Affordable designer clothing, now just a click away

Expensive designer ensembles that so far remained a dream for shoppers are now up for grabs on online platforms.

E-commerce has changed the way consumers shopped and what they shopped for. Designer wear by Rohit Bal, Raghavendra Rathore to Ritu Kumar is now easily available online, thanks to the aggressive marketing efforts of online portals like Jabong, Myntra and Flipkart. Interestingly, clothes by these top fashion designers are now available at affordable prices, the range hovers anywhere between Rs 3,500-15,000.

No wonder the demand for designer wear is on the rise and designers are now busy creating special collections for online customers, which also allow them to reach out to the larger audience. E-commerce now means a big business for the fashion fraternity. However, the fact remains that the larger volume of sale is driven by heavy discounts. Now it's easy to grab a statement shirt or a top online for just Rs 2,500. And other elaborate pieces like a complete anarkali set, from Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000. As the customer gets accustomed to buying designer wear in these price brackets, he also gets hooked on to shopping online. Then it becomes easier for e-tailers to retail a Sabyasachi Mukherjee sari for anywhere between Rs 40,000 and above.

From Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra, Masaba Gupta and Rahul Mishra, as well as emerging designers are trying to reach out to a new set of consumers with wearable and affordable designs. E-commerce has helped in bridging the gap between the consumer and designer wear. While established designers are launching their collections on leading platforms like Myntra, Jabong or Exclusively.in, these e-tailers are also partnering with fashion weeks like Wills and Lakme to boost emerging talent.