But recently, the Indian style scene has witnessed the arrival of a stranger in its midst: the high-octane socialite clad in, say, a couture chiffon evening gown instead of an elaborately embellished sari. Chanel. Vuitton. Gucci. Dior. Moschino. Burberry. Fendi. Versace. Armani. The Western luxury-brand fleet has begun to flock to the latest stop on the emerging-market circuit, and it’s out to steal market share from India’s treasured national dress. In the humid streets of Mumbai, the sense of potential is palpable. Research estimates peg the total annual Indian luxury market at about $3.5 billion, and predict it will exceed $30 billion by 2016. No wonder luxury-goods conglomerates are looking to join the party.
It’s not as easy as it sounds, however. Amid all the hubbub about profit margins and growth models, some of the challenges of catering to Indian consumers have been swept under the Armani Casa rug. Oppressive import taxes aside, how does one market seasonal collections built around layers of wool in a country where most regions never see a true winter? The luxury game has always been about engineering desire, but it’s nearly impossible to motivate women to buy a cashmere coat in 30-degree-Celsius weather.
And how does a couturier persuade Indian women, who love bright palettes and body-conscious silhouettes, to adopt ensembles that have more to do with clean lines and muted colors than cling or bling? India’s pre-eminent style setters are Bollywood stars, and Aishwarya Rai is much more likely to appear on screen draped in a skimpy, ravishing chiffon sari than in a beige crepe pantsuit from Jil Sander.
One solution is to focus on accessories, which are the bread and butter of the luxury business the world over. No matter where we live, we all apparently share a desire for vertiginous footwear and a panoply of “it” bags, despite their stratospheric prices. In Chanel’s New Delhi boutique, classic purses with signature double C’s, ranging from $1,270 to $7,630, are in hot demand. At Louis Vuitton, a house known for its emphasis on painstaking craftsmanship, it’s not just the store collection that is selling in India; custom orders for such things as branded birthday-cake boxes, mammoth trunks painted with royal crests and one-of-a-kind turban cases are being placed with the specialorders divisions in each store. India’s new maharajas, the business tycoons who are flying high in their tricked-out Gulfstream jets, are indulging in Vuitton’s customized Tourbillon watches, which can reach upwards of $730,000.
These heavy-duty imports might signal a red flag for conservatives, wary of cultural colonialists supplanting national traditions. But Indian women aren’t giving up the sari any time soon. At Ensemble, one of the country’s most famous high-end fashion boutiques, customers are buying stacks at a time. Designer saris range up to about $2,000 apiece, and bejeweled custom styles, often worn to weddings, can run as high as $6,350.
The fact is, in the new Indian economy there’s plenty of room at the table for everyone, and with experts predicting that the good times will continue to roll for at least 10 or 20 years more, all the major players are inviting themselves. Homegrown luxury goods and branded imports are evolving together in the walk-in closets of India’s newly minted millionaires.
There is no danger, at least for now, of adding the sari to the endangered-species style list, because globalization at its core is a game of give and take, not a one-way street. One need only look at the overtly Indian inspiration behind the recent ready-to-wear collection by Hermès or the couture line from Armani Privé for proof that luxury brands know which side their nan is buttered on. For Western labels the focus is on building up brand awareness and customer loyalty, while Indian companies are aware of a need to step up to the competition, improving their quality and consistency.
The Indian woman, increasingly empowered, finds herself in a win-win situation. Making more money than ever before, she’s in a position to challenge social expectations. If she wants to wear a brocade sari one night and a patent-leather miniskirt the next—well, it’s her party too. So don’t be surprised if on your next trip to India you spy a gorgeous sylph sliding out of her chauffeured Mercedes in 10-centimeter Jimmy Choos, a woven-leather limited-edition Bottega Veneta clutch in hand, her pale blue chiffon sari fluttering in the wind. Cross-cultural style influence—it’s so this season.
