Ace fashion designer Anita Dongre believes that the current situation of COVID-19 is going to harm the fashion industry in unbelievable trajectories. Therefore, she advises budding talents to not lose their connection with fashion during this period.
The designer who has made an enormous contribution to the Indian fashion industry is of the opinion that the industry would take its own course of time to recover from the Impact of COVID-19. Hence, she advises young talents to take this time to get inspirations to design more. The coronavirus disease has severely affected the apparel and textile industry, bringing it down in unprecedented ways. The industry which once was a rage among young career builders stands at stake today.
“As an industry, it provides employment to millions, now all work has come to a halt. It will take many months to pick up, and even post the lifting of the lockdown, one will have to be extremely cautious to follow social distancing norms and ensure the spread is curtailed. Manufacturers and retailers will have to follow strict guidelines and it will take many months to come back to normalcy. Most weddings have been scaled down or postponed. Summer fashions will be offered to consumers post lockdown by all and fortunately, we have a late winter in India,” states Dongre.
Anita Dongre’s immense contribution to the country during these tough can be seen through her various initiatives time and then. She initiated the noble move in the fight against coronavirus by setting up a special COVID-19 relief fund. The Rs. 1.5 Crore medical fund was targeted towards the needy ones in the industry including artisans, self-employed, etc.
“Our direct employees and their families are covered by medical insurance but should they need more, we’ll extend the fund to them as well. Just like other major industry bodies, our main focus right now is on keeping our people safe and to help them deal with the current crisis,” says the veteran who has built one of India’s largest fashion houses. The designer has also set up a dedicated helpline for her employees.
Recently, the celebrated designer announced the production of face masks when the entire country was suffering from a shortage of the most essential item of the time. “We wanted to make sure we”re doing everything within our capacity to keep people safe during these uncertain times.”, says the designer.
Her advice to the budding designers of the industry who are already stressed about the whole situation: “Stay positive and focus. Don’t lose hope but use this time to find inspiration and design. You will get past it. We”re all in this together, we shall overcome.”
