Fashion trends are
ever changing;
we can’t guarantee that
what we have in fashion today
would be the same two months later. Fashion keeps changing as it is
influenced by a number of factors,
the strongest being the taste of
the people. Goa being a hub of tourism in India, is,
to a great extent, influenced by
tourists and their activities. Right from our lifestyle to our
thinking, tourism surely has an impact on us at some level or the
other. Fashion too is no exception to this.
There is a lot
that fashion can take from tourists,
especially in Goa, as we get people from all corners of the world to
visit us. There is a lot of scope to mix, match and experiment. When
asked about the same, renowned
fashion designer Wendell Rodricks
says,
“Fashion is an osmosis in both directions
– between streets and designer
ramps. In lieu of this fact, everyone takes from everyone. So yes,
designers take from tourists and vice versa. This happens
internationally.” He further adds
that it’s is not only fashion but also other trends such as tattoos,
jewellery, men’s bearded looks, women’s make-up,
etc that get influenced by the
tourists.
However, not all
the designers in Goa feel the same. Falon D’Cruz, a specialist in
bridal and evening wear,
feels that
tourists do not have a big role to play in the fashion trends
followed by people in Goa. As people have a huge exposure to fashion
from all over the world though media like television and internet,
she opines that people
do not wait to rely on tourists for international fashion. According
to her, since tourists are here on vacation, it wouldn’t be fair to
base fashion, that is a part of our everyday life, on their resort or
beach wear. “We most definitely ‘absorb’ some of the trends. But I
wouldn’t say ‘follow’,” she
says.
It’s the
youngsters
whom the fashion outlets usually target. Disha Mashelkar, a
23-year-old from Bicholim,
says that though tourism doesn’t affect fashion trends specifically,
they do have an impact, in a small percentage. She adds, “Even
today, when it comes to any cultural event or a family function, we
usually prefer the clothes we have been wearing traditionally. But we
can observe how tourists have influenced fashion at places like the
Carnival
wear we see both performers as
well as viewers adorning fusion outfits.”
In
conclusion, fashion in our state
may not be totally determined by tourists. But still, it would be
inappropriate to say that the Goan fashion scenario is untouched by
tourism. As everything is getting more and more global and less rigid
with every passing day, it
wouldn’t be an exaggeration if we get to see a clothing line getting
in fusion outfits based on what the tourists wear, in the
near future. So, as Wendell
Rodricks states in the end, “In fashion, we adapt our lifestyle as
well. We see a tourist in a particular look of fashion or a way of
living, decorating a home, the food they eat. It is a visual and
sensory experience that flows both ways to make Goans and Goan
tourists so interesting.”
