Unraveling the Threads of Tradition and Modernity

How Indian Fashion Inspires the World

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

The global spotlight is on Indian fashion as it elegantly weaves traditional craftsmanship with modern sensibilities. From the vibrant streets of Mumbai to the highest echelon of Parisian haute couture, Indian designers are redefining luxury with their unique blend of heritage and innovation. This journey through India's bustling fashion scene reveals the depth of its artistry, the revival of its traditional textiles, and the innovative push towards sustainable fashion that is increasingly captivating the world.

Highlights

Indian designers are merging the soul of traditional crafts with contemporary styles, appealing to a global audience. 🎨
The city of Varanasi remains a hub for exquisite handwoven textiles like the Banarasi sari. 🧵
Ritu Beri and Rahul Mishra have been instrumental in elevating Indian fashion to the global stage. 🌟
Sustainability is being championed within the industry, with innovative methods to reduce waste and promote ethical fashion. 🌿
Indian fashion is embracing social media to reach a younger, more global audience, making traditional wear trendy. 🌐

Key Takeaways

Indian fashion is a vibrant blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern innovation, captivating audiences worldwide. 🌏
Textile traditions such as the Banarasi silk sarees hold timeless beauty and cultural significance. 🌺
Fashion designers like Rahul Mishra and Ritu Beri have been pivotal in showcasing Indian fashion on global platforms such as Paris Fashion Week. 🚀
Sustainability is becoming a core value in the Indian fashion industry, with designers like Vino Supraja leading the way. 🌱
Social media and modern marketing are revolutionizing how Indian fashion brands reach and resonate with younger audiences. 📱

Overview

Indian fashion has captured international attention with its unique blend of vibrant traditions and modern styles. The industry is flourishing with designers like Rahul Mishra making waves in Paris, as traditional textiles like Banarasi silk continue to charm the world.

Sustainability is at the forefront of the Indian fashion narrative, driven by passionate designers committed to ethical practices. From using natural dyes to supporting local artisans, this movement is reshaping the industry for a more conscientious future.

Social media has become a powerful tool in the Indian fashion industry, allowing designers to connect with young audiences globally. Brands are not only selling clothes but also promoting a lifestyle that blends tradition and modernity, striking a chord with millennials everywhere.

Chapters

00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Indian Fashion The chapter introduces India's surging influence in global fashion. It highlights the recognition of India's luxurious fabrics and traditional craftsmanship, which are now being celebrated worldwide. The booming market of the populous nation is drawing attention from Western audiences, prompting questions about why Indian designers are now in the spotlight and what unique offerings they bring to the fashion scene.
00:30 - 01:30: Exploring Traditional and Contemporary Elements The chapter titled 'Exploring Traditional and Contemporary Elements' delves into India's Generation Z fashion preferences. The narrative takes us on a journey through Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and even reaching Paris, highlighting an Indian designer's success in haute couture. The chapter emphasizes the value of handmade luxury, positioning India as a potential powerhouse in luxury creation, given its vast number of artisans.
01:30 - 03:00: Influential Designers and Brands This chapter explores the influence of Indian fashion, spanning from traditional saris to modern sneakers. It highlights the northern region of India, with a focus on Varanasi. Varanasi, a city on the Ganges River, is recognized as the spiritual heart of India with a history dating back over 3,000 years.
03:00 - 05:00: The Rich Craftsmanship of Varanasi Varanasi, known by various names such as Banaris and Kashi, is a sacred city for Hindus and also holds significance for Buddhists, as it is believed that Buddha gave his first teachings here. The city is a melting pot of different religions including Muslims, Sikhs, and others. The chapter introduces Hemang Agrawal, a designer born and raised in Varanasi, highlighting his connection to the city's rich cultural tapestry.
05:00 - 07:00: Women and Sari Traditions The chapter explores the cultural significance of the city of Banaras (also known as Kashi) in India, particularly in relation to Sari traditions. It highlights a Hindi saying that expresses a deep emotional and spiritual connection to Banaras, suggesting that one would need very little to be content if they could stay in this divine city. Known as the Eternal City of Shiva, Banaras holds a special place in the heart of those who visit, symbolizing a cultural and spiritual haven.
07:00 - 09:00: Varanasi's Textile Industry The chapter explores Varanasi's rich textile industry through the lens of Agrawal, a fashion designer who, despite leaving his hometown for education in Mumbai, remains influenced by its traditional weaving techniques. It highlights how Varanasi's signature handwoven fabrics incorporate ancient methods, including the use of real silver threads known as zari.
09:00 - 13:00: Rising Designers and Modern Innovations The chapter titled 'Rising Designers and Modern Innovations' begins with Agrawal returning to Varanasi, which is described as the most traditional and myth enshrouded city in India, shortly after completing his studies.
13:00 - 17:00: Celebrated Events and Notable Figures This chapter explores a city that is astonishing due to its contradictions and synchronistic events. With a population of about 1.2 million, it becomes a pilgrimage center for many Indians, especially Hindus who believe in the spiritual significance of bathing in the Holy River Ganges, believing it purifies one from sin. The Ganges hosts a nightly sacred ritual of light, known as the ganga arti, attended by both believers and tourists.
17:00 - 20:00: Fashion Weeks and International Recognition This chapter explores the significance of Varanasi in Hindu mythology as a city where many Hindus spend their final days, hoping for liberation from the cycle of rebirth through cremation there. It also introduces Hemang Agrawal, an experienced textile maker based in Varanasi, who has been successfully selling his luxurious fabrics across India. Agrawal has spent two decades in the textile industry, collaborating with renowned designers.
20:00 - 22:00: Sustainability in Indian Fashion The chapter explores the influence of international fashion, including from Japan and Continental Europe, on India's textile industry. It highlights the historical significance and global reputation of Banarasi silk saris, which originate from Vanarasi and have been esteemed in India for centuries. This local artistry gained prominence during the Mogul era in the 16th century, showcasing the enduring legacy of Muslim rule in India's cultural heritage. The narrative is also intertwined with Agrawal's personal journey, as he steps into his family's textile business founded by his father in 1974, signifying a continuation and innovation in the traditional craft of Indian fashion.
22:00 - 24:00: Traditional and Modern Craft Practices The chapter discusses the shift in clothing practices from traditional to modern, especially among women. It highlights how earlier women mostly stayed at home and wore traditional attire like the Banarasi sari. However, with more women stepping out for work, there has been a shift towards Western clothing for convenience while commuting. Despite this shift, the elegance and grace of wearing a sari during festivals, weddings, or special occasions is acknowledged and appreciated.
24:00 - 30:00: Khadi Movement and Its Influence The chapter delves into the Khadi Movement, examining its profound influence on preserving traditional weaving practices, particularly in Varanasi, where ancient techniques are maintained. It highlights the cultural significance of Khadi saris, often worn during weddings and festivals, underscoring their role as symbols of heritage.
30:00 - 33:00: Political Influence on Indian Fashion The chapter "Political Influence on Indian Fashion" explores the personal journey and cultural revival undertaken by sisters who are passionate about integrating saris into everyday fashion beyond traditional festivities. They express joy in blending styles, highlighting how their reinterpretation of the sari has led to its renewed popularity. The narrative acknowledges a generational shift, as their relatives wore saris effortlessly in daily life, illustrating how these garments are woven into the fabric of Indian cultural identity.
33:00 - 39:00: Prominent Fashion Icons and Their Impact The chapter 'Prominent Fashion Icons and Their Impact' explores the deep cultural and emotional significance of saris in everyday life. It narrates how the sari is more than just a garment; it is a symbol of home and comfort. Wearing a sari is depicted as a personal experience, resonating with the wearer's shape and mood. The chapter also highlights the operational base in Mumbai, serving as the central hub for the fashion operations.
39:00 - 43:00: The Future and Global Relevance of Indian Fashion Suta, a now well-known Indian fashion company, began its journey in a modest office located in a narrow lane in a place called Masjid Kali. Despite the initial challenges of transportation and space, as cars couldn't easily access the lane and with vegetable carts, cows, and goats often present outside, Suta's founders decided to make the most of their small garage-like space. They painted it beautifully inside, turning it into their first office and from this humble beginning, Suta has grown to ship products all over India, becoming a recognized name across the subcontinent.

How Indian Fashion Inspires the World Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 It's just perfect that finally the world has woken up to us. Luxurious fabrics, handwoven splendor. India's traditional craftsmanship is prized worldwide. The west is looking to the booming market of the world's most populous country. We want to know why are Indian designers attracting so much attention? What do they have to offer?
00:30 - 01:00 What drives them and what does India's Generation Z wear? Come with us on a journey from Mumbai via Delhi to Chennai. And to Paris, where an Indian designer has made it to the pinnacle of haute couture. The real luxury can be found in things which are created by hand and India can be a power center of creating luxury because India has got maximum hands in the world today.
01:00 - 01:30 Fashion from India from saris to sneakers. The north of India, at the gates of Varanasi. The holy city on the Ganges said to be more than 3,000 years old is considered the spiritual center of the subcontinent.
01:30 - 02:00 Varanasi has many names it's also known as Banaris, Kashi or the city of light. This city is sacred to Hindus and the Buddha is said to have delivered his first teachings here. Along with Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims Sikhs and other religious groups also live here. Here we meet Hemang Agrawal the designer knows the city of Varanasi well because he was born and raised here.
02:00 - 02:30 We have a saying in Hindi which is ’Chana Chabaina Ganga Jal, Jo Kuruve Kartaar, Kashi kabahu na chhodiye, Vishwanath Darbar which loosely translates to that if you give me a handful of grams to munch, you know, and a place to stay I would never leave Kashi because, ,Banaras because this is the Eternal City of Shiva of Vishwanath so
02:30 - 03:00 uh so yes you can leave one you can take a man out of Kashi, but you cannot take a Kashi out of man. Agrawal left his city once to study at the renowned fashion design school NIFT in Mumbai. His designs under his own eponymous label are influenced by the traditions of his hometown Varanasi. Precious handwoven fabrics woven with centuries old techniques that use real silver threads called zari.
03:00 - 03:30 Not long after completing his studies, Agrawal returned to Varanasi. This is the most traditional most myth enshrouded city in all of India.
03:30 - 04:00 It's also a surprising city, full of contradictions and synchronicity. Around 1.2 million people live here, most Indians try to make a pilgrimage here once in their lifetime. Hindus believe that bathing at the step-like riverbank fortifications the gods is especially desirable as bathing in the Holy River Ganges is believed to purify one from sin. Each evening hundreds gather along the Ganges both believers and tourists for the ganga arti a sacred ritual of light and
04:00 - 04:30 sacrifice. Hindus often come here to spend the last days of their lives. According to Hindu mythology, dying and being cremated in Varanasi is a way out of the constant cycle of death and rebirth. It’s from here that Hemang Agrawal sells his precious fabrics to customers all over India. I've been a textile maker for 20 years and I've been, I've been blessed to work with some of the greatest names in design
04:30 - 05:00 coming from Japan, coming from Continental Europe including France including Germany. Agrawal joined the family textile business that his father founded in 1974. Banarasi silk saris, the saris from Vanarasi have been known throughout India for centuries. The celebrated art of the local weavers first became famous during the Mogul period, when Muslims ruled India back in the 16th century.
05:00 - 05:30 Earlier the ladies used to mostly stay at home, whereas today the ladies go out working. And there is some difficulty in wearing a Banarasi sari while commuting, so they switched to western clothes, but personally I like the sari. Even today, the sari looks the best at any festival wedding or special occasion. In my opinion there is a lot of g race in wearing a sari.
05:30 - 06:00 Within the industry Agrawal has a reputation for preserving the old weaving traditions from Varanasi. These precious saris are worn at weddings and festivals. Hi! We are suta, come on in! A different city and a completely different vibe, we meet two sisters from Kolkuta who run their business from Mumbai.
06:00 - 06:30 The sisters are passionate about wearing saris and think it would be a shame to only wear the traditional attire at festivities. oh I love this! That's how I love mixing and matching. This is my absolute favorite! They have fallen in love with the sari anew, their reinterpretation has turned it into a success story. Our mother, our aunts our grandparents, they all wore saris so easily in their day-to-day lives, they would sleep in a sari,
06:30 - 07:00 they would wake up work, freshen up and then again wear a sari. So sari felt like home I would come back home hug my mom and it felt like, "oh this is home" and that's how saris always were in our heads. And saris always become the person who's wearing it uh whatever shape it is, whatever mood you are in sari wraps you like that you know. That was the essence of the saris in our hearts. The headquarters in Mumbai are the heart of the operation and the first port of call for in-house customers.
07:00 - 07:30 From here they also ship all over India. Today Suta is known throughout the subcontinent, but the company started out very small. We moved to this very narrow lane it was a It was a Masjid Kali. There literally cars couldn't wouldn't come in. The vegetable carts are usually there. There was a garage shutter and there were mostly like cows and goats outside, we would pick up the shutter there was like a tiny room and we would go in and start working and was our first office and we painted it beautifully inside.
07:30 - 08:00 Inside if you just enter it would be like magical, a space because the walls were painted by us, things were stacked on the floor on a on a bed sheet and it was stacked up there, it was it was just a magic room you know. The sisters esprit is part of their secret to success. Almost weekly they post sensual, feminine, imaginative videos to their Instagram account, showing
08:00 - 08:30 the pair in new sari combinations, enjoying themselves! Suta caters to the desires of its young clientele, for instance for Halloween, just one of their many ideas! Back to Varanasi, where it's mostly traditional saris that are traded. Varanasi is
08:30 - 09:00 one of the most important centers of the Indian textile industry. Here they specialize in handwoven fine fabrics. The precious Banarasi sari are coveted throughout India, they're sold all over the city and woven behind almost every door. Hemang Agrawa and his family have remodeled a 250-year-old palace and opened it as a showroom for his luxury textile label "Anjora", with a prestigious view of
09:00 - 09:30 the Ganges. Here, Hemang Agrawa welcomes customers from all over India. We wanted Anjora, the label, to signify about the best of traditional weaving, as has happened over last two centuries or more. In our other labels we also do a lot of uh tweaking with making it contemporary Anjora purely talks about how weaving has been practiced over the centuries and how the same form still continues and the same things are still relevant.
09:30 - 10:00 Centuries old traditions and weaving practices, that's what his label stands for. Agrawal is very conscious of tradition, something that made the move from textile trade to design even harder for him. Creating something new with the tradition rich fabrics was almost a sacrilege, but he took the leap. In 2016, Agrawal showcased his collection for the first time at India's biggest fashion event, the Lakme Fashion Week. He's been been a regular guest ever since.
10:00 - 10:30 So the sensibility was to make it appeal to a wider audience#, Indian as well as international. So it that has been the center of our uh ideology that we consciously want to create something different using the same set you know as I always say that the soul of the craft can remain the same, but the body can take different shapes and different forms. Back to Mumbai, sari trade is a philosophy for the creators of Suta.
10:30 - 11:00 It's not just a commodity, it's not just a product, it is more than that, it's an extension because sari itself is such a thing that you'll fall in love and then also as a brand we want inclusivity we want the love, the honesty to spread and I think that's doing its job that people are showing, showering so much love on us. Their mission is to make the sari wearable again, beyond festive occasions, but many of their young customers are unsure how to even wrap a sari. There are different ways depending on
11:00 - 11:30 the region and social status of the wearer. The designers skillfully use social media to get their message across posting almost daily. They even have a pre-draped sari in their collection and offer tutorials. We had to show that sari is like a t-shirt you know, I would wear shoes with it um I would wear t-shirt underneath some days I would just wrap the sari, the short sari for cycling. We did a cycling thing and we wore short saris all of us, all the girls with short saris,
11:30 - 12:00 we were cycling all over Bombay. So we did all of that to remind people that saris used to be that, you know. Our ancestors wore saris and did everything! Hunting, running, everything in saris, you know, there was no tailors then, back then right everything happened in sari. The duo have opened 17 shops across India. They even get fan mail from men who have discovered the unstitched sometimes 9 M long garment for themselves. Saris as a signifier of a self-confident generation
12:00 - 12:30 that plays with gender roles. A bride and groom wearing traditional attire should ideally look something like this. India's most famous Bollywood Stars. Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, wearing the finest festive attire at star designer Manish Malhotra's bridal fashion show. Buying precious garments like these is a dream many wealthy Indians are happy to shell out for. Weddings in India are a huge business, most weddings last for several days with some
12:30 - 13:00 500 guests on average. Celebrations take place at multiple locations and involve many rituals, together with family friends neighbors and the entire village. Many families spend a fortune, precious silk saris are popular. Embroidered with real gold and silver like the famous Kanchipuram saris. We're in South India. RMKV is one of the largest and most renowned high-quality sari providers in Chennai, formerly known as Madras.
13:00 - 13:30 The company has been in operation since 1924. I'm here with all the elders in my family, my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles and everyone and we're really thrilled today to be here. Sari shopping itself is such a vibrant experience with the flooding of colors, everything it makes us it's such an emotion and
13:30 - 14:00 we're so happy. If you look at my wardrobe I have something around 200 plus saris. I haven't worn everything yet I have a wide variety of saris. Saris in our culture are like a part of the body right, saris can be seen at all celebrations from the Tamil ear piercing ceremony to the wedding ceremony. A lot of western clothes and trends may come and go but nothing is complete without a sari. Saris are great for women and that's especially true of a Kanchipur and silk
14:00 - 14:30 sari in particular they really enhance the woman's beauty and elegance. A Kanchipuran sari is the highlight of our Tamil wedding it's an auspicious occasion when the bride and groom come to choose a bridal sari, it's a very special moment. moment. The bride is given up to 51 precious saris for the wedding from just one side of the family. The cost of each sari starts at €150 and can go into the tens of
14:30 - 15:00 thousands. Far away from India, the country's textile splendor is also captivating fashionistas in Europe. Glittering luxury, seductive haute couture fantasies, a sea of glistening sequins. That's the world of star designer Rahul Mishra. The first Indian designer to have made it to the Paris haute couture week.
15:00 - 15:30 So dreams are beautifu,l dreams are dreams are driving the country like India and it's a country of I would say billion dreams. Mishra has brought India to Paris. Only the very best are allowed to showcase their creations here. During the biannual haute couture week. The event is the crowning glory of the fashion cosmos.
15:30 - 16:00 Preparations for his latest show are in full swing! The team has been working for 6 months, the models are from Paris, the team is from India. Nerves are on edge. Just sew it along the line and then it will be perfect. The brown yeah brown was amazing yeah yeah yeah maybe.
16:00 - 16:30 When it comes to haute couture, each show must be perfectly planned and staged. The world's press is watching and Mishra hopes to represent India in the best possible light. I was born in a very small village in India, so my first 10 years were almost away
16:30 - 17:00 from entire world, just rested to the village that was my entire universe and beyond that it used to be like uh at night sleeping under the stars, enjoying that time was really beautiful so and then hearing stories from my grandmother, playing with her with her spinning wheel. Although as a child, you know I had no idea it's forming an an impact onto me, you know, I'm just like I'm
17:00 - 17:30 just playing just for fun of it but then when I'm today designer when I look back I'm able to connect dots. Like how that that time shaped my thinking. Back in India for millennia women in South Asia have draped themselves in silk and linen. The wearer's origins can be identified by how she wears the garments, as well as the type of fabric its colors and embroidery.
17:30 - 18:00 The first mention of saris can be found in a Hindu hymn book from around 3,000 BC. In Sanskrit, the word means a strip of fabric. India has 28 States and more than 100 ways to drape a sari. In 2023, the sari even made it into an international museum. The London Museum of design paid homage to sari design with 60 different exhibits. As a festive garment, the sari is in, but for everyday wear it hasn't always been.
18:00 - 18:30 In 2015, two friends from Bangalore grew tired of the hundreds of saris just sitting in their closets, so they founded a movement under the hash 100 Sari packed. It called on women to make a conscious decision to wear their saris in everyday life, the movement captivated the country. But what does the younger generation think about tradition and modernity? Is there still room for up to 9 meters of tradition rich fabric between Instagram and YouTube?
18:30 - 19:00 I don't look like a teacher but when I go to the school I wear sari, that defines my fashion, my profession. I'm a dancer as well so when I started dancing, I was very baggy pants and all because I was into hip-hop, then I realized that I more into a dance form which is popping so I changed my style like it came game like uh a woman in suit. Fashion is like I change it by time to time like how
19:00 - 19:30 I feel, according to my emotions, according to my energies, like what I want to. As for my generation we're not expected to dress uh traditionally in suits or saris every single day we can wear modern clothes, we can wear western clothes but I would say that my mother and grandmothers are so blessed that they came from very open families who loved their expressions of themselves, like for now I'm wearing my grandmother's belt actually and it's just yeah it depends on every household in India.
19:30 - 20:00 Yeah I like to dress very androgynously so for a person like me expressing who I am I use the way I dress to you know just communicate what I feel as a person and what my you know gender identity is and who I am. Back to Europe, to Paris to the Fashion World of Rahul Mishra. Fashion is both art and business, a sculpture as a piece of clothing. The show is the latest test at haute couture week.
20:00 - 20:30 You have got best of the brands from almost all the countries they come and showcase here. So being amongst them seeing their work and at the same time improving a game, yeah it's like there's a beautiful saying: if you want to be the best player, play with best teams. So you know that's what Paris has done to us in the last 10 years of time and we learning.
20:30 - 21:00 Opulently embroidered designs often with Indian narrative elements is how Mishra made a name for himself in the industry. His master embroider Afzal Zariwala is with him. He's worked with Mishra since 2010. It's all credited to him, because his workmanship was so beautiful that it kind of made me realize that hand embroidery is a beautiful craft. It has got so much of good will, so many good things attached to it.
21:00 - 21:30 Mishra knows just how important the craftsmanship of his employees is. It's what got him where he is today, he greatly values their time honored cross-generational knowledge. This is an art. In my village, some learn this and some also do gold work. It helps us earn a living.
21:30 - 22:00 Have you been doing this long? yes I've been doing it for 42 years. After his last Paris haute coutour week, Mishra read about India surpassing China in population and got the idea for his current collection. He called it we the people, a tribute to his team.
22:00 - 22:30 The new collection features designs based on portraits of his artisans. Very, very important, they're like family. We wanted to do something um like a tribute to our careers to uh the people who work for us. So in each petal we created uh people working in it.
22:30 - 23:00 It's a very Gandhian thought, behind the whole idea is like we are in fashion business, we have to create clothes. What if if we can slow down the process of creation so that more people can participate in the process of making clothes and that is what makes haute couture far more beautiful, far more valuable, far more divine. They have just one day left to make their dream come true of another successful haute couture week.
23:00 - 23:30 From the luxury bubble, back to India, to the dark side of the fashion industry. Fast fashion, it's an industry that spits out cheap clothes at an ever increasing rate. Much of the clothing will only be worn a few times, quality doesn't matter. In India nearly 8 million tons of textile waste are generated every year, with global clothing production doubling in the past last 15 years, it's a serious problem. It's estimated that the fashion industry uses around
23:30 - 24:00 93 billion cubic meters of water annually. Around the same amount of water 5 million people drink in a year. The countryside in the state of Tamil Nadu in the middle of the southeast of the subcontinent. Here we meet a designer who like many young Indian designers has taken up the sustainability cause. I'll be very happy about it if, if my journey makes at least an inch of difference among the people.
24:00 - 24:30 A village on the outskirts of the South Indian city of Chennai, this is where Vino Supraja finds inspiration for her fashion. She grew up just 10 km from the village of Purisai. I think it's my duty to bring out all these hidden gems from my background to the world's eye, so that they get noticed and uh the art form gets the limelight, that it deserves to get.
24:30 - 25:00 Aa fashion designer Supraja wants to let her childhood memories inspire her. Her current collection was influenced by the street theater known as Therukoothu that is still alive in the village today. Therukoothu is a form of storytelling and uh and it's a very very ancient art form. It happens
25:00 - 25:30 throughout the night and they narrate stories like Mahabharatam episodes of Mahabharat or episodes of Ramayan and uh several other short stories that we have heard growing up and it's very crude, it's very raw; rustic very colorful and very inspiring too. Drawing on the strong lines the stripes of the large skirts and the tassels, Supraja created her collection. Her label has been
25:30 - 26:00 around since 2015. Supraja has made a name for herself in the industry as a designer who works very sustainably. It's important to her that the sustainability concept runs right through to the very last link in the supply chain. I also make sure that I source all the, all the raw materials and all the fabrics and every single element of my garments from from the local community and I try to engage local artisans in making the garments and making the accessories, so it's
26:00 - 26:30 more, you know I would say it's not just grounded superficially. It is grounded and rooted in every true sense. Vino Supraja has even written a book about the polluting nature of the fast fashion industry. We can't just pollute this world for the sake of wearing new clothes every day and live back a very dirty world, very polluted world to our children right? There is no point
26:30 - 27:00 in building bank balance and buying houses for our children and not giving them clear air clean air and clean water right? So at least for that sake we need to be more conscious about what we buy. In September 2023, she presented her "Purisai" collection at Fashion Week in London, complete with a dance interlude.
27:00 - 27:30 Being a sustainable fashion designer is not easy at all, because we are talking about selling a philosophy, not selling a product. We are asking people to become more minimal, we are asking people to be more conscious about their buying choices and we are also selling garments right? So, it's kind of you know you come to a middle ground, it's more about preaching than about making profit. Back in the traditional city of Varanasi, making a genuine banarasi sari from silk is a feat in itself.
27:30 - 28:00 Hemang Agrawal shows us another label in his family's textile empire. Holy weaves, a business run by his brother. The Agrawals work together with up to 2,000 weaving families. The weavers need anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months to complete a single piece, even longer if the design is complicated. The Agrawals value the craftsmanship of their workers, having worked with many of the families for generations.
28:00 - 28:30 My fathers and forefathers have all been involved with this craft now we have only older weavers left. Hardly any young weavers, they have mostly gone over to power looms. Very few left in hand looming, what comes out of the handloom can never come out of a powerloom, that is not possible. There's simply no comparison to handloom weaving.
28:30 - 29:00 The weavers of Hemang Agrawal are well paid, they're valued for their high quality artistic work and make a good living from it. Nowadays though manual work is on the decline. 3/4 of basari saris are produced by machine. The saris are cheaper to make and the weavers don't earn as much for them as they did in the past. 120,000 weavers live in Varanasi, most of
29:00 - 29:30 them are muslim and live in poor weaving colonies, earning less than a construction worker does in a day. Many work on power looms which produce saris and fabrics much more cheaply up to one or two a day. Most of us are involved with machine weaving, but even with machine work the business is not
29:30 - 30:00 going well the trade is bad, that's why a lot of people are leaving and going elsewhere. Some are finding other jobs too, there are a lot of power cuts here that affects us weavers a lot. It's really tough we can hardly get by, we can buy food with what we earn but we were poor before and even today
30:00 - 30:30 we are poor- There is no progress, sometimes even just living can be tough. Handlooms are becoming increasingly rare with many younger people here simply no longer willing to do the hard laborious work, like most other places in the world, craftsmanship
30:30 - 31:00 is still highly valued, but it is often replaced with technology. Technological advancements have changed India before. In 1918, India was under British rule, the colonial power, Britain, flooded the Indian market with cheap machine-made fabrics from Europe. This prompted Mahatma Gandhi to act. India grew hundreds of tons of cotton annually and yet Indians were unemployed half the year. Instead of sending their raw cotton to English Mills, why not make their own cloth? thus began
31:00 - 31:30 the Khadi or Homespun movement. The Khadi movement was an aid program for the poor in Indian Villages. Spinning and weaving became part of an ideology in India for Independence and self-governance. Each village was to grow and harvest its own raw materials for yarn and each village should weave what it needed for its own use. The independence movement adopted Gandhi's principles of nonviolent
31:30 - 32:00 action and civil disobedience, ultimately leading to the end of British colonial rule in the country. In 1947 India declared its independence as a state. To this day Gandhi is considered the father of the nation. With the spinning wheel at the center of the Indian flag. Even the current government under prime minister Narendra Modi promotes Khadi. Politicians including Modi himself wear Khadi vests at public events. Today the fabric is produced by small and
32:00 - 32:30 medium-sized enterprises. Khadi is part of India's national identity. The thread that brought India independence. Government-run Khadi stores can be found throughout the country and Khadi is back in vogue. On our way to New Delhi, the capital of India in the north of the subcontinent.
32:30 - 33:00 1.4 billion people are governed from here. Since April 2023, India has been the most populous country in the world. And its economy is growing at a rapid pace. In New Delhi, the seat of the Indian government, the parliament and the highest courts, president Modi is omnipresent. His image adorns every bus stop. Narendra Modi is everywhere. Since becoming prime minister in 2014 Modi has placed significant emphasis
33:00 - 33:30 on his public image, his style reflects the fact that India's clothing and fabrics are part of the country's national heritage. He is often seen wearing a vest. A sleeveless jacket worn by many politicians before him, now called the Modi jacket by many Indians. Under Mod's government, there are more and more initiatives to support India's textile industry and to promote global marketing with designers.
33:30 - 34:00 A residential district on the outskirts of Deli. This is the house of designer Ritu Beri, who's granted us a private audience. The setup of her opulent abode is something of a calling card for Beri's cosmopolitan style. This is a very old altar which I got from uh Goa. She's been involved in the fashion industry for 30 years. This whole thing is hand painted and uh there's embroidery as well. It's an African
34:00 - 34:30 inspired. I do believe that life is short and you've got to live your life to the fullest and enjoy as much as you can. So everything every object in my house has a story to tell and I mix different cultures together. There's no set thing you know and I'm I I like to break moulds. Her Hallmark is an elegant, opulent mix of styles with influences from all corners of the globe.
34:30 - 35:00 She's considered the "Indian queen of fashion". The Indian government has even minted a postage stamp in her honor. In 1989, Beri was the first graduate of a newly founded fashion design Institute in Delhi. Her label has been around since 1990. She was also the first Indian designer to show a collection in Paris, at a time when India was still not recognized as a design center. In 1999, Beri gave the French fashion world an insight into mystical India.
35:00 - 35:30 What I presented in my first show was completely Indian. There was there was no Western element, it was all about what India stands for. I had Indian uh dresses, in fact I had uh my models, um you know bare feet with Indian um you know the the red uh foot uh paint, so it was all very very Indian
35:30 - 36:00 and people loved uh this introduction to Indian culture, which I which I was very pleased with. In 2000, Beri became the first Asian woman to head a French fashion house she designed the Pret a Porter collections at Fashion House Jean Louis Scherrer. She was very interested in how Western patterns were created and invited Western teachers to India to teach Indian tailors. As a designer she blends Indian and western style elements. In 2010, the French government conferred on her the knight's
36:00 - 36:30 honor. There followed accolades from the Spanish Royal house as well as many others. It was a tough journey because I had to break that barrier, I had to prove myself. I had to prove myself that Indians are capable of going beyond just copying and and doing things you know and and but it but having said that
36:30 - 37:00 I have to say that uh uh I I loved my journey and given a second chance I would do it yet the same way. In her Homeland Ritu Beri is seen as a design icon, a Donatella Versace of India. She may have peaked in the 1990s, but her influence still holds. She ensures that the Indian fashion industry is globally recognized. India's fashion design scene is still relatively young and needs to develop, she says. But it has potential.
37:00 - 37:30 Beri dresses celebrities and politicians for Indian State visits, with Britain's King Charles and former President George W Bush among her clients. Since 2015, she's been officially appointed by the Indian government as the Ambassador for Khadi, the handwoven fabric once promoted by Gandhi himself. About 6 years ago Khadi was considered a fabric for either senior citizens or politicians, so it
37:30 - 38:00 was not you know it was not a very popular fabric and not a very trendy fabric but also I must give credit to our honorable prime minister who who did a lot to promote khadi to the to the world and to India. Fashion is not just clothes, it's it's the image of the country. Back to Europe, to Paris to Rahul Mishra.
38:00 - 38:30 He couldn't have realized his dream without teamwork including the support of his wife. They founded the label together in 2013. The couple met during their design studies. We have seen things in very micro levels, we have troubleshooted a lot of things, we learned a lot. There were many slips, there were many turns, there were many difficult stops but that's how you learn.
38:30 - 39:00 You know? yYou learn from where you started from the very smallest of micro details and that's how we' have been able to pull together the brand and God's been kind. Now even India's celebrities and influencers fly to Paris for Mishra's show. It's sort of a great creative um you know booming, flourishing period, where anything is possible and where everyone is interested and
39:00 - 39:30 where each moment each new look that's created is sort of writing the Indian history and the evolution of Indian fashion and how we take it on a global stage. His eighth appearance at Haute Couture Week is to take place at the Musée de la Monnaie - in the courtyard of the prestigious Money Museum. The tension is palpable. Mishra's journey took him on a scholarship via Milan to Paris. He won the highly respected Woolmark Prize, like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld before him.
39:30 - 40:00 This paved the way for Rahul Mishra to arrive at the heart of the international fashion scene. He had his first show in Paris in 2014 with a ready to wear collection, then came the leap to Haute Couture. The who's who of International fashion is here. Those with tickets are handpicked and include influential Indian celebrities, fashion bloggers and international industry players.
40:00 - 40:30 Even Suzy Menkes is here, the undisputed British icon of fashion criticism who gave her verdict on Mishra’s work early on. I've always loved India and been interested in what can be done there and the work of human hands is especially rewarding and Rahul Mishra himself is someone who believes so strongly in using hands and making things beautiful, but naturally. He took so many people in India and taught them how to create things to wear in
40:30 - 41:00 a really beautiful way and a timeless way, so that something that he might have made 5 years ago is still relevant today and I think you can't ask anything more for a designer than that. Back to India in Spring 2023, French luxury fashion house Dior presented its fall collection here right next to the famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, in front of
41:00 - 41:30 the Gateway of India, one of the country's main landmarks. The French fashion house has enjoyed a long association with India and the renowned Mumbai based Chanakya atelier.They have been working together for many years. India's young upand comiing middle class as well as a growing number of the super rich are becoming increasingly appealing to international fashion brands- The show was a deliberate sign from Dior's creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri.
41:30 - 42:00 She values the meticulous work of the atelier. It started with a archive that has core couching techniques, we have a collection of children's ceremonial jackets, it's probably from the Lucknow region, within India uh and it uses the very typical couching technique.
42:00 - 42:30 What we've done it's it's on a silk base, we wanted to find ways to keep it very, very fine. A thickness of thread that is almost just 1 mm and if you look closer within the design there's also a very fine orange thread and the orange thread is really what is keeping together the whole embroidery. How is this rich tradition being passed on in India and how is it taught?
42:30 - 43:00 So it is in our blood, I mean you cannot live in India and not be influenced by the textiles, the colors, the fabric, the cuts, the designs, the drapes. We are in India's capital New Delhi visiting the renowned National Institute of fashion technology, the NIFT design school. It's the oldest and most prestigious of the 18 associated institutes nationwide. Those who
43:00 - 43:30 have made it here have taken the first step into India's fashion industry. Currently there are almost 1300 students taking part in the institute's various programs. Manisha Kinnu heads the institute in Delhi. It's important to her that the students not only realize their visions, but above all understand the rich heritage of Indian craftsmanship from the ground up. Each region of the subcontinent has its own unique crafts that need to be preserved. So our students grow, learning all about design, fashion silhouettes, but they
43:30 - 44:00 also learn a lot about craft. So they go to the village in groups, sit in on the floor with the crafts person, learn what the craft is all about, so it works both way, it's a very symbiotic kind of a thing, because students learn about craft and craftsmen who've been doing the same thing for a long time. They get some ideas of the colors, probably that they can use use diversification of products, which would also help in selling more products and increasing their livelihood.
44:00 - 44:30 The problems of the fashion industry are also part of the curriculum. The textile industry ranks among the biggest environmental polluters. The concept of sustainability, waste-free production and upcycling are important parts of the training. For example, students learn how to die with plants or cut fabric without waste. Technical innovations are becoming increasingly important. How to simplify and improve production, make it more efficient
44:30 - 45:00 and environmentally friendly. The IT department is working on designing programs for 3D prints for sewing factories. Soon every factory owner will be able to print out tools to upgrade their machines. This fabric defect detection machine works with AI. Its biggest advantage is that it's 95% more reliable than humans.
45:00 - 45:30 No human intervention is required and the way the fabric inspector works. They are very hardworking, they have to keep their eyes on the garment throughout the time that they should not miss any defect. So it's impacting their health also and their working hours are very short because they cannot work for the long, so it's helping to the industry in terms of the sustainability, on the human aspect also but also on the quality aspect. But what about India's other fashion metropolis? Mumbai, a many faceted city. Magnificent old buildings
45:30 - 46:00 in Victorian Gothic style. The Metropolis of 12.5 million on the west coast is the biggest city in the country and one of the world's most populous. Like no other major Indian city, Mumbai stands for modernity and new beginnings. New Delhi is where the country's laws are made, but Mumbai is where its social trends are born. And the center of the Indian film industry known as Bollywood is also here.
46:00 - 46:30 This is where we meet Priyanka Mishra, known in the scene as PYU. The Stylist works with Indian film stars, dressing them for promotional events and publicity appearances and styling them for the red carpet. I styled Mr. Amir Khan, Shantanu Maheshwari, Milind Soman, Randeep Hooda. I've worked on projects where it involved Kartik, Aaryan, Ayushman, Khurana. I've also worked with women. To name a few. Sushmita Sen. I've worked under teams which have styled Alia Bhatt. And the list goes on.....
46:30 - 47:00 When we are styling we keep our eyes open as a stylist at what is going to be the trend and also when you see a celebrity, it's also aspirational. So our whole job is to keep them on rrend, very fashionable and also aspirational and also make sure that something is on the table that has never
47:00 - 47:30 been done. I specialize in men's wear styling so you'll see every actor that I style, the men is for sure wearing a jewelry, which again is a new thing because it was always believed that men can't be ornamented and my men are always bejeweled, head to toe. PYU takes us into the city to the young designers who stand out, with their style and attitude they represent a new Indian
47:30 - 48:00 self-confidence. Most of the workshops are hidden away in courtyards and small industrial areas. This if you see is very different from the process that you just saw the entire piece, so it's sewn thrice over. That's one technique that mugals used to use to make Kagras. Designer Ateev Anand’s credo is to create with respect for nature. His collections are produced as environmentally friendly as possible. For him, it’s all about respectful
48:00 - 48:30 recycling of materials and textiles. His Fabrics are dyed naturally. Nature's full of surprises, this is green coconuts that are giving us pink color. You know the hibiscus flower, which is red gives you green color, onion skins which are purple give you yellow color, pomegranate
48:30 - 49:00 skins which are yellow/red give you like a gray. I feel, for me like the minute I've been exposed to this, it makes me, it humbles me. I realize that we don't know everything that we think we know, like nature's so full of surprises that if we keep our curiosity open, there's so much for us to feel kind of connected. The team is super talented like we can achieve any kind of color. We don't dictate colors it doesn't come out of a shade card, it comes out from plants, so sometimes
49:00 - 49:30 we'll realize that the color that you get from fresh Marigolds is very different than the color that you get from dried marigolds- It's just yellow, but it's a different shade of yellow. So when someone comes to us and says I want that particular shade, we say okay we'll try it but not sure that that's something we will achieve, we will we will tell you how it unfolds and we'll show you the whole process and then you can pick from there and I find that that is far more, how
49:30 - 50:00 would I say, a gentler way to work with colors than say oh no I want that particular shade of pink. Bags full of marigold blossoms, tons of them are used to decorate Hindu temple festivals and are later simply thrown away, but Anand gives them a new purpose, he uses them for dying. I feel like all of those flowers carry a lot of energy, because people put all of that, of their manifestation, of their energy into them when they offer them and that actually translates
50:00 - 50:30 into the clothes, so yeah. I enjoy working when we do with recycled cotton, is we introduce gold along with our recycled cotton yarn. With his haute couture wedding dress line RE Ceremonial, the designer made it to the most important Indian fashion industry event in 2022: Lakmé Fashion Week. For Anand, his understanding of design and fashion is expressed in the name of his label RE.
50:30 - 51:00 That's how re, because it echoed everything it was not just recycling it's also creating with respect, so re you kind of resume older techniques, so re, in that sense it's a responsibility, so re. In all of those senses it felt like it kind of fit in as an ideology and that's why I do what I do. Stylist Pyu introduces us to another fashion designer: its founder, Surmaii Jain, studied at the NIFT Institute in Mumbai and in New York.
51:00 - 51:30 In 2020 she founded her label Polite Society. Polite in the sense of friendly, but with her label Jain doesn't always want to be friendly she wants to push boundaries. What is male? What is female? What are gender roles? Predetermined norms and forms? One of her best sellers is the corset. The corsets as part of of history have been a garment that's supposed to sort of restrain women but it's so beautiful right at the same time because
51:30 - 52:00 it actually accentuates the like a woman's body in like a very particular way and it's almost fascinating to see that this was something that was used to like restrain you know like but uh I wanted to like sort of take that and how can we use that to liberate now you know. I'm not wearing this to look thinner or anything, it's sort of just hugging it in the right places so we don't construct it in a way that it's going to be uncomfortable because comfort is also a big
52:00 - 52:30 part of the clothing brand. And if you see like pockets everywhere like my like it's completely adjustable so like if I eat... I think we all women can agree that.. I swear and there is like lacing at the back if I eat too much I can just like loosen it up a little bit. As far as Surmaii Jain is concerned, her target group is 100 percent young Indians. She started her business right at the beginning of the pandemic. Thanks to social media and online marketing, she and her team now make a good living.
52:30 - 53:00 Stylist PYU shows us another brand Tiesta, a shoe label. The makers of Tiesta are two sisters from Mumbai, they wanted to do something special in 2016, realize customers wishes and dreams. Everything is made to measure for the most important event and for Indian families, the wedding. It's a problem solving company, it's not just a fast-selling fashion or something we are actually helping people to get a perfect pair.
53:00 - 53:30 Obviously shoes, people, they have to be on their toes all day. Clothes you'll get everywhere. It all started with high heels, custommade with brocade embellishments and embroidery to match a wedding gown, then one customer had a very special request an embroidered wedding sneaker. I just flicked a picture from my phone I uploaded on Instagram and after that we made like around 500 of designs in that and like we've shipped 2 to 3,000 in these
53:30 - 54:00 two years just sneaker wedges. Word has spread about Tiesta's wedding sneakers, a newspaper from the Gulf States recently reported on the festive shoes. Tiesta gladly fulfills her customers wishes, but also warns them. They asked us this one question saying that, what do you suggest the brides when it comes to heels? Do they really need to wear heels? We have told them you don't
54:00 - 54:30 really need to match to your husband's height. It's okay people know the difference. Just because if you want to like really look tall and everything, we understand, don't go over the board. Four inches is what is tested and trial if you want to go above that, think twice. We have made 10 inch shoes for a client I'm like eventually people know your height. Stylist PYU also swears by Tiesta and even had a pair custommade, a daring 6 inches high, about 15 cm.
54:30 - 55:00 Everything is handmade so they have their tools with what they put it inside and then they stick it. Tiesta's sneaker wedges cost between 8,000 and 12,000 Indian rupees, that's between 90 and 130 euros. Today to date they have more than 10,000 customers and have even managed to get Bollywood stars to wear
55:00 - 55:30 their shoes in photo shoots. Back to Delhi, India's second major fashion metropolis. We have an appointment in a fashion district in the middle of Delhi with the makers of the exclusive street wear label nor black nor white. The makers grew up in Toronto Canada and returned to India in 2010, to explore Indian craftsmanship and they stayed.
55:30 - 56:00 Their specialty is a traditional tie dye technique called bandani, which they reinterpret and combine with street wear. They sell their creations online, worldwide with a large fan base in the United States and among second generation Indian migrants. We are both children of immigrants, grew up in areas of Toronto that were having other immigrant communities around us. We grew up with Sri Lankan, Guyanese, Trinidadian, Jamaican, Indian like we grew up with
56:00 - 56:30 everybody and we got to learn about each other's culture and again as children of immigrants, we basically expressed and know children from everywhere, anywhere you express yourself through your style. Their approach is colorful, bold and handmade. Every piece takes time. Nor black, nor white don't want to design a new collection each season. They want to produce slowly and consciously. They prefer pieces that last and can be worn for a long time.
56:30 - 57:00 They've been selling online since 2010. Diversity in the industry has always been important to them and not just since it became fashionable. I just feel like it's like that typical like fair skin, you know we were told in our first, you know, photo shoot we had shot, one of our amazing friends for our first lookbook and we were told that who was from uh Kerala, her family was from Kerala based in Bombay, that oh you know maybe you should use like a white model, you know what I mean
57:00 - 57:30 and it's like no well that's not India so for us I think it's really important that we also show the people that wear our clothes. Nor black nor white fits in with the self-image of a young Indian generation that combines the traditional with the contemporary and doesn't see that as a contradiction. When I look at the the industry in India now and just looking at our peers, the younger generation that's coming through it's so exciting because they're really starting to form their own aesthetic that necessarily does not need to
57:30 - 58:00 be your traditional wear, like they are kind of dabbling in their street wear or they're like upcycling and there's a whole new era of designers coming out and I'm super stoked about it. Back in Paris will Rahul Mishra convince the industry and the World Press?
58:00 - 58:30 The show proves a feast for the senses! Mishra's fall 2023 collection "We the People" is a success.
58:30 - 59:00 The Indian celebrities who made the trip especially are also pleased. India is having a huge moment at the moment, uh internationally um everyone's talking about India. Whether it's fashion, films, you know the culture, uh the food, I I just think that there's there's suddenly a keen interest in India, which is great for us. You know we're we're a
59:00 - 59:30 culture and a country that's bursting with diversity, so many different people from different places who speak different languages, who have different cultures and just waiting to be explored by the rest of the world. So , it's it's just perfect that you know finally the the world has woken up to us. Back in India we drive to Noida, a satellite town, on the outskirts of Delhi for the last stage of our journey. It's around 4 months after the Paris show and we wanted to see the conditions under which Mishra's visions are created.
59:30 - 60:00 This is where he operates his dream factory, around 200 employees embroider sequin after sequin as if in a trance, painstakingly applying millions of glittering stones onto the finest of fabrics. It's meticulous work. You are very excited about. You wait for the, for the image to emerge. You wait for the embroidery source to get complete. You wait for the output to get 3-dimensional
60:00 - 60:30 shape. The designer stands by the idea behind his collection. We the people. He believes in fair payment for his employees and he wants them to take pride in working for him. He even allows many of them to work and embroider from the their home villages. When I look at the people I work with personally, they all really find this profession is
60:30 - 61:00 going to be enabler, in terms of participation, how they can participate in creating a beautiful piece, but at the same time it also enables them to able to dream, to able to fulfill their dream. Like, one of our eldest embroider and the in our Rahul Mishra Universe could send his daughter to study in UK. So when she is right now studying in London, this allows every embroiderer within the factory
61:00 - 61:30 to dream that they can also do something like that for their next generation. Improving the world with luxury goods, that's what Mishra believes in. He pays his employees double the standard wage for their sewing and embroidery work. Just before our interview his social media posted this latest coup. US singer and actress Selena Gomez glowing in a Rahul Mishra floral dress. Celebrities are door openers in the haute couture business. In Mumbai in April 2023, we found out what can happen when a Hollywood
61:30 - 62:00 star wears a Rahul Mishra creation. US actress Endaya wore a delicate starry sky sari by Mishra to the grand opening of a cultural temple in Mumbai. The images went around the world and the sari became a sought-after fashion piece. A triumph for Rahul Mishra. The custommade piece involved around 3,000 hours of handwork and cost over €12,000.
62:00 - 62:30 For his dedication to ethical and sustainable fashion, he has also been honored by the French government with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres award. He's even met Emmanuel Macron. I was feeling uh you know, there could have been more Indians over there at the dinner. So, I was the only one you know is in from India at president Macron's dinner. I really feel you know, this thing should change really fast because India is the most populous country. For these
62:30 - 63:00 kind of events also we should get like, you know, far bigger representation from the country. The designer now hopes to attract attention worldwide, with an easy to wear line. He launched it together with one of India's largest retail groups as a sponsor, but the line is still intended to be produced slowly and consciously with lots of handmade items. Rahul Mishra remains true to his principles.
63:00 - 63:30 Fashion in India, as diverse, promising and dazzling as the subcontinent itself. By 2030, the world's most populous country could be one of the top three economies in the world. India's middle class is growing, the era of western aesthetics, long dictated by the British is over! We're not running behind the fashion trends that west world had to offer.
63:30 - 64:00 I could take some things from Indian traditions, add my own sensibility to it and also create something which was completely contemporary. A lot of us are undoing a lot of learning there are these colonized ideas of beauty, that we all have, that we're sort of letting go off a little bit. There's curiosity in the world that hasn't been there before.
64:00 - 64:30 We have so much talent in India, there is there is so much to explore. I'm sure there are going to be many Indian designers who are going to feel really inspired about it and they all are going to join me also, in creating beautiful India story, uh on the global fashion map.