Revival of the Indian haute couture

Ankita Shukla

Even as the world is bowing in front of the desi Indian fashion and the clamour over the parallel Fashion Weeks (or battling grounds of MNCs and Incs) endorsed by different money minting bodies refuses to subside, India`s second `Couture Week` is all equipped to take the fashion fanatics on a tour of captivating Indi-fashion.In West, they say - imagine profligate excesses and lavish luxuries, imagine couture! And now, India has indeed got its share of extravagance back again.

The western idea of ‘prêt’ or ready to wear has flooded the domestic market since a long time but all would agree that one cannot let go off the aeon when Indian fashion meant ‘couture’. India has always been a hub for dressmaking and tailoring and it was only the influx of foreign influences that led to the propagation of ready to wear clothes. The art of Indian tailoring could not sustain for long and witnessed an decay of sorts, the reason of which is not known but it can be meted out to the fact that most of the designers shifted their interest to more popular prêt lines.

The ‘HDIL India Couture Week’, Fashion Design Council of India’s (FDCI) one of the most anticipated fashion events of the year, is definitely a catalyst to the couture reincarnation in the country by the fashion industry. This fashion extravaganza is a collaboration between the FDCI and HDIL. The event is a six-day fashion extravaganza scheduled between October 11 and 16, at Grand Hyatt, in Mumbai. The show would feature India's top designers, and is going to be one of its kinds with some real Bollywood bigwigs walking the ramp for their favourite designers.

Mumbai, the host city is the second city in the world after Paris to host a ‘Couture Week’. In the wake of international ready to wear designer labels inundating the market, couture is deemed to be the way ahead for Indian designers.

India, since ages, has been famous for its intricate handwork and unmatchable craftsmanship. It is this craftsmanship that led to the rise of Indian fashion internationally.

Another factor that has also attracted buyers from all-over is the reasonable pricing. Couture in comparison to prêt has a certain advantage in pricing since the made to order designs are incorporated keeping in mind the amount of money available unlike prêt. In couture, these designs command the price and accordingly an ensemble is created, while prêt solely depends on the designer’s market value. Couture means quality, perfection which matches with the expectation of the client.

The Couture Week is an initiative to provide a platform for Indian couture similar to what ‘Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week’ is for Indian prêt-a-porter.