Gurukul will shake up foundation of how design is taught: Raghavendra Rathore

Raghavendra Rathore, one of the prominent names in menswear in India, has launched his fashion designing institute through which aims he modernise design curriculum in the country.

The designer, who has dressed up the likes of Saif Ali Khan, Fawad Khan and Anil Kapoor among others, says he has been working on the project for more than a decade now.

"It is very close to my heart. It has taken a long journey because it is a system which will shake up the foundation of how design is taught not only in India but throughout Asia.

"We are also really confident about our curriculum and are not looking for any association with foreign universities. I really believe, such collaborations misleads us completely because they have different seasons so Asia has to have its own independent approach," Rathore told PTI in an interview.

Conceptualised by Rathore, in partnership with Jaipur-based Amrapali Jewels, the Gurukul School Design, Jaipur, had its inauguration ceremony today.

"Gurukul is not a new concept. It has been their since always and this was the reason we decided to call the institute 'Gurukul'. It brings back the idea of learning and then executing. The students, who will get a four-year Bachelor's Degree in Design, will inherit the very different world unlike that of today," he said.

"Four years from now India will be different in terms of fashion, may be there will be no fashion weeks because everybody is selling their creations through social media platforms. So the cycle has changed completely. It raises a question that the curriculum taught in fashion institutes today are updated?" he added.

Rathore believes the seriousness attached to the idea of education hampers creativity.

"It is more about celebrating individuality of each person. I wish I had access to all this when I was starting. One would not have to travel to New York to study fashion. There are going to be a lot of hiccups for sure, but we are not looking for too many students. It is driven by passion not with the financial aspect," he said.