Spring desi-fied: Designers in their resort and menswear 2018 outings reference India in a major way

The Indian subcontinent always manages to leave its indelible imprint on the global style moodboard. From the jingle-jangle of embroideries to the violent clash of Indian colours to our desi indigenous textiles — designers always manage to give their own spin to Indian aesthetic and arts. Be it the Hermès sari collection unveiled in 2011 or Karl Lagerfeld’s Bombay-Paris Pre-autumn/winter 2012-13 collection. The upcoming Spring 2018, too, seems high on desi Art-Deco motifs, Kama Sutra’s co-ed yoga references and reinterpretation of Indian sari. What is it about India that makes it such an inspirational hotspot for designers across the board? Can it also be attributed to the fact that today Indians are one of the key global luxury spenders, and brands aim to cash in on their discerning tastes?

Take Fausto Puglisi’s Resort 2018 collection, which glories thanks to the flounced skirts printed with Indian Art Deco-inspired swirling motifs. The Italian designer toyed with the same pattern throughout the offering — from the skinny leggings to chiffon numbers.

Etro’s menswear offering featured luscious Kashmir motifs and was rich on linen-viscose, overdyed madras and paisley patterns. Comme des Garçons Homme Plus too in its shine-on menswear offering added brocade patches to the jackets.

India: Flavour of 2018

Designer Wendell Rodricks observes that the West has always been fascinated by two countries in the East — India and China. “With these two countries emerging as huge markets and a financial success, it is only normal that designers turn to India and China for inspiration. Besides the economy, there is a vast reservoir of cultural and visual beauty in these countries. Another factor is that in the last two years, the West has been destabilised by terrorism, emergence of the far right and problems with the economy. Hence, dreams of the East, where things are far away from their own problems is ‘parfum prefere.’”

Wendell notes that fashion and film have always fascinated in the realm of dreams and happiness at times of trouble. No wonder then that it is India and China that are flavours of 2018.

Indian aesthetic is omnipresent

Malini Banerji, Acting Editor, Elle India, observes that Indian colours, motifs and embroideries are always omnipresent in fashion, except that there is a modern contemporary approach to it in the international market. “The reinterpretation is always the essence of the mood as opposed to the actual reference,” says she.

For example, Milan’s queen of chiffon, Alberta Ferretti, too, couldn’t resist the allure of India as she was inspired by the 1984 film Passage to India. In her resort 2018 line, Purple Madras was seen having a conversation with jungle prints along with safari tailoring. 

She also gave her unique touch to the traditional sari dressing by mingling silk madras and scarf prints. Malini adds, “India’s rich artisanal currency and diversity has been a constant allure. India is not just about colour or craft or weave, instead a collage of colours, textures, patterns all layered together which makes it impossible not to get inspired by. Right from Ikat that inspired Dries van note’s SS10 collection to Moschino’s tribute to Kutch in Resort 2017, Elie Saab’s sari dress at his couture 2016 and McQueen’s imperial influences at Fall 2008 show, all echo inspirations from various parts of India.”

Sujata Assomull, Fashion Editor, Khaleej Times, seconds that. “India has such a rich history of textile, embroidery and drape that it will always be a source of inspiration. It’s an archive that will never be depleted,” says she.

Indian buyers are crucial

Sujata also observers that today’s jet-setting Indian fashion buyer is crucial to the global luxury economics. “Indians are now global spenders and influencers, of course, which means fashion knows that it is a good idea to be India-friendly. And what better way to do this than to pay homage to its fashion heritage,” she adds.

Menswear’s new focus

India has remained a recurring leitmotif in Western design ideology as it provides a rather robust inspiration. Fashion columnist Asmita Aggarwal says, “From Elie Saab with his sari-inspired drape that announced ‘Enter India’ to Marchesa’s ready to wear 2013 collection that had jewelled tones, Jewelled tones which are an Indian speciality have always found favour but it has till now been relegated to only womenswear. The fact that menswear is now adopting a rather vibrant palette is an interesting phenomenon.”