Ethnic wear poised for big times

Ethnic wear seems to be the flavor of the season this summer. Cutting across department stores, kurtis and other desi apparels are flying off the shelves with customers queuing up for the latest in comfortable Indian wear. All this even while western designer labels fret over silhouettes and

sizes for the domestic buyers. Mohit Tikamany, CEO, Manyavar, a well-known ethinc wear brand says, “Ethnic wear has been existing for a long time but the mass was not educated about this segment. It was seen more as an occasion wear. Today, people have realized that ethnic wear need not be limited to occasions only. One can team up a kurti with denims and wear it to college or a short kurti on cotton trousers go well.” What has helped is that a lot of TV stars too are wearing ethnic wear making it fashionable and trendy. The media exposure has brought ethnic wear into the limelight thus creating awareness leading to increase in sales.

But the biggest change has come from fusion wear. It is becoming a common sight to see women combine kurtis with jeans, clingy T-shirts with ethnic print skirts or tunics with chudidar-style leggings. “Women’s ethnic wear has undergone a drastic transformation in the past few years. People have become more experimental and want a combination of both ethnic and western wear. This has led to a rise in fusion wear. More and more of western cuts and styles are getting introduced in Indian wear,” opines Mahesh Mohnani, Director, Vasari. Perhaps what makes the segment click is that Indian wear makes a person look elegant and sophisticated and is also the most comfortable attire in the wardrobe.

While there are scores of women’s western wear brands in the market, there are not too many ethnic wear brands. Mohnani explains, “On an average, for every rupee a woman spends on ethnic wear, she spends Rs 2.75 on western wear. Ethnic wear is a very specialized and specific market. It involves huge investment.”

Industry experts, however, feel that the current spurt in sales is because the stores woke up to the potential late. Tikamany further elaborates, “Ethnic wear is a dicey subject. One needs to have good knowledge and understanding of the market and that is why not too many brands venture into this segment. This is also one of the reasons why even local players are afraid to expand into this business.” What manufacturers do not realize is the amount of untapped potential this category has. There are numerous brands in western wear – Indian as well as foreign. On the contrary ethnic wear is still growing and because it’s becoming a mass wearing segment its potential for growth is manifold.