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Indian designers are going global. But this is about more than fashion
The Anamika Khanna X Amrapali Jewels showcase at UKICC Diwali in London

Indian designers are going global. But this is about more than fashion

On That Note is a monthly column offering a fresh perspective on South Asian fashion and its place in a changing world

Words by Praachi Raniwala

India’s relationship with craft and fashion is hardly new — our centuries-old craftsmanship traditions are legendary, and have long been the backbone of couture houses around the world. But that’s just it. This savoir faire has been guarded as the ‘best kept secret’ of the global fashion industry, who, for decades, have relied on our embroidery houses for their collections. Our craft has been generously borrowed, but rarely credited. The skills of our artisans have been whispered about, but not celebrated enough.  

So it’s worth applauding the shift that’s underway, helmed by a cohort of designers determined to put Indian fashion on the global map. Whether it’s couturiers like Mishra, Gupta, Vaishali S or Manish Malhotra showing at one of the most prestigious platforms in the world. Or younger labels like Dhruv Kapoor and Lovebirds presenting a contemporary expression of what Indian fashion can mean in Milan and London, well beyond the cliches of loud and colourful festive wear we are often reduced to. 

Sure, these platitudes certainly exist in our design language. But they are, in no way, representative of the entire picture. In fact, there are also several designers from the diaspora who are now taking these familiar codes and turning it into something exciting and unexpected — Gundi Studios, for instance, brings mirror work to sweaters, while Yoshita 1967's Anil Padia draws on his Gujarati heritage and Kenyan upbringing, incorporating crochet, ghungroo bells and mirror work into contemporary silhouettes.

Even when India’s ultimate bride whisperer, Sabyasachi showed at New York Fashion Week this September, his collection was a far cry from the heavily embroidered ensembles that made him a household name back home. Instead, he leaned into the global setting, and went all Americana, with an Indian twist. Each look was accessorised with his jewellery made in collaboration with The Met, another milestone for an Indian brand. 

The movement speaks to something larger. Some have even drawn parallels with the rise of Japanese designers on the global stage in the 1990s. For Indians, this is not about western validation or approval. It’s really about reclaiming a narrative. Culturally speaking, Indians have never been as India-proud as they are today. And they are finally willing to tell the world about it. So when Gaurav Gupta’s work is seen on red carpets around the world or Matières Fécales’ South Asian co-founder Steven Raj Bhaskaran puts Benarasi on Parisian runways, it sends a message. And a very powerful one at that. We’re all ears. 

Praachi Raniwala is an award-winning journalist whose work contextualizes Indian fashion within global conversations. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Business of Fashion and CNN. She also heads editorial at ŌUSHQ. 

On a recent trip to Spain, I found myself at lunch with a French personal shopper, who was most excited to unpack the ongoings in Indian fashion with me. That he was able to differentiate between the perspectives of Gaurav Gupta and Rahul Mishra, and keenly followed their Paris Couture Week showcases, made me smile.

For once, I didn’t find myself explaining why these designers from my motherland belonged in the global fashion conversation. We discussed them, alongside other exciting names from India, with the same enthusiasm one might reserve for storied European houses and Western brands.

It may sound like nothing, but to me, it felt like a big something.

India’s relationship with craft and fashion is hardly new — our centuries-old craftsmanship traditions are legendary, and have long been the backbone of couture houses around the world. But that’s just it. This savoir faire has been guarded as the ‘best kept secret’ of the global fashion industry, who, for decades, have relied on our embroidery houses for their collections. Our craft has been generously borrowed, but rarely credited. The skills of our artisans have been whispered about, but not celebrated enough.

Manish Malhotra at Paris Haute Couture

So it’s worth applauding the shift that’s underway, helmed by a cohort of designers determined to put Indian fashion on the global map. Whether it’s couturiers like Mishra, Gupta, Vaishali S or Manish Malhotra showing at one of the most prestigious platforms in the world. Or younger labels like Dhruv Kapoor and Lovebirds presenting a contemporary expression of what Indian fashion can mean in Milan and London, well beyond the cliches of loud and colourful festive wear we are often reduced to.

Sure, these platitudes certainly exist in our design language. But they are, in no way, representative of the entire picture. In fact, there are also several designers from the diaspora who are now taking these familiar codes and turning it into something exciting and unexpected — Gundi Studios, for instance, brings mirror work to sweaters, while Yoshita 1967's Anil Padia draws on his Gujarati heritage and Kenyan upbringing, incorporating crochet, ghungroo bells and mirror work into contemporary silhouettes.

Even when India’s ultimate bride whisperer, Sabyasachi showed at New York Fashion Week this September, his collection was a far cry from the heavily embroidered ensembles that made him a household name back home. Instead, he leaned into the global setting, and went all Americana, with an Indian twist. Each look was accessorised with his jewellery made in collaboration with The Met, another milestone for an Indian brand.

The movement speaks to something larger. Some have even drawn parallels with the rise of Japanese designers on the global stage in the 1990s. For Indians, this is not about western validation or approval. It’s really about reclaiming a narrative. Culturally speaking, Indians have never been as India-proud as they are today. And they are finally willing to tell the world about it. So when Gaurav Gupta’s work is seen on red carpets around the world or Matières Fécales’ South Asian co-founder Steven Raj Bhaskaran puts Benarasi on Parisian runways, it sends a message. And a very powerful one at that. We’re all ears.

Praachi Raniwala is an award-winning journalist whose work contextualizes Indian fashion within global conversations. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Business of Fashion and CNN. She also heads editorial at ŌUSHQ.

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