Indian fashion needs a new consumption code

Armani, in a recent announcement, has expressed desire to have 25-30 stores in China. And these stores are not going to be in Shanghai and Beijing but are going to span across smaller cities like Shenyang and Wenzhou. Compared to that, even Mumbai doesn't have an Armani showroom and the main market area of Indore or Madurai housing a designer showroom can at best be thought of as a comic relief.

Why is there such a vast gap between India and China's affinity to fashion brands? China today accounts for about 15% of European luxury brand sales. India is still at a very low single digit. Are India's fabled neo-rich shunning luxury designer wears? But if you do a wardrobe audit you are bound to find couple of Armani, YSL or Guccis (not counting the other 10 picked up from the streets of Bangkok or Shanghai) in most of the super affluent households. But go a little deeper and you'll discover that most of these brands were picked up from London, Paris or New York.

Even today, in India, a Versace picked up from Milan is not the same as a Versace picked up from India. The source code is a critical component in luxury brand purchase. Global luxury brands lose a lot of that source code the moment they come in India.

What about the Indian brands of designer wear? There's no dearth of source code there. Has the Indian designer brands have picked up momentum with the affluent Indian ? Do Manish Malhotra and Ritu Beri co-exist in the wardrobe with Gucci, Prada and Versace? The answer is likely to be a resounding no. After all these years, the entire luxury designer wear in India is estimated to be a sub Rs 300-crore category.

With the disproportionate amount of media interest they generate, the Indian designers should have become a bigger consumer force by now. But somehow, the entire media attention and promise had not been converted into consumable interests by the larger audience. It may be worthwhile to try and understand the dynamics behind it.

For historical reasons, the designers were associated with some codes which alienated regular consumers of luxury goods. The couture stuff, the heavy sequin works, ramp walk models made pretty pictures and materials for gossip columns. But somewhere in that code was also hidden the fact that 'it's not for me'.

The 'pret' (originated from 'prêt-à-porter 'meaning ready to wear) collection was never a part of the original code of the designers. It's only recently, the designers have understood the need and urgency of it and even in top events prêt collections have become a significant part. I was visiting a blog about a fashion week and there was a very telling comment by a reader. Under the picture of a displayed dress, one lady commented 'finally they have understood I need to go to places other than weddings and socialite parties'.

The second significant issue was the lack of a strong driver. With all said and done, Bollywood is still the strongest driver we have as far as fashion and style is concerned. The fabled Dil Chahata Hai haircut was successful in not only creating a fan following but it legitimised male grooming.

by times of India

Is Indian fashion a flop?

"Kya hit-vhit hai, kya super hit hai, nahin kya flop vlop hai, kya super flop hai!" From film to fashion, these whispers are echoed by those people ready to pass judgment on India's fashion industry.

On what basis do we say that the Indian fashion industry is a flop? Maybe, the society types simply have nothing positive to say, or would like to think of it as a flop, for lack of anything better to discuss. Elementary, my dear Watson, but not good enough. Actually, Indian fashion is a success.

The essential peripherals to fashion like designers, models, professional make up artists and choreographers were once seen as meaningless jobs. They are now seen not only as glamourous professions, but even prestigious —with status attached to them, automatically adding to the success of Indian fashion.

This is coupled with a greater acceptance among previously critical generations. Their views, global awareness and exposure created by media, marketing gurus and fashion slaves and actualised by Bollywood idols for many decades now, have all helped to catalyse the steady rise and success of Indian fashion.

Many folk think that although Indian designers have creativity, their products are imitative. It is just the opposite: many foreign designers look to the Indian subcontinent for inspiration, the brewing pot of basic design and convert this into 'imitative' designs.

Let us not lose sight of the lucrative factors that play a major role in the success of this industry. Big profits and high returns on investment comprise an integral part of the success.

Why are large corporations and angel investors, foreign and domestic, looking to put their money on designer brands? After all, fashion isn't your average industry: it provides more than 100% return on investment and costs a fraction of profits.

Most important, each person — the designer's genius, the investors' capital and the customer's value for money —gets her fair share. Being at the heart of Manhattan's fashion world for several years and seeing its success first hand has made me sure that fashion is a global phenomenon and is here to stay — be it Paris, London or Milan — overseas or India. Fashion is definitely no flop.

by times of India