Designers on a film trip

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A still from fashion designer Pernia Quereshi’s film After Hours

Fashion designers and popular fashion labels are increasingly exploring the medium of motion pictures or short videos to present the character and philosophy of their collections in a crisp, catchy and a more indulgent style.

Utilising the power of the medium, several international chains have come up with their visually stunning films such as Once Upon a time: Chanel, Adele’s Dream: Fendi and Gucci’s The Director among others. Back home, fashion designers including Nachiket Barve, Surily Goyal and others have showcased their collections via short films.
Fashion designer Anita Dongre recently roped in filmmaker Onir to work on her one-minute film. Dongre says, “Fashion brands are embracing fashion films like never before and I personally love this medium. It allows for creativity and enables the designer to showcase their products to the audience. They have the potential to deliver the poetry and are a brilliant way to experience the brand’s philosophy. My latest bridal shoot depicts the myriad emotions of a bride. A modern day bride is confident, bold, determined and she is inspired by her love for all things traditional; the idea resonates in the richness of Rajasthan. The architectural splendour of Samode palace has been shot beautifully and accentuates the detailing of my collection.”
City-based fashion and lifestyle blogger, Akanksha Redhu says, “While short films in fashion are still a very new concept in India, they have been around for a while for international fashion houses. Short films may vary a lot; there are artistic and abstract ones like that of Fendi, to more narrative ones like that of Chanel. They can either tell a story about the fashion house/label or dwell on a particular collection and its essence. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is almost like a book. There is so much that can be interpreted and derived and it leaves so much more to the imagination of an individual. Just like fashion shoots, these short films are an extension of the designer’s vision and how they would like people to perceive the label.”
The cast of characters in Pernia Qureshi’s short film After Hours includes glamorous models with Qureshi’s friends speaking of rich and opulent designs. “Short videos quickly depict the mood, idea and the inspirations behind a designer’s creations. They set the ambience and also depict the attitude with which the designs are to be flaunted. My film titled After Hours is set in Delhi’s urban elite society and their luxurious lifestyle. It is a video format of my portfolio and shows one aspect of my capacity as a stylist,” points out Qureshi.
Designer Nitin Bal Chauhan recently presented a five-minute video presenting the nature of his Bhootsavaar collection. Chauhan says, “Recognising the growing dance and music culture in India, we shot a video which is a documentation of our show at the Escape Music Festival, where we had people from different walks of life including musicians, bloggers and artists showcasing our collection. This is in sync with our brand’s philosophy and briefs the viewers about our designs.”
Fashion blogger Dimpy Kapur says, “Nick Knight’s Show Studio: The Home of Fashion Film, featuring supermodel Lindsey Wixson is something which stood out for me. A short film is enough to convey the details and that too in a faster visual way with a much higher reach of audience. To paraphrase Diana Vreeland, ‘the eye has to travel’ and what better way than short films — mega information in a nano way, just like our generation likes it.”