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Knit well to fit well
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G.V.Ramana Rao interacts with the gorgeous fashion trainer, Nidhi Gupta, on honing the stitching skills.
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IT IS hard for a commoner to grow to a stature of a designer like Christian Dior, or, a Giorgio Armani. For a member of the Development of Women and Children in Urban Areas (DWCUA) group, it is almost impossible. But the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has decided to help the aspirants realise their dream.
The VMC has embarked on a joint venture with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to impart training to DWCUA women in the city in making designer garments, under the Urban Community Development (UCD) programme. Interestingly, most of the women who enrolled their names for undergoing the training did not know how to operate a sewing machine. Thanks to the VMC, in a short span of a month, they are completely at ease with the sophisticated machinery. The motorised sewing machines with automatic trimmers and button-holing facility have turned playthings for these women drawn from the rural pockets.
The real challenge for the NIFT faculty, however, is not just teaching the basics of the course but to enable them produce the trendiest garments. Training the women in handling the nitty-gritty of the fashion world is quite a job for the teachers.
Nidhi Gupta, a faculty member of the NIFT, says the suitability of a garment depends on several factors including the colour of the thread that is used for sewing the garment. "The idea is to teach the women fundamentals, while the rest would automatically fall in place,'' says Nidhi.
The bell-bottoms worn by Shah Rukh Khan in the latest Bollywood block-buster, `Kal Ho Na Ho' is a rage in the fashion world replacing the `boot-cut' trousers which have been reduced to a passé now.
"Cinema always influences fashion in India,'' says Nidhi.
Poor financial background should not be a problem for the women for, even if they cannot afford to set up their own units, their skills would enable them to find lucrative jobs. The NIFT's role will not end after the training period. It would also provide placements for the eligible candidates. "Each woman would be offered at least four options at the end of the training period.
The VMC-NIFT venture is a boon in disguise for women like Madhavi, Kanakadurga and Ratnakumari, all DWCUA group members. The meagre earnings of their spouses who make a living by doing petty jobs, are not enough to make both ends meet. The women hope to witness a positive change in their financial status in the next couple of months when the training would conclude.
The novel programme is the brainchild of the Municipal commissioner, V.Usharani, and the NIFT Director, Somasekhar.
This is not the first time that the NIFT has ventured out to help women attain self-sufficiency. The government body has been implementing such programmes in the rural pockets while this time around, the NIFT decided to benefit the fairer sex in the urban areas.
TheVMC has purchased equipment worth Rs 19 lakhs for setting up a permanent training centre with a capacity to train 60 candidates in one batch. The organisers have decided to prioritise the garments based on their popularity.
India is next only to China in the readymade garment business. One wonders how long will it take for Vijayawada to make a mark for itself in the fashion world ?
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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