Why is India Obsessed with Couture?

India has always showcased art and aesthetics through intricate details of work — be it monuments,palaces or dresses of the maharajas and maharanis. The history continues,it puts Indians in the forefront of craftsmanship. Indian couture is almost wedding wear as there is more possibility for designers to add enormous details.

JJ Valaya

What you call obsession is,to me,a tribute to couture. India is the only country in the world which respects crafts,heralds them in its own way and is willing to pay for it too. Couture is super-niche and this is the only time that clothes reach this level of perfection and price. Anybody who disagrees with couture being all about weddings in India,is lying. Ninety per cent of the business in couture comes from weddings.

Gaurav Gupta

Opulence is deep-rooted in our heritage. We have an obsession with extreme opulence that comes from the fact we have a history of royalty; this is true for countries such as India,China and France. Scandinavian countries,on the other hand,are minimalistic in their fashion sense because of their history. Weddings are a major part of couture here but times are changing — there are award ceremonies,red-carpet events,people throw lavish parties for birthdays and anniversaries,and couture in India finds new clients.

Anju Modi

Couture is inherently in our psyche; only the word “couture” is western. At the moment,it’s mostly centred around weddings since we don’t have a social calendar that has many marked galas. But slowly,other occasions such as festivals,birthdays and anniversary bashes are becoming part of the couture calendar.

Leena singh,of ashima-leena

Since India has a thriving wedding business and is addicted to extravagance,couture gets a great deal of importance. The way people get married is also changing now and destination weddings are huge,with people travelling even to Turkey and Thailand. NRIs,too,form a big market since they want to stay rooted to their culture and clothing plays a pivotal role.

Anamika Khanna

I don’t think the concept of couture exists in India in its actual form. India is obsessed with weddings and lavishness,not couture. And when the season starts,what people buy and wear comes a bit close to what we call couture.

Manav Gangwani

Couture is a status symbol; it strongly reinforces the fact that one has arrived. Being a socially acclaimed personality holds tremendous importance in India and couture is the perfect way to establish it.

Varun Bahl

India is the birthplace of couture in its truest essence. In a country where the idea of ‘custom-made’ is something that everyone has access to,it’s not surprising that the average fashion consumer is looking for something that’s unique and ‘made-to-measure’. And,of course,our love for family,festivities and opulence adds greatly to our love for couture.

Shantanu mehra,of shantanu-Nikhil

Couture in India is a huge industry,worth approximately Rs. 60,000 crore,and this is because of our obsession with weddings. Yet something is changing — the bride wants western silhouettes such as lehenga-gowns. Also,there are more galas happening and celebrities want to wear exclusive garments at red-carpet events and they form a part of the couture clientele.