The definition, significance and meaning of luxury have evolved over the centuries. From the time of erstwhile Maharajas and royalty with their luxe styles to haute couture Parisian and international luxury design houses, it has been a long journey.
Luxury has different meanings, it is a subjective experience. For the famed designer Ritu Beri, luxury is getting to sleep. For many, it is comfort.
At the Luxury League, a session called “The Luxury of Fashion, Beauty, Wellness and Grooming” was held. Put together by the famed styling doyen Rashmi Virmani, the session featured emerging designers. Among the panellists were Gaurav Gupta, Founder of Akaaro; Chinar Farooqui of Injiri; Sonal Verma of Rara Avis; Rina Singh of Eka and Nakul Bajaj of Darveys.
They collectively agreed that when they are designing, it’s about comfort, evolution and utilization of India’s vast and varied crafts and techniques.
Rina Singh said, “Luxury changes from one point in time to the next point. Fashion is an experience. It is meaningful; one breathes it and lives it.”
Indian designers are very skilled, talented and understand the local indigenous crafts of India. Gaurav Gupta said, “Indian designers don’t need to go to the West for validation at all.”
Sonal Verma is grabbing attention in the stylish handbags domain. Having participated in a variety of international trade shows, she has been able to take her Indian brand global. She said, “I have like-minded women interested in my craft. I get buyers from stores all over. They connect through Instagram, informing me of their visit to India.” Definitely technology has played a huge role for these millennial designers.
Chinar Farooqui, a textile designer said at the event, “Our country has been highly skilled with textiles, handcrafted and woven to amalgamate with luxury for centuries. But yes, highly skilled craft and artisanal products are expensive. So luxury is about like-minded consumers for sure.”
Nakul Bajaj talked about how the luxury industry has changed. He said, “We have seen a huge bump up of 250% growth spurt from 2013-2019. Not just with the high net worth individuals, but also in terms of more markets and consumers who desire to buy luxury. The consumer base is evolving to be more varied and diverse. Advent of online retail platforms has helped a lot.”
All these young and talented designers think that advancement of technology has enabled them to carve a path for themselves in the clothing and accessories design space.