Blame it on Middle Eastern and Indian-inspired Spring/Summer 2010 shows from the likes of Catherine Malandrino (who outfitted a number of her models with turbans and bone-like, spiked, bold baubles), and the Sex and the City sequel trailer. Either way, Middle Eastern and Indian inspired fashions – along with traditional printed fabrics and silhouettes – are making a big splash in the Western world.
In light of the recent trend, it seems fitting that Lakme India Fashion Week, which took place from the 5th to the 9th of last month, and India Fashion Week, which took place from the 24th through the 29th of last month, has received an increased amount of attention. In fact, over 190 designers presented collections at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Mumbai and at an exhibition center in Delhi.
There was a very interesting article in WWD which explored the changes this year in India’s Fashion Weeks – namely that the shows in Mumbai were Summer versus Fall-focused to reflect the way Indian consumers demand to be able to buy what they see on the runway.
Wouldn’t it be nice if New York, Paris, London, and Milan were just as courageous in making changes to the fashion system, which is clearly in need of some sort of reform – especially now that so many people are able to see the shows in real-time streamed on their computers? By the time many of the luxury brands release the pieces they’ve shown on the runway, many consumers have already snapped up the knock-offs at the likes of Zara and H&M.
As for Delhi, the designers showing in the capital stuck with showing traditional Fall/Winter clothes, justifying it as an effort to stick with – and insert India into – the global fashion map. Fittingly, many of the same trends we’ve seen emerge in the four major Fashion Weeks popped up in Delhi – namely military-inspired fashions, metallics, elaborate embroidery, and bright colors.
WWD looked at the full spectrum of collections shown, and concluded that many Indian designers are moving towards more Westernized fashions. That trend, combined with the looks presented by the already established major designers, will hopefully help bring an ever-increasing amount of looks from Indian designers to other markets. Why rely solely on Western designers to interpret Indian aesthetics when we can go straight to the source?
