“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.
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
