It may be a big high for designers when a star makes public appearances wearing their outfits, but it’s an equally big blow when the latter refuses to return the expensive pieces. Delhi-based designer Kapil Arora claims he paid a hefty price in lieu of the mileage his outfits got (or so he imagined) when Pakistani actor Veena Malik borrowed 15 of his saris, and allegedly returned only five.
Arora alleges that Malik never bothered to pay for the 10 costly saris that she chose to keep for herself after wearing these through a series of events. The collective worth of the unreturned saris is around 6 lakh. “It’s been a year since she borrowed the outfits, and we’ve made countless calls to her and her stylist, but they have never bothered to respond. It’s very frustrating to keep begging for your own money or outfits. We see her wearing our saris often on TV, but we are helpless,” says Arora. His wife, Monika, also a designer, says, “We will never ever lend our outfits to anyone without charging for it first.”
Veena, on her part, retorts, “This is just a stunt to malign me. I don’t even know Kapil Arora. This is a complete lie. My stylist did borrow a few saris from a designer and I paid my stylist. Why has this designer woken up after a year?”
This, however, is not the first case of its kind. “Actors do not care about outfits given to them; they stamp on, and stain these ... they are as careless as kids. If you loan a garment for a film, it’s even worse,” says designer Rina Dhaka, adding, “They don’t give a thought to the months that go into putting the dress together.” Designer Nida Mahmood adds, “It has to be a two-way thing. If our design gets publicity, they (actors) also look good wearing the outfit. They should have respect for the outfit and the designer.”
{{/usCountry}}This, however, is not the first case of its kind. “Actors do not care about outfits given to them; they stamp on, and stain these ... they are as careless as kids. If you loan a garment for a film, it’s even worse,” says designer Rina Dhaka, adding, “They don’t give a thought to the months that go into putting the dress together.” Designer Nida Mahmood adds, “It has to be a two-way thing. If our design gets publicity, they (actors) also look good wearing the outfit. They should have respect for the outfit and the designer.”
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