Business Fit Magazine March 2019 Issue 1 | Page 20

Pashion Fashion Fashion for A CAUSE Winky Singh Winky Singh, designer, innovator, entrepreneur, has recently taken up a project which has been turning heads across the globe. About a year ago, a renowned Bollywood director approached her to design a costume for the movie ‘Marksheet’, to which she enthusiastically agreed, as she does with any new venture which comes her way. What happened next was inspired by the lead actor in the movie, Imran-Zahid. She began mentoring the inmates at Tihar Jail during 2018 and started by visiting them at least three times a week. Firstly, she got to know everyone on a personal basis, then she began training. She also had feedback sessions, every two weeks, providing an opportunity to reflect on the success of her mentoring, as well as identifying anything new the inmates wished to learn. The project started off as training sessions for the female inmates of the Tihar Jail in Delhi, to design and produce costumes for Marksheet. However, it changed to become a chance to help make a difference in the lives of the women there: to give them a goal in life and generate employment for them. 20 Winky’s area of expertise has always been Fashion Design. However, designing clothes for paying customer had lost its attraction, it no longer gave her the buzz it once had. On the other hand, creating fashion for a cause, rekindled her enthusiasm. It gave her an opportunity to take everything she had learned on her journey in fashion and pass it on to people who needed it and to whom it would make a difference. Her next step was to create an NGO, which she called ‘Charity on Wheels’. It is sponsored by the clothing brand she owns with her daughter Rashima Singh, Ministry of Design. With Charity on Wheels she is taking her journey in fashion for a cause to new levels and is now seeking funding to take it further. In the past six months, the Tihar brand has gained acknowledgement and recognition and it is generating income not only from the Indian marketplace, but also in the International arena, including Europe, the UK and the Middle East and with increased funding, WInky is hoping to take it to the US market as well. As with every project, there is always a set of challenges and this one was no exception. With a lack of interaction with the outside world, initially getting through to the inmates proved demanding. They had very little motivation to work and to change their mindset was a tough process. “With a gap of two to three days between sessions, it felt like starting from the beginning each time for the first few months, as they would lose motivation or get brainwashed by the other inmates,” says Winky. “I recently took responsibility for one of them – Salma - to be released on bail, I provided her with a place to live as well as employment in my organisation. At first, she was motivated, but after a while she struggled with becoming accustomed to this different way of life. Basic things like travelling in a car or interacting with new people became traumatic for her. She would break down and start throwing up. It was difficult to maintain a level of encouragement to keep her on the right track.” It was also challenging to get Winky’s family on board with the idea of her taking on responsibility for someone else. Eventually they accepted it and it became part of their journey as well as hers. Each day brings a new challenge, tougher than the last, but it doesn’t stop Winky’s motivation to achieve her goal. In the past year, this project has helped raise the self-esteem of the women in Tihar Jail, it has changed their perspective on life, helped them identify and respect the law and it has generated income for them. It has given them the confidence to be self-sufficient, to stand up for themselves and know they can live a life without needing the support of a man once they are released. All of which is enough incentive for them to continue with the programme. With increased funding for her organisation, Winky hopes to start arranging fashion shows every three months to showcase the clothing designed by the inmates. She is also hoping to negotiate with stores to hold 10 to 12 items in stock, so they too can contribute to her cause. Who would have known a year ago, that a project started for a Bollywood film, could end up having such an impact? Winky continues to train the inmates, helping them to get better at their skills and keep them moving forward to achieve their goals. Winky Singh started her journey back in 2000, on a small scale, making custom-made gowns and ethnic wear for her near and dear ones. She would hold exhibitions every now and then and soon ended up finding International recognition. Today she is the CEO of Ministry of Design – Women’s wear brand as well as Charity on Wheels (NGO dedicated towards ‘Fashion for a cause’) [email protected] - www.ministryofdesign.in 21