Fashion in Nepal

Articles

About Fashion Boutiques in Nepal

• Current Situation
• Human Resource
• Stitching Methods

Current Situation

An average Nepali won't goto Fashion boutiques because he/she believes that boutiques are expensive and that it is for one with a car.  Cheap tailoring centers attracting  thousands of customers are happy enough. Boutiques could start by educating the general public that you can provide rates for the quality given by the tailoring centers. Boutiques are solely to be blamed for doing nothing. 

All boutiques in Kathmandu and also in other regions in Nepal, need to create a program to educate the general public that fashion itself is a science and Nepalese fashion designers spending most of their time designing Nepali fashionwears should be given a priority.

Human Resource:

Most Nepalese designers have a 2 year diploma from Indian fashion institutes. The others are those from crash courses taken in fashion institutes in Kathmandu and the others participating directly in the field to acquire knowledge through experience. In the technical line, Nepalese as well as Indian nationals constitute a major portion of the labor force. Damai, a group of people falling to this cast system of Nepal, constitute a large number of labor force in the fashion field. Damai have an outstanding tailoring skills pass on from generation to generation; most run a family tailoring business at home or in rented apartments.

Human force in boutiques comprises of 1 to 2 fashion designers (immediate proprietors), 1 tailor master per boutique, 2 men for tailoring, 1 women for threading, and 1 assistant (usually women) for the boutique and workshop. Some have additional (woman or man) force for marketing as well.  The owners (Fashion designers) undertakes all functions including administration, marketing, sales and fashion designing. Fashion boutique is also a family business. Father, Father-in-law, Mother, Mother-in-law, Husband, Wife all contribute their share of time and ideas in fashion design, management and marketing.

Boutique owners  tend to agree that they provide more employment opportunities than the shopping centers and hence should be given higher priority by everyday people not only because of the quality and a reasonable price, but because everyone's money really goes to those who work. Boutiques embrace two clearly distinguished opportunities. (a) In technical line for tailor maters and tailor workers (b) in technical, administration and marketing for Fashion designers mainly the boutique owners (c) seemingly integrating  with other associates and organizations in the fashion industry such as fashion show organizers, and accommodation and facility providers which too constitutes to employment opportunities. It also empowers women; about 90% of fashion designers in Nepal are women. The profit for every 500 rupees stitching is as low as 50 rupees and that average boutiques must earn at least Rs 1700 to Rs 2000 per month to meet the cost (a) Salary (b) Rents (c) Water/Electricity and other expenses.

Stitching Methods:

In the past, most boutiques could not afford their own workshop, many worked with others for tailoring needs.  Having a workshop meant more independent and full control over the outputs. Today, all boutiques have their own tailoring workshop consisting of hand and electrical driven machineries and skilled labor force.

Nepalese customers do not really care about the number of stitches per inch method. Hand-driven and electrical machineries are used for tailoring. Buttons, Lining and Hemming are all done by women's hand.

Internet and Boutiques

Only a few have websites but others are catching up pretty fast.
 

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