Right from the ancient remains of Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilizations, the traces of Indians being fashionable people can be found. The style and dressing of Indian women also underwent a change after the coming of globalization in the country. The cycle of fashion has been moving, bringing in changes that are inevitably followed. It is hard to identify a futuristic trend approach, as the old fashion trends come in and go forming a cycle that is running on from old to new. The sensational trends of the 80s and 90s have had a comeback in the 21st century and the fashion from the 60s and 70s almost forecasted the future fashion taste.
The looks have transformed from region specific attires to a more cosmopolitan style. Draping of sarees, designs of kurtis have all witnessed changes in the way they are designed and worn. Women from every era never believed in sticking on to only one genre of clothing. Thanks to the cinema influence, women wear has concocted a new dressing style.
How Did the Contemporary Indian Fashion Emerge?
The following changes in the Indian market scenario became the major factors affecting the fashion sense of the country.
- Impact of Mall Culture on Indian Fashion
Malls started coming up in India in the early 1990s. Since then, many famous stores have been coming up, displaying new trends and impacting the lives of the middle and upper middle class population of the country. From ladies kurtis to toddlers' socks, these retail outlets have almost everything available under one roof.
- Impact of Boutiques on Indian Fashion
With the coming of these speciality stores, came another aspect of the Indian fashion trend market. Such stores started offering exclusive designer kurtis and dresses. These became the main mode of merchandising for high profile designers. With globalisation picking up pace in our country, people become more fashion conscious and designer wear saw high demand.
- Advent of Branding
From khadi kurtas that all looked alike to branded shirts, kurtas and sherwanis, even the Indian men could not resist the power of branding. Be it women's fashion or men's fashion, the branded market in India has never looked back. What strengthened the market scene of branded goods was the ever increasing demand for denim clothing.
- Beauty Pageants Play a Significant Role
Initially, beauty pageants were thought of as something that happened in the Western countries. With Sushmita Sen getting crowned as Miss Universe and Aishwarya Rai being honoured with the Miss World title, beauty pageants started influencing fashion trends. Even the Miss India contest has become an event for making a style statement, not merely by the contestant, but also by the hosts, the judges and prominent personalities in the audience. These contests started getting sponsored by big names in the world of textile, apparel, fashion, cosmetics and the media industry.
- Ramp Fashion
In 1932, India witnessed its first ever fashion catwalk at Taj Mahal Hotel by Catherine Country. But the trend was actually started by the Spencer sisters, Sylla and Nergish, in India. This western concept of models displaying the collection of a designer was adapted in our country in such a way that today we have many conceptual and theme based fashion shows taking place in various cities and towns.
The Indo-Western Style is Everywhere
A mix of Western and South Asian styles has been embossed into the clothing trends which are gaining immense popularity by being showcased essentially by Bollywood actresses. A concoction of Indian traditional style with a Western feel has enabled women to make peace with ethnic, yet comfortable clothes in their wardrobes. The availability of kutis online made shoppingfor them much more affordable and less time consuming. Teaming these with formal pants, jeans and sometimes long skirt has become a trend. The cult of women following this ‘blended’ fashion is not only restricted to Indian boundaries but has reached the Western world. Our artistic embroidery, traditional sequence and other Indian motifs have attracted people across the globe.
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