Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 17
The representation of Indians from the North East region on fashion runways and campaigns in the recent past has been a long time coming. Conventionally, models who diverged from the ‘normal mainland features’ were often excluded and only a handful from the region have ever made it to the big stages.
So when models Losarho Nyuwi and Michelle Lunkim from Nagaland became the faces of clothing collections that were debuted at the FDCI x LFW (Fashion Design Council of India x Lakme Fashion Week) earlier in October, Asenla Jamir and Allem Longkumer were jubilant.
Cofounders of the Wildflower Artists Management company that represents Losarho and Michelle, the duo were thrilled to score major gigs just a few months into their venture.
WFAM as a company has been part of the Indian fashion fold for about eight months now. But for Asen and Allem, who have witnessed the ebbs and flows of the fashion industry as fashion stylist/designer and PR &Branding Consultant respectively, Michelle and Losarho’s gigs were something more than just another modelling job.
In conversation with The Morung Express, Allem acknowledged that strides have been made with the Indian fashion industry trying to catch up to the global cultural movement towards inclusion. He credited the likes of Esther Jamir, Ketholeno Kense, Ethiel Konyak, Carol Humtsoe, Kekhrie Savino and photographer Menty Jamir etc., for breaking the glass ceiling when it comes to representation of faces from the northeast. However, he also noted that there is still work to be done.
This is where the WFAM comes in.
The company took shape when the long-time friends were trying to scout a ‘North-eastern face’ to shoot for Asen’s clothing brand Otsü Clothing Co. in Nagaland. During this time, the duo realised that while there were talents from the region scattered over various agencies, they were still very few and far apart.
“Hence, we decided to create a space dedicated to North-eastern talents where they have the right exposure to the creative world outside the state,” Asen stated.
The formation of WFAM began with a scouting exercise across the north-eastern states that was interrupted by the COVID-19 induced lockdowns. Unable to travel to other states, the duo put their focus on talents from Nagaland and slowly built a team of young talents which included models, hair and makeup artists, photographers and stylists. The scouting process was however, not without trials and tribulations.
According to Allem, one of the most difficult aspects of recruiting new young talents was convincing their parents and families that the fashion industry was not just about glitz, glamour and partying as stereotypically portrayed on the mass media. “Admittedly, the industry has its faults and there are several talents who do not know how to navigate the professional world, thereby, falling into the wrong crowds and cutting their own careers short,” he added.
The role of WFAM here, he explained, is to create awareness that the multi-billion dollar fashion industry is a very competitive and rewarding profession that the Nagas and people from the northeast can capitalise on. To this end, the company aims to dispel stigma surrounding the industry and help their artists navigate the industry on their own terms, he said.
When a talent is recruited at WFAM, a few ground rules are set, Allem explained.
“We take consent very seriously at our company, not just in terms of clothing choices but also with work timings, comfort levels, and everything in between,” he underscored. Along with this, WFAM also has a team of experienced people who often accompany the talents on photo shoots and auditions. The company also conducts multiple rounds of test shoots, make-up and fitting sessions etc, to get the artists familiarised with work schedules.
Additionally, the company also oversees handling of the contracts so that the artists receive fair remuneration for the work. We want to ensure that the artists are not exploited in any manner, so we make sure to have training and grooming sessions on how to handle any incidences appropriately and professionally, he added.
“Fashion and entertainment is an influential industry which holds immense power especially with regard to visual representation for general public viewing and shifting of public imaginations,” according to Asen.
On these lines, WFAM hopes to send a clear message that it represents artists who are unapologetic about looking ‘different’ from the rest of the country.
As of now, with the increasing number of designers, brands and photographers slowly opening up towards Northeastern talents, the agency is hopeful that its artists will receive more chances to showcase their talents. “There are so many talented young people who deserve to be in the spotlight but do not have the space or guidance to navigate the competitive industry. We hope to create that space,” Allem stated.
The two founders also hope that WFAM will inspire a collective approach to create spaces for northeastern talents in the mainstream industry and bring out more raw talents from the region.
WFAM is probably not the first artist representation agency to emerge out of the NE region, and it probably won’t be the last. As Allem puts it, ‘the more the merrier’—because it reaffirms that more and more people from the region are starting to own their distinctive features and are becoming ‘unapologetically northeast.’
