A note from the editors of Fashion Practice
A grateful thank you is extended to Drs. Anupama Pasricha and Kelly Gage, guest editors of this special issue on India that includes a gamut of research, interviews, exhibition and book reviews. An insightful examination of many aspects of the Indian landscape, the array covers traditional crafts as well as the influence of Bollywood on Indian fashion. We appreciate this recent addition of India to Fashion Practice that continues our tradition of focused issues on countries and cultures.
Co-editors: Sandy Black and Marilyn DeLong
India has a rich textile tradition since prehistoric times. The abundance of natural resources, diverse climatic conditions, and family and cottage based handwork and creativity have resulted in different textures, colors, and techniques in textiles that are appreciated worldwide. Textiles and fashion from India bring perspectives of wellbeing, positivity, and peace. They also express beauty and culture, community and happiness, slow fashion through handwork, imagination, and creativity, and economic development and potential for growth. Craftsmanship and sustainability go hand in hand in the context of rich crafts traditions and cultural heritage of India. At the 2019 Product Lifetimes And The Environment (PLATE) conference Sass Brown summed this up saying, “In a globalized, branded world, the true luxury of the future is handcrafted, indigenous and heritage crafts, re-interpreted into high-end fashion” (Brown 2019). In 2017, the co-editors of this special issue took a group of students from St. Catherine University on a study abroad trip to India. Heritage textile, fashion crafts and their impact on the livelihoods of artisans and sustainability were viewed first hand. The reflective journals from students revealed that it was a significant learning experience to understand markets for design and manufacturing in the global arena, particularly outside of Europe and Eastern Asia.
India’s prominence on the global textiles and fashion stage began nearly 600 years ago with the recognition of the superiority of cotton fabrics from India, resulting in a near-cult desire for all manner of textiles in female dress throughout the courts of Europe, reaching its heights in the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries. Maria Antoinette was famously and publicly chastised when painted by Elizabeth Vigee Lebrun in an Indian muslin gown. Indian words populate the lexicon of fabrics still used today—calico, chintz, khaki, to name a few. This recognition and dominance stand today with Indian textile and apparel exports projected to hit $82bill by 2021 (India Brand Equity Foundation 2019)—holding approximately 63% of the global market in these sectors. The top importing countries of Indian textile and apparel span the globe with the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, and the United Kingdom holding the top 4 spots. This data supports the federal government of India’s identification of the textiles and garment category as one of the 25 sectors capable of being a world leader and has taken the lead to support the industry (India Brand Equity Foundation 2019).
Over the last two decades, India Fashion Week and similar events have gained solid footing with the international fashion press. In the last six years, three Indian designers have won the prestigious International Woolmark Prize. Rahul Mishra the first Indian to receive the prize, paved the way for Suket Dhir and Ruchika Sachdeva. The winning designs were inspired by and utilized local tradition and textile craft. In addition, Indian designers regularly participate in main runway shows at Paris and New York Fashion Week, showcasing the importance of India as an emerging global fashion center. The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company report “State of Fashion 2019” listed the Indian market as #2 of the top 10 trends to watch in the fashion industry in 2019 stating, “India becomes a focal point for the fashion industry as its middleclass consumer base grows and manufacturing sector strengthens” (Amed et al. 2019a). According to Amed et al. (2019b), based on a 2017 McKinsey industry survey, India is expected to see growth as a sourcing destination for both labor and raw materials (Amed et al. 2019b),
The country has immense inspirational spaces, traditional crafts, and design and production facilities. All this, in addition to the rich cultural heritage and the current political environment, have catapulted the Indian fashion industry into the spotlight.
While today, many consumers may not recognize the influence of India on their purchase choice, the fact that India was tenth in United States imports in 2018 points to the fact that most individuals have Indian products in their homes (U.S.-India Bilateral Trade and Investment 2019). 2019 World Bank data shows that India holds 17% of export shares in textiles and clothing in Europe and Central Asia (including 25% in the United Kingdom and 21% in Germany) and 16% of clothing and textile export shares in the United States (World Integrated Trade Solutions 2019).
This special issue of Fashion Practice examines the current fashion industry in India from multiple perspectives, specifically from the lens of craft, culture, Bollywood, and cosmopolitanism. Textiles and craft have been an intimate part of India’s traditions, designs, and fashion practices. Today’s Indian world follow fashions from their heritage as well as contemporary fashions from across the world. The fascination is indicated by their easily accessed TV fashion channel, Indian Fashion TV, and the fashion malls such as DLF Emporio in Delhi, Oberoi Mall and High Street Phoenix in Mumbai, and UB City in Bangalore featuring both Indian and European and American fashion boutiques. Books encompassing Indian dress and fashion range from Emma Tarlo’s (1996) Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in Indiato Sari by Banerjee and Miller (2008), Arti Sandu on Indian Fashion: Tradition, Innovation, Stylein 2015 and two 2016 books, Fashion India by Phyllida Jay and Luxury Indian Fashion by Tereza Koldova. The market for fashion education is also growing. Long-standing education institutions such as National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad have been joined by National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Pearl Academy with several branches in the country. One of the most recent additions is World University of Design in Delhi.
This special issue of Fashion Practice examines the current fashion industry in India from multiple perspectives, specifically from the lens of craft, culture, Bollywood, and cosmopolitanism. Textiles and craft have been an intimate part of India’s traditions, designs, and fashion practices. Today’s Indian world follow fashions from their heritage as well as contemporary fashions from across the world. The fascination is indicated by their easily accessed TV fashion channel, Indian Fashion TV, and the fashion malls such as DLF Emporio in Delhi, Oberoi Mall and High Street Phoenix in Mumbai, and UB City in Bangalore featuring both Indian and European and American fashion boutiques. Books encompassing Indian dress and fashion range from Emma Tarlo’s (1996) Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in Indiato Sari by Banerjee and Miller (2008), Arti Sandu on Indian Fashion: Tradition, Innovation, Stylein 2015 and two 2016 books, Fashion India by Phyllida Jay and Luxury Indian Fashion by Tereza Koldova. The market for fashion education is also growing. Long-standing education institutions such as National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad have been joined by National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Pearl Academy with several branches in the country. One of the most recent additions is World University of Design in Delhi.
Cosmopolitanism and clothing interest determinants amongst college students in Delhi” by Garisha Arora and Jyoti Aggarwal is an outcome of Arora’s doctoral work and is well researched. It brings attention to the impact of globalization on the everyday dress behavior of Indian generation Z using qualitative research methodology. Although sample size and selection limitations confine the scope of research, nevertheless, the review of the literature points to a substantial increase in international travel by Indians, which has likely contributed to the cultural evolution. In this research, the authors found a significant impact of global values on the buying and dress behavior of the young target market that can inform the fashion industry. The article also alludes to a “green consumer” and global significance of sustainability that is extremely important to this generation. The authors identify the limitations and have several suggestions for future research in this area.
