FASHION

Why Paris is proving to be a global stage for Indian fashion designers

By Akanksha Kamath
03 October, 2023

This season, once again, emerging and established names in the Indian fashion industry took to the Paris Fashion Week to showcase a new wave in Indian design. What does Paris hold for these creators? The Established finds out

On day two of Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024-25 last week,  couturier Rahul Mishra launched a new label, ‘AFEW’—an acronym for air, fire, earth and wind—the natural elements that so deeply inspire his design practice. Backed by Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), the eight-time Paris showcaser took to the French capital once again to bring a new ‘easy-to-wear’ luxury offering positioned for global growth and resonance. Think simple, round-neck T-shirts with interesting proportions or embroideries that are labelled “very couture T-shirts” by Mishra who believes the line will make couture more accessible, via prices that start at ₹15-20k, going up to ₹35-80k

For a discerning audience

“AFEW also stands for a few more ideas for couture, a few more accessible points for the brand, and creating something beautiful, thoughtful and meaningful,” explains the designer. Choosing Paris was, of course, an easy decision for both the designer and his production partner, Darshan Mehta of RBL. In an interview with Vogue Business, Mehta said, “Most global fashion is based in Paris, and you find a critical audience at Paris Fashion Week. We are more interested in understanding the point of view of the buyers who attend.” The brand comes with big plans of having control over how it retails around the world, being very specific in its choice of stockists, and also planning to open several international flagship stores soon.

"Most global fashion is based in Paris, and you find a critical audience at Paris Fashion Week. We are more interested in understanding the point of view of the buyers who attend,” said Darshan Mehta

India-born but internationally positioned Alamelu by the founders of House of Angadi—the 600-year-old legacy brand specialising in heritage weaves— occupy pop-up space. Image: Insatgram.com/labelalamelu

A few racks down in a showroom where Mishra’s new label is on display until 3  October, is Delhi-based designer Ruchika Sachdeva’s Bodice presenting its Spring/Summer 2024 collection. “Paris is an important space right now for any designer, no matter where they come from, if they want a global presence. It is where all the buyers are coming—from Japan, America and beyond during that one [fashion] week. It is where the business largely happens,” explains the International Woolmark Prize winner. The merits of a format such as this are many. “The showrooms have space for display, they have a model, they take care of all the logistics, including sales staff,” says Sachdeva. Several designers opt for showrooms— ones that usually house the work of multiple designers under one roof—as a means to navigate non-home markets and the more intricate cultural nuances of managing business there. 

Another Delhi-based brand, Lovebirds, was in the city to meet some of its key retailers. “Paris still remains a one-stop destination for buyers and designers to meet and do business,” explains Amrita Singh, who co-founded  the label along with her partner Gursi. The duo behind the label noticed a gap in the market  for clothing that provides both comfort and luxury, something that international buyers are keen to explore now more than ever. “The easy-to-wear garments which can be worn from day to dawn are restricted. We are noticing that buyers and clients alike are showing interest in homegrown fashion, they now want to invest in everyday clothing which provides them comfort with luxury and want to shop them locally,” says Singh. Some of the labels that international retailers in Paris stock include Neiman Marcus, Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Fenwick, Beams Japan and, most recently, Matchesfashion, among others.   

Shirking cookie-cutter formats

In Saint-Germain, a few arrondissements away from the biggest showrooms in Paris during fashion week, is designer Vaishali S making a comeback in the city after skipping couture week earlier in July. Her chosen format this time is an in-store pop-up at Paris’s longest-running Indian store in Saint Germain, helmed by 93-year-old Mohanjeet Grewal. After taking a three-month break from fashion due to health reasons, Vaishali S, who became the first Indian female couturier to show at Paris Haute Couture Week in 2020, decided to dip back in before a personal and innovative show coming up in at the January 2024 couture line-up. Although a different format—neither a showroom, nor an on-calendar show— the pop-up received footfalls from international journalists, buyers, clients and those curious about India and its weaves. “Paris is known for its couture and luxury. When I showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week, the visibility for my work is very wide,” she says, “coming back full force with a show next year”. She eventually plans to open a store in Paris.

“THE MADE-IN-INDIA STORY IS WHAT SELLS”
Amrita Singh

“Paris is known for its couture and luxury. When I showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week, the visibility for my work is very wide,” says Vaishali S, “coming back full force with a show next year”.

“AFEW also stands for a few more ideas for couture, a few more accessible points for the brand, and creating something beautiful, thoughtful and meaningful,” explains Rahul Mishra

There are varied offerings from Indian designers currently dotting Paris. India-born but internationally positioned Alamelu by the founders of House of Angadi—the 600-year-old legacy brand specialising in heritage weaves— occupy pop-up space. Eka by Rina Singh Huemn’s Pranav Shetty are omnipresent through the week, while couturier Gaurav Gupta has marked a presence in the city too, whether in a more exploratory format or with plans for doubling down with shows in the coming months. Paris  has indeed repeatedly proven to be Europe’s fashion hotspot. And seemingly, of late, even more so for Indian designers in search of a global footing. 

The timing for the foothold couldn’t be more serendipitous— at a time when India’s growing economic and purchasing power are very much in the limelight. Singh of Lovebirds attests, “The Made-in-India story is what sells. For the longest time, the biggest fashion houses in Paris and Milan have used our techniques and artisans to weave patterns to appeal to a tasteful demographic globally. On the other hand, to see the same weaves, and the same patterns and artisanship being done by us in-house, in India, is what entices international buyers. It's essentially speaking your own story rather than someone narrating it for you.” The growing show of India’s strength in Paris is a testament to designers taking creative control of their own narrative in the global fashion landscape. All of this, to provide the most authentic version of brands born from India, and made for the world at large.  

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