The Fashion Industry of India

Manish Arora Design at London Fashion Week a few years ago

India’s fashion industry is very, very young although to see it today, as published and showcased in national newspapers and magazines, that is hard to imagine. The first professional fashion show held in this country was just over 10 years ago.

Today, there are a couple of hundred Indian fashion designers peddling their designs and wares in this market. Some are very well known and are expanding, slowly but surely, to the international market. But, why? India’s romance with fashion design has just begun and is bound to grow by leaps and bounds. Glamour has caught on and is in vogue. Young women want to emulate the models and Bollywood stars in their designer wear.

Fashion by Sabyasachi

Fusion of Indian and Western looks are all the rage. And, then there’s everything from the pure ethnic wear, highly suitable for Indian bridal collections to purely Western style designer wear for wearing on the red carpet. India loves fashion!

India hosts its own fashion weeks in Delhi and Mumbai which seem to be getting bigger and better every year. The names are getting more well known as well – Rohit Bal, Manish Arora, Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra, Ritu Beri, Tarun Tahiliani, Satya Paul, Rocky S, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anamika Khanna…and the list just keeps growing. And growing.

Market Size

The Indian fashion industry is expected to reach $400 million in a couple of years with vigorous 10%+ growth year over year. While this number is a nit compared to the global industry size, it’s not too bad for an industry in this stage of infancy.  

What are the reasons it will have a bright future? Firstly, India has a large young population. This combined with increasing disposable incomes has led to an increase in consumerism. So, those who can afford it (many more in recent years, and growing) are looking for high quality and originality and let’s not forget, the love for brand names.

Designer Manish Malhotra with his Bollywood model couple

Creative Fusion

There’s never been a dearth of creative expression and art in India over the ages. And now it’s being put to good use in a new but much appreciated field. Combining the vast array of distinctive fabrics from India with this free expression of new art. This while fusing ethnic and Western views to give it that uniquely contemporary Indian design – what’s not to appreciate? The future looks beautiful!

To round out this post, check out the eclectic collections of just a few of India’s famous fashion designers and see what contemporary fashion in India is all about – uber-creative, artistic, novel and fresh.

Satya Paul        Sabyasachi       Anamika Khanna

Manish Malhotra     Ritu Kumar     Tarun Tahaliani    Manish Arora

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Photo Credits:

Manish Arora, London Fashion Week 2007: By Rebecca Cotton from London, UK (manish arora ss07) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Manish Malhotra 2009: By IndiaFM (2009 India Couture Week) [CC-BY-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sabyasachi from Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s Facebook Page

Satya Paul from Satya Paul’s Facebook Page