Indian fashion week no longer about Western influence

The month long haul from New York to Paris may be over as the industry has completed another round of fashion weeks but now influences have stretched as far as India where they’re fashion offering is well and truly underway. The past few

weeks have seen a grand 123 designers take to the stage India Fashion Week before the crew moves onto Lakme fashion week beginning end of this week. It’s a sign of the force of Indian rooted fashion itself, whereby a few years back, Indian fashion celebrations were still rooted by Western influence.

Today the presence of a global brand such as Diane Von Furstenberg or a high street mainstay like Zara are run of the mill in Delhi shopping streets and malls, and Indian designers are ever more looking to bring their fashion and designs back to Indian cultural heritage. So collections this season have included pieces made from traditional Indian woven brocades, and classic shapes and silhouettes such as embellished saris, and the kameez.

Back to Indian cultural heritage
“The sari has become cool,” says senior designer, David Abraham, which is something “one would not have thought just a few years ago.” An influx of international brands has also made Indian youth more “India proud,” says designer, Mr Mukherjee, whose been showing since the beginning of Indian fashion week in 2002. The Indian fashions are also proving a viable sales option for business’s, where stores both nationally and further afield are spotting the trend and buying in roughly three quarters more homegrown designs.

“There is a pride in wearing Indian,” he said. Bollywood is a big influence on fashion and many young actors wear Indian for their red-carpet appearances. Manish Malhotra is showing at both fashion weeks and is perhaps the most prolific designer for the Bollywood crowd. He did his first-ever show in 1999, a mix of Western and Indian wear. Today, his luxe Indian-focused collection is available in 15 stores, including in Doha, London and Dubai. “The last five years of focus on Indian wear has worked very well for the brand and the label,” he said. “I feel that is my calling.” It seems India’s fashion calling in general.