us. We are making customized masks with all orders for free and also making special designer masks on order. We are also disbursing free masks. Covid is the new reality with which we have to learnt to live.”

Designer Punit Arora known for his niche men’s apparel line says, “A bit of care and setting up some protocols can help us tide through the crisis. We are setting up safety protocols for employees and reviewing our logistics and supply chain to ensure resilience. Also incentives and discounts to customers as well as empathy goes a long way during this time. we are already designing customized masks for the Groom and the respective men of a family to match with their outfits. Masks are a new fad, we agree, but I feel it should not be overdone and gone beyond its original purpose, which is safety and easily breathable while they are wearing them.”

Bhawna Pushkar Sandal says, “With the pandemic I am surprisingly getting a number of working class people, IASs to other working women as clients. People prefer their own safe fabric being sewed into a dress at a safe boutique. Clients are opting for newer clothes in soft linens and pastel shades. Even fancy, party or wedding attires have scaled down a bit. They want simpler, non-fuss clothing which they can easily carry with a mask.”