- Career Fundas

Learn Fashion Design from Experts: Manoj Lal
Fashion designing is a fun career, and one of the most satisfying in present day culture. If you have a penchant for creativity, design and style, it is the right career for you. It however takes a lot to progress on this career path.
Garhwal Post speaks to Manoj Lal, a fashion designer of international fame based in the city. He discusses his tremendous experience and exposure in the field. Some excerpts:
When did you start designing and how has your journey been, so far?
For me, the talent for design and the feel for colour have been given by God. Even as a ten year old, I would escort the women of my family to the market and suggest what colour and texture to buy. I always had the sense of judging fabric. I was also a keen painter, so whenever I thought of a design, I could easily put it on paper. I used to sense fashion even as a youngster. I used to pay attention to the fits and pattern women wore.
I come from a family where almost everybody is an IAS or an IPS officer, but I decided to be a fashion designer. In that sense, I was rebel, and completed my BSc despite my interest. People thought that I was on my way to become a tailor. But I stuck to my desire and opened my garment factory just after school. It was a small unit in Saharanpur with a few local tailors. During the seventies, the hippie culture was the trend. My sister in the states got me an order of over 10,000 pieces from the States on the basis of ten samples I had sent her.
This happened to me at the age of 19, which made me feel more confident. Over the time, I learnt the art and science of the trade. I went ahead and worked for companies like DCM, Hindustan Lever and Gokal Das Images. This was education and exposure for me. I, later, also worked in Hong Kong and Sweden. I got a great exposure to European fashion. My early shows were in Milan and Paris. In 2008, I came back to Doon and started my boutique, L’atelier.
Tell us about your experience with L’atelier?
Dehradun has been a tough market for me. People do not buy high-end clothes and, those who do, shop from abroad or the metros. They find it hard to accept that designer clothes are also available in the city. There is a huge demand for designer clothes amongst wives of sailors, but they buy from Singapore or Hong Kong. The other good sets of buyers are school owners, who love to come here. I concentrate on western wear and party gowns, though we also do Indian wear.
There is a lot of demand for trousers, as women do not get the desired designs in plus sizes. Thus I design clothes for women who do not get their readymade and ‘desirable’ designs. This is how customised business started for me. My USP is western clothes! I am happy with my work.
How do you rate fashion designing as a career?
The scope for designing in the country changed considerably since NIFT started. It was with the advent of design colleges that people started opting for this as a career. During my time, there were only two design colleges and even those were for women. In western society, on the other hand, the prominent designers have traditionally been men.
Now, things are different since design colleges give equal opportunity to, both, girls and boys. These institutes train well, though I still firmly believe that nobody can be taught to be a designer. It is also wrong to judge them on their mathematics and class twelve exams. It is sad and contradictory to the demands of the job.
What is the nature of the work and its scope?
For competent and novel designers, there is ample scope, both, in the country and abroad. There are plenty of ‘just’ designers, but it is not a happy situation for them. Since the market has no demand for them. There is a huge crowd in this industry, and there are a lot of undeserving people too. Youngsters join it to be a part of the glamour and rub shoulders with celebrities. An institute only partially trains the individual, but the real designer emerges after five to six years of hard work. There is a lot of struggle.
What problems can one face in the field?
If a designer has to carve out his own space, he needs money. It is not easy to be a part of the crowd. Lakhs of rupees are invested to create a range of designs and launch them in them in the market. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, talent and money to be a part of fashion shows. To avoid this, if a designer works with a company, he faces a different set of problems. The designer he works for expects him to just execute his ideas. Even if he launches his design, he faces an identity crisis.
What qualities make a competent designer?
A designer should have his own sense of fashion. He has to have a lot of patience and be a perfectionist. He should try and not be difficult with his workers. The ‘chalta hai’ attitude does not work in this field. He should stay calm at work and be original.
What are the myths about this career?
This field is not only about glamour. It involves major struggle. Earlier, actors used to look down on designers, though now things have changed for the good. Designers are much respected by everyone.
Advice for aspiring fashion designers.
A designer should try and learn the technical aspects. The NIFT does teach these, but the students ignore them. It takes time to be an original designer and develop one’s own style. Gain a lot of experience under experts. Learn the art of cutting, tailoring and stitching. Even if you don’t have to do it by yourself, you will need to learn it to have it implemented.