What does Dior’s Mumbai show mean for Indian fashion students?

Social media sites flooded with the images of Dior’s pre-fall 2023 showcase, at the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai, on March 30.

Inspired by Indian fashion, designs on the runway were full of colour — rani pink silks, peela yellows, and jamuni purples made the ensembles come alive. 

On March 31, Bloomberg reported that French luxury conglomerate LVMH’s shares “rose as much as 1% to 838.7 euros (US$913), touching a record high during market hours on Friday.”

As Dior is the second largest brand in the LVMH group, this comes as no surprise. 

Colours that celebrate Indian fashion, such as rani pink silks, peela yellows, and jamuni purples, were mainstays on the runway. Source: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP

Indian fashion and culture were certainly at the forefront of the show. The runway was decorated with marigolds and lamps, while the outfits themselves paid tribute to Indian artisans with designs inspired by traditional Indian silhouettes. 

This includes defining signatures in Indian fashion such as the Madras check, detailed Banarasi brocade fabrics, sharp Nehru collars, kurthas, saree-esque draping and more. 

Both Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities made an appearance donning Indian fashion designs and standout fabrics. Some names of note include Sonam Kapoor, Rekha, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Freida Pinto, Gigi Hadid and Simone Ashley. 

 

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The luxury fashion house chose this opportunity to celebrate its collaboration with Mumbai-based Chanakya Ateliers, a partnership that is several decades old thanks to Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. 

Chanakya Ateliers can be a force in Indian fashion with its quality craftsmanship. It has also worked with many other luxury houses, such as Versace, Valentino, Balmain and Moncler. 

In 2016, the Chanakya School of Craft was established as a non-profit with the aim of empowering women. 

Having educated over 700 women, the Chanakya School of Craft specialises in a one-year programme which teaches women the art of hand embroidery, turning them into master artisans who have control over their own future. 

 

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The odd thing is that despite all this good work and high calibre collaborations, this is the first time that many outside of India have even heard of Chanakya. It is the first time a brand has celebrated its efforts in such a prominent way.

There is something about this moment in fashion history which evokes images of “acquired” ancient Indian artefacts and jewels sitting behind glass boxes in British museums. 

This Dior fashion show comes on the heels of trends that have been ripped from Indian culture.

To name a few: bindis worn at music festivals as part of a boho chic costume paying no mind to its original cultural significance; casual cultural appropriation and miscalling a lengha a saree; and, the most irritating, clean girl aesthetic which portrays white women with slicked back oiled hair with gold hoops (something many brown women were made fun of for doing in our youth). 

While awareness of these acts of appropriation is important, it should not overshadow the global celebration of Indian fashion.

Dior’s pre-fall 2023 showcase signifies the beginning of more awareness of Indian fashion globally, in a positive way. 

 

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Is this good for Indian fashion students?

It can be. 

Pursuing a fashion degree abroad is a great way to learn about a new culture, ways of designing, and be inspired by other artists. 

As a budding Indian fashion designer, going abroad could also mean opening yourself up to new opportunities and work experiences that would be different from the ones at home. 

Dior’s pre-fall 2023 runway might have also made more people in the fashion world aware of the rich culture of Indian fashion, and the possibilities for collaborations in the future (another great chance for Indian fashion designers to shine). 

Take this as an opportunity. Indian style is on trend, which gives designers a chance to guide the future of fashion. 

So while you might head out to study abroad, bring that Indian identity of colour and quality craftsmanship with you and change the world of fashion for the better.