Fashion would be doomed to vanish or die its own death, had it not been propped strongly by the media. Till the time, media was not so developed or widely acknowledged by people, it meagerly helped fashion industry to develop in the same ratio feebly. In India, we can count a period of time up to the year of 1980, in this slab. Here the support and participation of the “popular cinema,” can not be ignored, as the accelerating force. The popular cinema from the beginning helped, in the growth of ‘fashion or trend’ in India.
The significant role of popular cinema
As it was obligatory for popular cinema of that era, the main lead characters of film i.e. hero and heroine should have had a presentable look. This was in the sense, their styles and costumes should be presentable, iconic and eye catcher etc. For that, not only prevailing fashion but also it introduced Neo style of fashion in costume designing. This all, had to be projected on the screen and that too with a grandeur and pomp. Indubitably, the expenditure on this head, were to be spent by producer/director of the film. Obviously up to that time, no concept of “sponsorship” or “media partner of the movie” types were in existence.
To say, hardly one or two newly born so called “fashion houses,” were present in India. They too worked as, faded xerox copy of Western fashion houses.No doubt that era was dominated by the “print media.” But big flaw was, in the shape of remarkably low literacy rate. Besides, incompetency of big chunk of population, specifically in hinterlands, to buy newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. So print media had its major impact in Urban areas only. Though radio sets were too popular medium of communication, but it lacked the facility of “visuals.” So it was hard for radio set to generate required impression, as needed for fashion industry.
The vantage ground of Cinema
The popular cinema of that time had had a great advantage over other mediums of advertisement. The same single show of the movie, was to be watched by all classes of audiences, as per their capacity to buy the cinema ticket of the different categories. In this way, poor audience watched the movie on the low rate ticket of front row.
The elite class watched the movie in the same hall, on the “balcony ticket,” and middle class in the “first class or upper class.” This helped in promoting the fashion industry, into all classes of society simultaneously. This helped, establishing a trend ( though this term till then had not been coined.) This was the “mass impact’ of the popular cinema of the era.
Introduction of TV transmission
About the year of 1970 or little after, the first ever black and white TV transmission got introduced in India. In the year of 1982, with the inauguration of Asiad games in Delhi, black and white transmission got transformed into the colored transmission. Till the beginning of the ninth decade of the last century, the Indian TV programs’ relay control was, solely in the hands of the Indian government.
At that time, merely one or two government channels were aired. But, with the advent of policies of “privatization” and “globalization,” a boom came in communication industry. With the new names, several channels with various flavors got introduced into the Indian market. That included local, national as well as International media houses.
New gadgets
The World famed news channels and “fashion TVs,” made their reach inside the Indian houses. This also constructed a platform for new fashion houses, to get them introduced in the arena of the Indian fashion world. Then came, after a long pause the “android phone,” that opened the grand vista for social media added with internet. There was the rising of a big class of Netizens, harnessed with freedom of expression through visuals. This class of netizens, expressed themselves candidly and freely.
This generation of Netizens, been provided with various platforms. Platforms like whats up, face book, Instagram, twitter, ticktock, short reels and you tubes etc etc came in to existence. All they helped, every person to relate his predilection, views and innovation about fashion, to the rest of the world. Not long ago, popular cinema was a cogent factor in propagation of fashion or trend.
helping in making a trend
Today, TV and android phone have substituted the popular cinema, and in amplification of trend as well. On TV, we watch advertisement, reality show and celeb moments to promote the fashion Industry. But hand phone is most significant and instrumental in this drive. Because it contains even TV transmission facility in it, and other all platforms as well. The hand phone can make something “trending” as well as put it subject to “troll.”
In context to the Indian social system, not only textile industry or fashion world or the big brands are using social media as a tool of public relation. Even the lesser known entrepreneurs and shop keepers of small cities, are ably being benefited by this. With the help of this gadget, they are propagating and spreading the newly designed fabric and trending a fashion. This they do by creating various groups at local level. Still in the coming future, a lot of new devices we are expecting to obtain from the basket of electronic gadgets. Penned by– Vinay Prakash…..
