Last year, Indian designers could sell just $45 million worth of clothing, bulk of which was sold domestically, according to a recent study by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India.
The study also projects the industry to grow tenfold within next five years.
Many Indian designers consider themselves as cultural bridge. They search India for ancient ideas and then shape and stylize them to sell to the West.
"Every 500 kilometers you find a completely new world. That's what people see through the clothes," said Narendra Kumar Ahmed, a top Indian designer who showcased his collection during the November fashion week in Mumbai.
Sanchita Ajjampur, an Indian designer who trained with Romeo Gigli and Jean Paul Gaultier in Europe returned to India to search for the ancient fabric- making techniques, passed down generations by particular castes in particular villages.
Ajjampur found farmers in a village outside Calcutta, mixing soil with special minerals to grow cotton in natural-looking blues, reds and yellows and learned to make shirts with pineapple fiber and manipulate silk worm's diet to transform the texture of silk.
Other Indian designers focus on Indian silhouettes, diluting familiar shapes for it to be wearable in the West.
Kumar showed blue jeans cut in the shape of Jodhpur pants which were baggy and rounded at the thighs, tight and gathered near the ankles at Mumbai fashion week last autumn.
Surily Goel showcased short blue polka-dotted dress with a strip of blue fabric between the legs, in the manner of working-class women from Maharashtra State.
Arjun Saluja displayed linen pants with the hanging, knee-level crotch of an ancient Indian kilt-pants hybrid called the dhoti.
marketing@alchempro.com
