Indian Fashion Industry

chillibreeze writer — Yogitha Ramamoorthy

In the past few years, Indian fashion has evolved significantly. Globalization of the Indian economy has proved to be a great encouragement for the Indian fashion industry and it has risen by leaps and bounds.

India is the second largest manufacturer of silk, third largest manufacturer of cotton, and fifth largest manufacturer of manmade fibers in the world. It is also a big exporter of accessories. Moreover, the country is known for its cheap labor costs and skilled human resources. The expansion in the Indian fashion industry shows a remarkable growth of at least 5% to 10% every year and is bound to increase in the coming years too.

The main aspect is that Indian fashion is known for its rich and diverse heritage, where each province has its own traditional apparel. Indian fashion designers tweak these various trends in the most innovative ways and give them an indo-western touch. The respective customs and traditions give the designers a huge plethora of options to experiment with. The end result is an element of ethnicity that works as a crowd puller in the markets; a right cliché to woo the international souk.

It is a positive thing to see designers keeping the traditional aspects alive by giving it the cutting edge. They recognize the potential of the conventional pieces and create a revolution in the fashion industry. The trends of the east and west are incorporated creatively to form a different ‘fusion of fashion.’

Fashion designers such as Rohit Bal, Neeta Lulla, Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, Ritu Beri, Satya Paul, and Tarun Tahilani are some of the designers who have made a major mark in the global fashion map. In addition, the present fashion circuit has numerous talented designers who are familiar for their expertise, not only in the national circuit but in the international platform as well. Milan, London, Paris, New York and Dubai are some of the admired international fashion arenas, in which the prominent designers of the nation take part. The celebrated designers are leading the way in redefining Indian fashion. It’s not surprising therefore, why the Indian fashion industry has become quite popular in the past few years.

Gowns are made in the form of saris and international celebrities are seen adorning the ensemble in the red carpet. Accessories such as bindis are being worn by the fashionistas like Gwen Stephani, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Kerry Perry and Jessica Simpson. Traditional embroideries and fabrics of India have been used extensively in the collection of international designers. The shows of Fendi, Dries Van Noten, Armani, Miyake etc all draw on inspirations from the interesting Indian culture.

Akin to international fashion destinations like Paris and New York, India’s two huge fashion house gatherings, ‘Lakme India Fashion Week’ and ‘Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week’ host fashion weeks every season. Young and budding designers are given opportunities to showcase their talents in these events. Buyers from home turf and abroad make it a point to visit the celebrated fashion weeks. This influence has brought Indian fashion on the international map. Besides, there are numerous seasonal shows coming up in every city for the gen-next and emerging designers to prove their talent.

In addition, Indian models winning international beauty pageants have brought in more recognition to the industry. The ensembles worn by the beautiful Indian models are basically a fusion of Indian and western attires. These ensembles are often a craze among the young crowd and sometimes it tends to become a global trend.

With the evolution of designer stores, high fashion has become all the rage even among the college goers. Moreover, the luxury brands in the country are increasing rapidly. India is one of the promising destinations which see a huge demand for foreign brands. In fact, many of the designer brands are planning huge expansions in India.

Furthermore, there has been a change among the Indian youth because of the influence of overseas education and employment opportunities globally. International trends are rapidly been grasped by the young and they are quite willing to experiment.

However, though the Indian fashion industry is progressing, it still has a long way to go. There still isn’t a fashion destination which can be named ‘High Fashion Street’ like New York’s ‘Fifth Avenue.’ Lack of strong brands is another disadvantage. A majority of the apparel market is still unbranded. Few designer clothes are perfect only for the ramp and are not wearable. The financial aspect is yet another hindrance. Even renowned designers are sometimes inept of tapping finances. And, for the gen-next and emerging designers it’s even more difficult in terms of funds. They are generally hired by the bigger names and their work is stamped with the label of the big designers, giving them very little scope for some familiarity. Hence, the industry should find ways to curb these shortcomings and expose the talent of every deserving individual on a wide front.

However, on the positive side India has a huge potential in terms of fashion. There is no limit to raw materials, fabrics, creativity or even man –power in a diverse nation like India. It is continually evolving and emerging. In the world of fashion, progress of one’s own style that is documented by one’s own name is the means to reach the summit of success.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in April, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

"With a masters degree in English and a post graduate degree in Fashion, Yogitha Ramamoorthy now has her own designer label named ‘FaYo.’ She has worked on numerous projects of fashion forecasting and creative conceptualization both nationally and internationally. Writing has always been her passion and she has more than six years of experience in fashion writing, article writing, web content writing, lifestyle related topics and many more."

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