The evolution of Indian fashion industry.
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BLOG: Fashion Kaleidoscope
By Sheeba Thukral
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.†— Coco Chanel.
Woman has long been seen as a hip thrusting, lip-pouting , sex symbol, a part of male machismo, an object of male fantasy and desire. This image of woman has dominated the fashion industry. From 2000s, Indian fashion scene transformed into a dare to bare attitude, turned Sati-Savitri in bhurkha-like garments into a rebel who questioned every rule, or convention that set boundaries or limits on her. Now, she was not hesitant to get into bikinis, to play a part of a sensual temptress in half-saris or mid-riff baring cholis.
A hundred years ago, India’s first fashion garment was a single piece sari. Since then fashion and its facets have evolved. Saris, salwar kameez, and ghaghras continue to be the traditional garments worn at religious and ceremonial festivities, sometimes using imported fabrics but using mostly traditional hand-woven fabrics. In the ’40s, it was Christian Dior who turned fashion upside down with a new shape, with the bosom pushed up and out, a pinched waist and hips emphasized with short fluted jackets. It was also a decade marked by the Second World War and the ensuing independence of India with the result that women’s clothing was simple and functional. Those who have seen these garments evolve along with Hindi cinema cherish great memories of the bygone era of the ’30s and the ’40s, the golden age of the ’50s and the ’60s, and the period of the Beetles and bell-bottoms in the ’70s and the ’80s. And then in the ’90s, the Indian fashion industry made a grand entry into the new millennium.
From a bulky mustached stud in the ’40s to a 6-pack John Abraham look alike, the male persona  has had quite a makeover. The ’50s was an era when silhouettes, narrow waist and balloon skirts with bouncing patterns were in vogue. Also khadi garments became a rage giving a boost to the sagging handloom industry. After that came guru kurtas and fluffy hair top, the ’70s and the ’80s saw bell bottoms and side burns trend. The ’90s was the time we saw a surge of foreign influence and use of exotic foreign locales. Now, not restricted by genre or style, the model fit himself into every mold, he was a looker, chocolaty and experimental—in Mumbai lingo—complete paisa vasool.
In the early decades, the Indian woman had only one objective in life, that of being a sati-savitri, who never looked beyond her family and husband. The kitchen was her cocoon, and she epitomized all things good. Fashion also embodied the same spirit. Voluptuous, dark eyed beauties through 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, look-alikes of Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bhaduri and Meena Kumari ruled. It was only in the ’80s and ’90s, the Indian fashion industry became bolder and more assertive. While in early 2000s, women’s fashion was still demure, but ready to spring into an experimental wave that exhibited that Indian woman was ready to live her life on her terms. And today Indian women’s fashion is for the sexy, cool woman who cares for little more than her own life.
But despite the big leaps of change, we are still far behind when it comes to making it to the global fashion arena. Possible reasons are Indian designers are merely imitating successful Western fashion designers or there is an overdose of ethnic India in their collections. Failing to turn their creations onto wearable Indo-western garments and the overzealous price tags resulted in little to no presence on global scene.
Born and brought up in New Delhi, a fast-paced city and a fashion hub, Sheeba started writing on fashion in 1993 when she joined the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Since then writing on fashion has been a passion for her. She has regularly contributed to the Hindustan Times, the Times of India and a number of fashion trade journals.