A WEQIP FEATURE
“Clothes aren’t going to change the world – the women who wear them will” ~ Anne Klein
It is difficult to imagine that an association exists between fashion and happiness – between fashion and hope – but it most certainly does!
And it was proved correct by a group of over 50 strong women who participated in a one of a kind fashion show called ‘Spring Fling Fashion Show’. When more than half the world is under lockdown and the media is overflowing with stories of struggles and despair, sadness and even death; an initiative like this succeeds to bring a smile on our faces.
Fashion is an expression of the self and for the self – and it becomes more relevant and powerful when it becomes an expression of solidarity for our ‘Corona Warriors’ – doctors, police personnel, health workers, sanitation staff, grocery workers and so many others – saluting them for their unwavering spirit and mettle.
The fashion show was all about showing respect to them and telling the world that even though our bodies are under lockdown, our dreams and optimism aren’t, our hopes and happiness aren’t. On the personal front, the show was an expression of self-love and self-care and also a stress buster for the participants – ingredients vital to one’s emotional wellbeing.
The saree drapes were simple as well as staggering. And the medley of colours which the women displayed is sure to elevate everyone’s dopamine levels. Being engrossed in texture and textile, albeit for just an hour is also proven to enhance one’s mood and elicit happy memories.
The initiative was the brainchild of Poonam Daga, who runs a WhatsApp group ‘Ciao Bellas’ with close to 100 members, among several other inspirational groups. She is also the founder of ‘Village Haat by Poonam’ – an enterprise which supports hand loom weavers from all over India. Poonam encouraged group members to share their saree-clad videos and pictures and women who are writers, designers, entrepreneurs, teachers, homemakers, socialites, working in corporate, etc. participated with great fervour.
Women from over 10 cities across 3 continents joined hands for this video (of course in a figurative sense!). The pictures and videos were combined by one of the participants, Urvashi Baid, in a 9 and a half-minute video which was edited with background music – making this a truly unique initiative.
Video Credit : Urvashi Baid
The participants of ‘Spring Fling’ Fashion Show were: Ankita Banthia, Anuradha Marthi, Ashwini Gumpalli, Babita Sharma, Beenu Mehta, Garima Bajaj, Garima Ladha, Gunjan Kapoor Bery, Jayapradha Kanchi, Jolly Vin, Jyothi Panuganty, Kavitha Daka, Kusum Bansal, Lalita Sivapurapu, Madhavi Neravatla, Mahati Munaga, Meenal Tangri , Monika Narang, Neeta Bansal, Neeta Gupta, Nishitha Boddu, Pooja Chiplunkar, Poonam Daga, Pratibha Kapoor, Priyanka Rao, Purabi Mahapatro, Radhika Nagori, Rakhi Agrawal, Rama Saradhi, Rani Isola, Ranjitha Krishnamaneni, Reema Goyal, Renu Singh, Revati Puppala, Rinki Goyal, Rochika Sharma, Rupali Gupta, Sangeeta Kumar, Saumya Goyal, Shilpa Mutyalapati, Sirisha Reddy, Smita Chandra Jauhri, Sonal Gangwal, Soujanya Reddy, Sreedevi Menta, Srilatha Ravuri, Sudha Bhat, Swapna Kopparapu, Tanvi Singh, Urvashi Baid, Vandana Gupta, and Yojna Jindal
This fashion show indeed was not just about wearing happiness, it was also about spreading it.
Please note that copyright of the participant pictures and video is with the respective owners.
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