26 July 2023, Mumbai
India’s clothing influence transcends borders, especially ethnic wear. The grandeur of Bollywood, regular Indian events abroad, and international stars strutting around Indian venues have all contributed to the rise of India’s ethnic wear beyond its shores.
Jennifer Aniston’s ivory lehenga-choli in an Indian wedding scene in Murder Mystery 2, designed by designer Manish Malhotra, created quite a buzz in global fashion circuits.
Arrives
A great example of Indian ethnic wear has arrived is the Indian fashion icon Sabyasachi’s exclusive outlet in New York City’s West Village. It’s his first store in New York and is authentic, maximalist, and India-proud.
There’s no other way to describe this opulent, elegant, luxurious and Indian store. From the odd-hippy-styled short kurtas in flamboyant designs to elegant, wearable, and authentic Indian ethnic wear, the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are markets where the trend has caught on.
Flashpoints of Indian ethnic wear’s global ambitions
Each Indian ethnic wear brings its own history, charm, characteristics, and beauty. That’s why many homegrown brands are making efforts to popularise such artisanal work across the world. Fabindia introduced FabNu, a new style women’s wear line in August 2021.
Through the launch, the company aimed to serve young customers of not only Indian descent but also those who knew of and loved the seamless style of Indian ethnic wear. This line included four collections: Indie Dreams, Flashback, Conversation Starter, Folkadelic.
Out of box
The brand targeted most of its sales from online platforms and through its stores in Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Rome, and Guangzhou.
Kalki Fashion is another niche success story.
Brain-child of second-generation entrepreneur Nishit Gupta, this label sells products globally, to even to remote countries such as Norway, and has a dominant customer base in the US.
Growth story; In an interview with a fashion podcaster, Nitish said global demand for Indian ethnic wear has grown significantly in the last five years and that his brand was one of the first to introduce video shopping through live online trunk shows which had garnered an appreciative non-Indian customer base.
From pure silk Banarasi to Jaipuri gota, Lucknowi chikankari, and more, Kalki has over 500 artisans on board to create these traditional handcrafted pieces.
The Indian Ethnic Co is a Mumbai-based brand founded by the mother-daughter duo Hetal and Lekhinee Desai in 2016. In just seven years, the clothing brand sells to around 50 countries globally.
Uptick
The Indian Ethnic Co has witnessed a jump in global sales and as Lekhinee says they have a strong customer base in the US, the UAE, Singapore, and Japan. The brand is focused on making Indian fashion responsible, sustainable, and truly handcrafted.
The company deals in handcrafted fabrics like Ajrakh, Bandhani, Bagh, Batru, Balotra, Dabu, Sanganeri, and more. Besides salwars-kurtis, they offer saris, dupattas, western and Indian tunics, silver jewellery, and more. It works with around 500 artisans from across the length and breadth of India.
Convergence
Many other Indian ethnic wear labels are now flourishing across borders, encouraged by the purchasing power of the Indian diaspora as well as non-Indians who are appreciative of what India has to offer sartorially.
While a few of the well-known brands have established their physical presence in some countries, most Indian ethnic wear brands have benefited from e-commerce, making their products accessible without the burden of expensive outlets which in their starting stages would be a financial nightmare.
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