'We will come to terms with nudity one day'

Budding Indian designers know it is not what the models wear that gets talked about; rather it is what they don't. But they're confident of walking the razor's edge. "What people think about fashion is often distorted," says Achyutha Sharma.

Budding Indian designers know often it is not what the models wear that gets talked about; rather it is what they don't. But they are confident of walking the razor's edge when their own time comes.

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"What people think about fashion is often distorted," says Achyutha Sharma, a final year fashion design student from NIFT. "There are two distinct segments that we cater to - the masses and the classes. Whatever exists in the name of fashion today has been adapted from the West. While they have already evolved, we in India are still evolving. If there's nudity on the ramp, then it's there for various reasons. With so much media exposure happening, it lets people make their own judgements. Some like it and some don't - that's the way it always happens.

"There's also a lot of hype that gets attached to nudity. Even if there are no malafide intentions behind a show, there's a tendency to sensationalise things. It's important to remember that fashion us determined by what is projected and what attracts the audience. If you say that a skin show happens on the ramp, then it is because people want to see it happen. There's a demand for it. The audience loves exposure, and if they deny it, then they are just being hypocritical. Although I expect much more nudity on the ramp in the coming days, it will ultimately depend on what the public wants," he adds.

Tiru, Achyutha's classmate in NIFT, agrees with him. "Let's be honest - exposure still isn't targeted at everybody, since not many people have access to the ramp. If certain outfits require that a model reveal parts of her body, then I think it's justified. What you design is greatly influenced by whom you design it for. For instance, if I were asked to create something for a brand like Globus, I would have to keep in mind the sensibilities of customers they get. However I would think different when designing for the Milan or Paris fashion week - the clothes I make are likely to be much more revealing and sexy. Everything is done with a purpose. There's always a reason why a designer creates a certain outfit. A lot of money, marketing and hard work goes into what we do and no designer would want to design provocative dresses just for the heck of it! As someone who has a role to play in the fashion industry tomorrow, I intend to design good clothes that people will want to wear," she claims.

According to Saket, another student at the premiere fashion institute, India is going through an evolutionary process and some amount of transformation is bound to happen: "Nudity has always been part of Indian culture. At the time when Rig Veda was written, people hardly wore anything. Then came the Mughals and things changed. The influence of Islam made us more conservative in our outlook. Today it is globalisation that is changing our world. All of us follow a certain lifestyle and fashion simply moulds itself to blend in. For example, Indians have no problems with a woman exposing her midriff; however there's trouble if she shows her legs. In the West it's just the opposite. But we are evolving and we will definitely come to terms with nudity one day."