Kaushal Vishukumar: The Art of Being a Fashion Show Judge at a Very Young Age

A fashion show is an ephemeral and unrepeatable show that has a key condiment: seduction. As a fleeting piece in the communicational puzzle of a brand or designer, it is the most efficient tool to transmit its essence.

The audience is located in an audience according to the role it plays in this game (the first row -front row- is reserved for the specialized press, celebrities, and influencers). The front of the catwalk is the space for photographers.

A parade is a statement; designers create collections inspired by art, society, music, a cause. The parades are 15 minutes of art," says Kaushal Vishukumar, a fashion designer from India based in the United States. Vishukumar’s benchmark is capturing attention, attracting gaze, provoking emotion, but - above all - being remembered.

The fashion designer holds extensive experience judging fashion shows, which is covered in the following account:

Kaushal Vishukumar’s remains one of the “hottest” fashion show judges out there

He remains one of the much sought-after judges in the United States today. Let’s take a glimpse on some of his key experiences as a judge:

January 26, 2019 – Magnifique fashion by Victoria Henley, showcases his collection. He was also a judge during an event held in Callaway gardens, Georgia, Atlanta.

April 14, 2019 – Magnifique Fashion Show by Vitoria Henley, show cased Vishukumar’s collection. He was also judge in the same event held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

September 3rd, 2019 – NAVIKA, 5th World Kannada summit, Vishukumar was one of the Judge for a beauty pageant organized during this summit. He was also a designer and show director for a fashion show during this summit.

Judging shows in the tech spectrum

The fashion designer holds commendable experience of judging fashion shows held in the honor of leading tech giants, during 2014-16. These shows were exclusively held in India and on the occasion of annual day celebrations. Vishukumar also holds experience of being a judge at beauty contests in high profile companies like Intel, Infosys Mysuru, IBM, etc.

As a matter of fact, Infosys Mysuru continues to have the biggest training center and Vishukumar was honored with being the judge for fresh trainees. With that being said, Vishukumar remains an important figure in promoting fashion in the corporate sector, laying emphasis on the business benefits of “dressing well” and the compelling reasons of adopting fashion for personal presentation.

Besides, through these corporate shows, the fashion designer was able to scout runway talent and models eager to make it to the big stage.

On the remarkable experience as a judge

We sat down with the famed designer to get his exclusive insights.

“What it’s like to judge a fashion show in an industry like that of the US?”

Kaushal Vishukumar: The valuation of fashion shows was changing over time. Initially, the focus was exclusively on clothing (the collection being presented), later the value of generating an emotion or attraction beyond clothing was valued (read: moving the fashion editor was crucial for the success or failure of a collection, today it is the consumer and his perception that marks the compass).

“What goes around behind the scenes and how does it effect the market trends?”

Kaushal Vishukumar: The firms propose, each season, set systems that accompany with ideas in hairstyle and makeup; looks created to inspire the viewer when dressing. It is the so-called micro-trends, short-term projections that indicate what will be in and what will be out. To identify them, it is key to pay attention to what is repeated: the combination of colors, the length, and width of skirts and pants, the type of neckline, the prints, the toe of shoes, in addition to the size and materials of wallets, hoops, and necklaces, among other elements. 

“How do you define fashion in the modern aesthetic?”

Kaushal Vishukumar: In sum, a fashion show is a hybrid tool, a fusion between marketing, cultural fact and artistic experience, that appeals to emotion and offers a variety of signs to observe: an audience, a staging - light, sound, set design - a group of models and a collection. Learning to "read them" helps identify what "is to come" and understand what the identity of a brand or collection is and what it tells us.