Want the masses to lap up the new range of fashion wear? It seems the best way to get it done is to get Bollywood babes to promote the products. That’s what the textile industry has come to realise as more and more textile traders are using popular Bollywood actresses to promote their new line of fashion. This method becomes even more prevelant before the festive season. Bollywood bombshells are obviously not complaining because it gives them the opportunity to make some good money, with not much of effort.
In order to spread to newer markets, and to attract more eyeballs, leading printing houses and manufacturers in the textile industry have lately been spending significant money on celebrities. And their seems to be a herd mentality currently with almost every body following that trend.
So why is suddenly everybody interested in using a Bollywood celebrity?
Here’s how a leading fashion house in surat puts it. The direct representation of the current fashion can only be best done by someone who himself/herself is fashionable. That is why trendy catalogues are getting made.
“A good quality catalogue can make or break the season’s stock. While a good design should speak for itself, Surat primarily manufactures saris and unstitched garments which are best represented on a good model to give a better idea to the wholesalers, retailers and clients of what the finished product will look like. The target crowd for Surat’s man-made textile in India and abroad is primarily middle class and lower middle class, who as we all know is besotted with Bollywood and adores celebrities.”
Read: How a studio is converted to make it look like a foreign location.
Soon, Priyanka Chopra will be seen promoting the Indian sari on international platforms, as part of the union government’s plan to promote the ‘desi’ handloom and textile industry in a big way the world over. While the Bararasi silk saris would be at the forefront of this branding, the larger branding by the actor would be for the Indian hand-loom industry.
Bollywood celebrities comes at a price
The textile industry in India is one of largest Industries contributing to the Indian Economy, with most of the action happening in the city of Surat. And because the current scenario is highly contagious, several leading printing houses and manufacturers in Surat are using Bollywood celebrities.
Getting a Bollywood actress to model, however, does comes at a price. Depending on the celebrity, prices can range from 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore per shoot (lasts a day).
Read: Bollywood celebs earn more from endorsements than films.
Actresses Sonakshi Sinha, Zarine Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Sonal Chauhan and Sushmita Sen have been seen posing in Surat manufactured saris and salwar kameez material for some time now. However, they are the A-listers and charge the most. Reportedly, Sonakshi Sinha is the highest paid actor for textile catalogues.
No doubt there’s lots of inquiry of celebrity shoots from the textile industry. However, some are too overpriced while the ones available within modest budgets are not too popular. So if you’re a photographer or a celebrity manager, the key is to find the right balance between price and popularity for your prospective client.
Go with the flow
Fashion trend changes every few years, and even the Bollywood hotties have their run and turns. There are several Bollywood actresses who may have done just a couple of films, but have several photo-shoot assignments for various brands of ethnic wear. Even fashion photographers are getting regular requests to shoot catalogues with celebrities. So for now, it seems our Bollywood babes are happy adding sizzle to Surat’s textiles.
