Love for ethnic Indian fashion on the rise globally

With rising number of Hollywood stars donning outfits created by

Indian designers for red carpet events and social dos, and spread of ecommerce, demand for India-inspired merchandise by global customers is on the rise. At Cannes 2013, Paris Hiton was spotted wearing a Falguni and Shane Peacock customized baby pink full length gown with feather embellishments. She also walked for the designers grand finale show at India Resort Fashion Week 2012 in Goa.

As per recent research carried out by b2b marketplace Alibaba.com, there has been a significant spurt in global demand for fashion apparels like Indian kaftans and kurtis, designer saris, salwar kameez and jewellery like kundan and polka. As Khalid Isar, Country General Manager of Alibaba.com points out that an increase in demand is owing to growing limelight on fashion inspired by Indian designs. “The star-struck world has followed suit and mainstream retailers are now creating tunics, jewellery and dresses with Indian embroidery, prints and styles into their seasonal collections,” he said in a statement.

The power of e-commerce has helped SMEs expand their business and export to new markets like US, Europe and South-east Asia. “Our members are also noticing new countries buying India inspired garments. Countries like Libya, Malaysia and China are new buyer markets that were not previously traditional buyer markets,” he added.