Indian Couture at the Crossroads of Craft, Commerce, and Global Ambition

It’s only befitting that India, with its rich textile and cultural legacy would one day resonate at a global level and find an audience beyond its birthplace. Indian designers today are using heritage embroideries, fabrics, and techniques, to create ensembles using couture in its modern avatar—for brides and grooms as their biggest consumers. We speak to with Sunil Sethi, chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), who started the country’s very first India Couture Week (ICW) back in 2008, for designers to look beyond prêt and address the burgeoning bridalwear market. In a freewheeling chat, the visionary shares insights into the business of Indian couture, homegrown designers making a mark internationally, preserving India’s textiles, and more.

Manifest: Indian couture brands are on the global stage. How are they making the most of it, and how did they get there?

Sunil Sethi: It is not easy to break into the couture space in the West because they have their own norms. To be a part of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (the official governing body for haute couture in Paris) is extremely tough, as the parameters are quite stringent.

They need to see the strength of your workers and infrastructure, the number of times you do fittings, and how long you’ve been in the business.

Indian couture has grown because of domestic demand. We are yet to make a mark in the West in a big way. That’s why credit should be given to the people who first started this: Manish Arora and Rahul Mishra. They had a sustained presence... Manish showcased for more than 10 years, until he decided to take it easy.

And Rahul has been at it for the last six years. He presented his first collection in 2019, and in 2020 became the first Indian couturier to showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week. Unless you have shown up there for at least five years, nobody remembers you.

According to me, these are the only two people who have made it on that scene. They brought India onto the map of global couture. Manish, with his over-the-top Indian sensibility, and Rahul with his brilliant embroidery and new silhouettes. I also want to give credit to Falguni Shane Peacock who have done almost 40 shows internationally for New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. They have been at it for years but because they’re not at Paris Couture week, people don’t talk much about it.

There are others who are waiting in the ranks. It's a good thing, but just 3-4 people are not enough for me to say that we have arrived in a very big way on the international couture scene.

Secondly, most Indian designers are still in the bridal space. There are hundreds of couture and bridal designers in every city in India in the retail space, vying for the same market. And this bridal space does not conform to or isn’t necessarily a hit on the international scene. Maybe more Western silhouettes are required to make a mark there in a bigger way. 


Look at Aneeth Arora of Péro. She sells from more than 300 shops all over the world. That's what I call the international market. That's not couture, but the FDCI is about the business of fashion. And I would like to talk more about the business of fashion with couture. 


M: When a Rahul Mishra or a Sabyasachi retails, it's because they all began at India Couture Week. How did it all begin?

SS: In 2008, I was made the president of FDCI. And that is when the first India Couture Week took place under my aegis. It was a new property that FDCI had created. Before that, bridalwear and couture were not something that people talked about.

At that time, everyone wanted to be a prêt designer and make it in the West. Because we were taking prêt designers to stores like Selfridges and The Conran Shop in UK, to La Rinascente and Coin in Italy, TsUM in Russia, and Israel, and The Conran Shop and Habitat in the UK for leisurewear. Everyone was keen to get into the prêt space and be noticed worldwide.

But 2008 changed it all. Because when India Couture Week first began in Mumbai, bridalwear and couture became the heroes of the market. Until then, India didn't have a red-carpet scene, and when people saw dresses and ensembles that could be worn on the red carpet, it was a sensation. People saw bridal collections, not just in traditional reds, pinks, or maroons, but in experimental colours.

People saw a new category emerge—gowns—being worn at every cocktail and reception that happened after that. People were spoilt for choice, when they saw more than 10 Indian designers showcase their creations. And undoubtedly, we got a lot of patronage from the film industry. But the real heroes were the new brides, who wanted to have a wedding wearing Indian bridal couture for their function.

M: What about menswear?

SS: Another big change that occurred was that formal menswear until now had been restricted to either a suit and tie, a black bandhgala, or a raw-silk sherwani. These were the three main factors for groomswear or occasion wear. Our India Couture Week changed everything. Now we have specialist menswear designers, like Kunal Rawal.

You can now see sherwanis filled with embroidery, Western wear as tuxedos and bow ties, short bandhgalas in different colours. The good thing is all the womenswear designers today are also into menswear.

M: Can you tell us about FDCI’s Wedding Weekend?

SS: With the FDCI Wedding Weekend launched three years ago, people can place their orders with the participating designers after the shows. It’s been a huge success, and we are very proud of it.

We are happy that Manifest has joined us in this—it’s now the FDCI Manifest Wedding Weekend, which is a big boost to anyone in India or abroad to come and see nearly 30 designers under one roof, and take their pick in fashion or jewellery.

M: Wasn’t post 2008 a time when Indian artisans came to the fore? 


SS: Absolutely, because, before that it was all about high-street fast fashion, which was all about trends.

It was a time when everyone only talked about Indian heritage and legacy, and the crafts that existed in India, which were not possible to implement in prêt in a big way. With India Couture Week, every single craft from different regions was highlighted. This also saw increased participation from artists and designers from the South and Northeast.

M: The FDCI is doing a lot for artisans and handloom. What does the future hold?

SS: The Development Commissioner (Handlooms), and the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), both under the Ministry of Textiles, are encouraging us to take baby steps in the right direction. The Minister has set up a committee with 10 people, where I was made the chairman, to guide the growth of both handloom and handicraft.

We have done shows on handloom, craft, and khadi, where our FDCI designers from all over the country have contemporised craft. Now it’s up to the customer to buy to support the handloom.

M: How have international buyers for couture evolved?

SS: If you are speaking about couture, we are at a nascent stage; I don't think we have taken off yet. Our biggest customer is still the Indian diaspora. As our key designers open stores in places like London, New York, Dubai, and Paris, it does make a difference in getting more retail customers and access to Indian couture. 


We are happy that the Indian diaspora all over the world still supports the Indian fashion designer who is very creative and ready to launch internationally, but we need more multi-designer stores in the West to promote us. And we have very few right now.

At the India Couture Week, people are coming specifically to see the offerings under one roof, in advance of their celebrations. I’m very encouraged by this kind of purchase and interaction. They get a platform to see the designer's newest collection, but we still have a long way to go.

M: After the pandemic, most designers launched e-commerce platforms. Hasn’t this shaped the way Indian couture is accessed all over the world?

Yes, but for couture, in real terms, there are many trials. For a garment to be called couture in the West, it has to go through fittings. First, you have to make the toile, which is tried on. Then you have to show the embroidery. So, e-commerce is good, but what about fittings?

Once Indian designers have retail stores abroad replete with inhouse tailors, all this will become easy. Also, multi-designer stores, as long as they have tailoring facilities... Otherwise, the process of getting a couture or a bridal dress is very long. 


M: How should Indian couturiers make a mark globally?

SS: The designers I mentioned at the beginning of the interview have a real legacy. Those who are opening stores internationally, and new people coming on the scene will make a difference. I will give credit to Sabyasachi and an Anita Dongre, and a Manish Malhotra and Rahul Mishra.

Look at Amit Aggarwal, whose modern lehengas and gowns are a hot commodity for anyone in the market today. I hope that people like him open shops and make international debuts soon.