India’s designers shun showy attire, switch to clean lines
Crystals and beadwork are out and clean lines and neutral colors are in as local designers tone down their collections at India’s premier fashion week to appeal to the “international” woman.
More than 60 designers have been unveiling trends for spring-summer 2007 at the five-day annual extravaganza which began in the Indian capital Wednesday.
On ramps long dominated by dazzling diamantes and generous splashes of colour, many designers this time are sending down straight line clothes in sober tones that they say are increasingly the choice of young Indian women.
“Our clothes have a very international look, meant for a woman who is aware of fashion trends but also knows what suits her,” says designer Rohit Gandhi, who presented a line of shift dresses and frocks in subtle whites and blues.
India’s 17-year-old fashion business is estimated to be worth just 50 million dollars — a tiny fraction of its 12-billion-dollar textiles industry — but is estimated to be growing at 11 percent annually.
The domestic branded apparel market is reckoned to be worth around 2.5 billion dollars, according to Atul Chand, retail vice president at Wills Lifestyle, a chain of 40 clothing stores and the event’s main sponsor.
The company has drafted three designers to make “premium but affordable, glamorous but wearable” lines.
The move is in keeping with a growing trend among apparel companies to team up with designers who until now ran their own boutique stores and had limited production capacity.
“The domestic market is huge. These chain stores give us an opportunity to concentrate only on the creative part and not have to look after the supply chain,” said Gandhi, whose collection will be in Wills stores next month.
Indian companies hope to lure Indians away from growing competition from international retailers such as Spanish clothing chain Mango and Britain’s Marks and Spencer which have set up shop in the past few years.
“Our designers have an understanding of the Indian psyche. They know the colour preferences of Indian women,” Chand said.
“The Indian woman has a large and varied wardrobe. She wants a bit of everything, and a hint of Indian element will always be there.”
Global luxury brands such as Chanel and Christian Dior have also stepped into the Indian market, with an eye on the country’s 300-million-strong middle class with growing disposable incomes.
Fashion experts said Indian designers can fend off international competition by retaining their “Indianness.”
“Everyone still wants to buy a piece of India, whether it is a hint of colour or craft,” said leading fashion commentator Harmeet Bajaj.
“Our strength lies in our handicraft, cuts and weaves that cannot be copied easily by others,” said Gandhi, whose subtle collection featured intricate surface detailing.
Fashion Week organizers said they could not estimate how much business the event generates. Designers said many commercial deals were not signed at Fashion Week itself but generated interest that led to agreements later.
Last year, the country’s most celebrated designer Manish Arora tied up with sports giant Reebok to design a shoe line.
Critics, however, say Indian fashion still has a long way to go.
“Traditionally for centuries we have worn draped clothing and unstitched garments (like saris and shawls) so only about 20 percent of our designers do stitched clothes really well,” said Bajaj.
“We are not quite there yet.”
