“This pandemic has overhauled many absolutes of everyday living,” says designer Anita Dongre, writing to me from her Mumbai home. Many parts of the country are still under lockdown, and, like Dongre and others in the industry, I’m working not from my desk at the Vogue India office, but in the confines of my bedroom. It’s safe to say that over the past several months, the workings of the Indian fashion industry have been turned on its head.
Last year, a McKinsey report estimated that by 2022 the Indian apparel industry would be worth nearly US$60 billion—a figure that now seems impossible as factories have shut, supply chains are disrupted and orders cancelled due to the pandemic. The crafts community, one of the largest sources of employment in the country, found itself stranded without a source of income. And for our leading designers, many of whom rely on the booming bridal market to support their labels, the postponement of weddings and a freeze on more significant events had an immediate impact on their bottom lines. For some labels, both here and abroad, this pandemic has sounded a knell.
This is just a microscopic view. Taking from what Dongre said, the past few months have seen a change in the status quo. There’s been a rise in conversations on sustainability and craftsmanship: fashion shows have gone ‘phygital’, brands are curating and communicating in new ways, e-commerce sites have been launched, and designers are countering previously set mandates on delivery drops, seasons and discounting.
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