Embracing Tradition at Indian Fashion Weeks

Prakash Singh/Agence France-Presse â€" Getty Images Actress Kangna Ranaut, left, presenting a creation by designer J. J. Valaya, right, at the Delhi Couture Week 2010.

NEW DELHI â€"Fashion week fever may have died down in Paris, Milan, New York and London, but in India it’s just getting going.

The five-day “Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week” begins March 13, with 123 designers taking to the ramp in Delhi. The focus then moves to Mumbai on March 22 as another five-day event, Lakme Fashion Week, kcks off.

At both of these events, expect to see a continuation of a trend that has been developing over the last few years: the strong revival of the “Indian Quotient,” a celebration of traditional weaves, patterns with historical influence and designs with an old-fashioned pedigree. The Mumbai fashion week even has an “India Textile Day” where fine traditional weaves of the country are celebrated.

In India, the concept of a “fashion week” had now been around for more than a decade, and the Indian trend is a sign it is growing up. When fashion weeks first started here, there was a high level of Western influence, and it was unusual to see Indian silhouettes like the sari, the kameez and the churidar on the ramp. Indian weaves were sparse.

How things have changed. Abraham & Thakore, run by two of India’s senior designers, are showing a collection called “Shaadi (Wedding) Redux” at the Delh! i fashion week.

“If you had told me 10 years ago we were going to show a collection that was inspired by the Indian wedding I would have not believed you,” David Abraham said. The collection uses a lot of brocades that have been specially woven from Benaras, where saris have been woven for centuries.

“These are modern clothes for a wedding,” the designer said. “So yes we have saris but we also have pants.

“The sari has become cool,” he said, which is something “one would not have thought just a few years ago.”

There are many reasons for the rising popularity of wearing India on your sleeve at more diverse events than just the Big Fat Indian Wedding.

Jayanta ShawReuters Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu at the Kolkata Fashion Week 2009.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been a part of the industry since the idea of “fashion week” first started in India. His first collection, shown at a fashion week in 2002, “Kashgar Bazaar,” had an Indian feel, but he mainly stuck to Western silhouettes like dresses.  Now Mr. Mukherjee shows mostly Indian shapes on the ramp like saris, with embellishments that have a traditional feel and modern styling.

The Indian focus has been much more popular with customers.

“I still do a more Western line called Sabyasachi by Sabyasachi, and have one store dedicated to this,” Mr. Mukherjee said. “But for the main Indian line I have four stand-alone stores, and ten multi-brand outlets that carry our product.”

An influx of foreign brands into India has made Indian designers go back to their roots, as local consumers now ! compare t! he price and quality of local “western wear” to the new labels available here.

“Things have changed. Ten years ago there was no Diane Von Furstenberg or Zara in India,” said Tina Tahilani-Parikh, executive director of Ensemble, an upscale retail chain.

An influx of international brands has also made Indian youth more “India proud,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

“There is a pride in wearing Indian,” he said. Bollywood is a big influence on fashion and many young actors wear Indian for their red-carpet appearances.

Mustafa Quraishi/Associated Press Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, left, with Bollywood actress Vidya Balanat the Delhi Couture Week 2010.

Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Vidya Balan mainly stay loyal to the sari.

Mr. Mukherjee, who works very closely with Vidya Balan, said that, “If you ask me the last real pan-Indian superstar was Madhuri Dixit and she wore saris all the time.

“Now there is Vidya who has that pan-Indian appeal like Madhuri and she always wears a sari,” Mr. Mukherjee said. “The fact is, everyone from a rickshaw driver to an industrialist understands and appreciates the sari. You cannot say the same for any other dress.”

Manish Malhotra is showing at both fashion weeks and is perhaps the most prolific designer for the Bollywood crowd. He did his first-ever show in 1999, a mix of Western and Indian wear. Today, his luxe Indian-focused collection is available in 15 stores, including in Doha, London and Dubai.

“The last five years of focus on Indian wear has worked very well for the ! brand and! the label,” he said. “I feel that is my calling.”