Into the world of Gabi

May 27, 2013 , by DREAMS, Leave your thoughts

As fashion in Nepal expands and grows, make sure the name Bina Ghale is on your radar. A former model, Bina now designs for her own label Gabi and her designs are as stunning as she is.

The world of fashion is fierce and competitive but even then, there are always those who seem to be above average and ahead of the curve. Meet Bina Ghale, the 28-year-old former model whose designs have been gracing Nepal’s runways for the last few years.

Though she modeled professional from 2001 to 2006, the designer studied Fashion Design from NIFD in Delhi and has been producing her own clothes since 2008. Dreams asked her a few questions about her work and the fashion industry in Nepal:

There are so many up and coming Nepali designers at the moment. What is that sets you apart from them, and how are you taking it forward?

As a fashion designer I do not just want to open a boutique and create high end designer wear, I want to design for the mass. I want my designs to be affordable and to touch everybody. That is why instead of focusing on my own name I have started the fashion label “Gabi” after my mom’s name.

I want it to be a lifestyle brand which means I want the brand to reflect every aspect of people’s identity with the brand. i.e. clothing, shoes, jewelries, bedding, apartment accessories…just everything and anything that I can influence on the design front.

There are different sections of Gabi–Gabi Basic, Gabi Men, Gabi Sports, Gabi Tradition–and there is much more to come in the future. For now I am starting off with summer basic apparel collection which will be affordable and hopefully reach the crowd. In the near future I hope to open up some nationwide stores and grow internationally. For now on the international front I get custom orders from around the world and it’s an honored to have sold my designs online.

A lot of young people only see the glamour behind this profession — what is it like behind the scene, being a designer?

The field of fashion is supposedly very glamorous, but it’s like every other job. One has to spend a lot of time researching, designing, making trails and errors, one needs to have a lot of patience working with the tailors. In this filed you must stay updated with the current and future trends.

But the best part about my job is the power to let my imagination loose and getting a vision of a final product. I get to meet many interesting people with different sense of styles, and working with clients gives me boundless creativity for their wardrobe, it’s an honor to decide someone else’s look.

In Nepal, is it sustainable to make a livelihood as a fashion designer? What are the major challenges that you face?

There is definitely a future for fashion designers in Nepal. We should start thinking globally as a designer not just limiting ourselves to here here. Art is universal and it will take time to build a market in Nepal but it’s not that far. Nothing is impossible, if one has a keen sense of style and fashion one can definitely be a successful fashion designer but they should learn the basics and pay their dues.

The market is still growing, to sustain oneself as a designer in Nepal one has to play it smart and do what they are good at—don’t copy or follow someone else’s path.

The major challenge I face is getting the right fabrics for my designs locally. I end up getting my fabrics from abroad but it’s hard to keep up with new textile designs from Nepal.

Do you think being a designer leaves you behind the scenes? Do you designers in Nepal get the credit and respect that is due?

I love working behind the scene but it does help as fashion designer if you get some acknowledgment and recognition once in a while. I am blessed to have earned love and appreciation for my work till date and I hope to continue growing. I hope to earn respect in future from the newer generation of fashion designers who are yet to come.

There are so many challenges in the fashion line, why do you choose to stay in Nepal instead of pursing a career in other countries where there might be larger prospects?

Fashion is an art field so no matter where in the world you are, if your work is up to the mark you will succeed. There is competition all over the world in my line of work and I think being in Nepal gives me an edge in designing. With the rich culture we have here, the untapped possibility of new patterns and prints on fabrics to the cultural mix on the designs–I would still love to go abroad and learn how this world runs internationally but I’m happy with my work here.