• Home
• News
• Models
  • Foreign Models
  • Nepali Female Models
  • Nepali Male Models
• Designers
  • Professional Designers
  • Student Designers
• Support
• Themes
• Photo Gallery
• Video Gallery
• Contest

 Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky,
in the street, fashion has
to do with ideas, the way
we live, what is happening
— Coco Chanel

Kathmandu: The ramp has been dismantled, the models have taken a break from the six inches stilettos and everyone else is now looking forward to TGIF Nepal Fashion Week ’12. But the buzz about the most glamorous event of the year The Himalayan Times TGIF Nepal Fashion Week’11 is still in the air. And why not? In four days — September 21-24, Nepal got the opportunity to observe the fashion scene of the nation.
This year, TGIF NFW was all about ‘quality over the quantity’. The whole focus from the day one was on selecting the best of the lot be it the designers or the models. Everyone was sure of one thing, if you want to put up a grand show, you don’t compromise on anything and the event proved this. From fit and finish of the clothes to the models, who carried it on the ramp, only the best got the opportunity to face the spotlight.
There were lesser collections this year but what came on the ramp deserved to be there and received accolades. Yes, not all the pieces of every collection were impressive but then few in every collection did stand out for versatility and creativity. The hard-work of the IEC students paid, for their creations gave tough competition to those of the participating established designers. This proved one thing, the future of fashion in Nepal has great potential and more variety and creativity will come out from the new breed.
However there is always space for improvement. “Every day the guests got to see varied work of different designers. The event showed how every designer had put in substantial amount of effort. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied but I’m definitely proud,” said Shailaja Adhikary, director of IEC.
It has been said time and again that lack of fabric is the main problem Nepal’s fashion industry faces but the way this year some designers played with variety of materials, taking a break from just using satin, silk and georgette, was refreshing. They put forward a message – they are ready to face any challenges and will come up with something new and creative. And TGIF NFW has been providing ‘the’ platform for the daredevils to prove their worth.
Bangladeshi designer, Emdad Hoque, in a simple way put forward the idea of using traditional material in fashion. The way tribal weaves of his country turned into classy and chic clothing was the highlight of the event. Fashion can get inspiration from our tradition and agreeing with this were other collections like Karuna, Runway Report and Ethnicity Revitalised, which had traditional and locally found materials incorporated in designs proving the world that local produce can be fashionable and happening if it is used in a new way.
Putting up a Fashion Week is not easy but what makes it wonderful is the fact that it is possible and TGIF NFW’11 did it with élan. “I think it was great having everybody just calm on stage as well as backstage. Nobody was nervous about things. All were happy. The show progressed from day to day and everything completely fell into place by the end of the four-day event. Everyone was satisfied with what was happening,” shared Bethany Meuleners, Fashion Consultant for the TGIF NFW’11.
Yes, it is true, fashion is not just about the clothes, it also has to do with ideas, the way we live and what is happening. At TGIF NFW’11, fashion was not limited to the clothes, it was reflected in the creativity that designers came up with be it in their designs, materials used or the whole concept they chose to work around. It was about the lifestyle TGIF NFW has been working on to build keeping in mind that Nepali fashion has to be celebrated and appreciated for it to make a space in the global map. And it’s mostly about the ideas of those who participated and witnessed sitting on those seats to make the changes and difference needed to enjoy more innovations in fashion in the coming years. Fashion is all about what’s happening today and TGIF NFW has been able to put forth exactly that every year.
The Himalayan Times TGIF NFW ’11 was organised by APCA Events and IEC and was presented by Signature.
The main sponsor of the event was Emirates and was supported by Ford, Demak, and Timex. San Miguel and Invenio Wine are the beverage partners. The creative partner for the event was Echoad and PartyNepal was handling the sound design. — HNS