By
Karun Philip
When
then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Beijing in October
1954, expectations were high that the leaders of the world’s two most
populous nations could build a bilateral relationship based on dignity and
respect. "The United States does not recognize our two countries
[China and India] as great powers," Chinese Communist Party Chairman
Mao Zedong told Nehru, according to archival material released on Sept. 15
by the Wilson Center. "Let us propose that they hand over their
big-power status to us, all right?"
India
was a new and messy democracy, China an impoverished communist
dictatorship. Culturally, politically, and socially, they were worlds
apart. Yet for a brief period in the mid-1950s, China and India came
together in the spirit of "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai" (India and
China are brothers).
Well,
governments of all stripes on both sides have strayed far from their
founders’ dreams.
The
truth remains. The best thing India and China can do is not to have
military provocations that will never really end up in war with nuclear
annihilation on both sides the only possible ending to that approach.
Instead,
why doesn’t India just become the new USA for China? India should offer
completely free imports of commercial components and finished products from
China at 0% duty.
The
remnant economic isolationism that PM Nehru’s descendants brought on ended
up with China growing several times faster than India. Today’s Indian
government continue that line of thought and want to supplant China as the
United States’ manufacturing base.
That
this idea is provenly bankrupt is lost on this aging generation, and its
even younger descendants. The solution is not to supplant China as USA’s
manufacturing base, but to supplant the USA as China’s market.
A
close friend of mine agreed with me, but on the condition that we use China
as a manufacturing base only for electronics and the like, but that we are
quite capable of making our own shoes and garments, for instance.
India
may eventually become as good as a manufacturing base as China, but where
does that leave it? Is the USA the wealthiest country in the world because
of its manually intensive manufacturing base? NO!! They are the wealthiest
because they only keep things like robotic manufacture of either
mass-produced items or custom designed one-off super-specialized products
that maybe only ONE customer will buy (for an EXTREMELY high price, of
course.)
What
both the USA and India need is a Job Skills Training system that is
privately funded and managed so that it is competitive and not just a sop
from the government money to Training Schools that pay the politicians and
bureaucrats the highest commissions on their government handouts.
Job
Skills Training needs to be as diverse as Indian culture and the USA’s
marketplace. It needs multiple organizations like The Knowledge Investment
Tokens Limited (https://kitcoin.club)
that organize databases of Training Schools and their effectiveness in
whatever geographies and whatever industries in which they specialize.
Let
us take the Indian Garment Industry, which was the example my friend
brought up. What is it going to look like with a Free Trade Agreement
between China and India?
The Future of the Indian Garment Industry
India is
a nation of just 29 states, compared to the USA's 50 states. But the
numbers change sides instantly once you scratch the surface.
India's
29 states represent 300 cultures each with their own dialect of one of 25
languages. The numbers for people and languages define
"Indian" culture, and hence ought to
define couture as well. 2011:
* Excludes
figures of Paomata, Mao-Maram and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati district
of Manipur for 2001.
** The percentage of speakers of each language for 2001 has
been worked out on the total population of India excluding the population
of Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul subdivisions of Senapati district of
Manipur due to cancellation of census results.
100,000 to one
million speakers:
List of mother
tongues by number of speakers:
Each
of the languages of the 2001 census subsumes one or
more mother tongues. Speaker numbers are available for these
mother tongues and they are also included in the speaker numbers for their
respective language. For example, the language Telugu
(with a total of 81,127,740 speakers) includes the mother tongues of
Telugu (with 80,912,459 speakers), Vadari (198,020 speakers) and
"Others" (17,261 speakers).[20] The General Notes
from the 2001 census define "mother tongue" as "the language
spoken in childhood by the person's mother to the person. If the mother
died in infancy, the language mainly spoken in the person's home in
childhood will be the mother tongue."
The following table lists those mother
tongues that have more than one million speakers according to the 2011
census:
It
is the year 2020 now. The young people of each of the cultures listed above
want modern looking clothes. But they are steeped in their own culture and
have no intention of every letting that die. Only evolve.
Now let's take a look at the variety of traditional clothes the above
people have designed for themselves over the last 10,000 years.
1. Assam
The clothing of Assam is as vibrant as it is varied. With
several different tribes hailing from the region, there is a range of
different ethnic clothing worn in Assam. Most of these are
variations of the Mekhela, worn by women, and dhoti,
worn by men. The women of the Bodo Tribe wear Mekhela
paired with a chadar while women of the Thai Phake Tribe wear
a striped girdle called Chiarchin. Many of the traditional wear
in the state is made of the various kinds of silk exclusively produced in
the region. Silks such as Paat, Eri and Golden Muga are
used to make Sarees and Mekhelas.
2. Kolkata
The women of Bengal wear Sarees of various
materials such as silk, Taant Cotton, chiffon, etc. The
most popular modern draping method of Sarees originates from the British
Capital of Kolkata. White Saree with red border is
worn during many religious festivals and are made of
cotton. The men of Kolkata wear Panjabi with Pajama or Dhoti.
They are usually made of silk or cotton.
3. Uttar Pradesh
The most common of the traditional clothing of Uttar
Pradesh is Salwar Kameez worn by the women. The distinctive style
of bottom wear called Churidar originates from this state.
They also wear Sarees with various embellishments. The men of
Uttar Pradesh wear Kurta and Pajama along with headgear
such as Topi and Pagri. Sherwanisare
worn by men during festivals and special occasions.
4. Gujarat
Women in Gujarat traditionally wear Chaniyo and
Choli, wearing embellished and embroidered Ghagra Choli and Lehenga
Choli for religious festivals such as Navratri. Dupattas are
worn as veils and are called Odhni. The men wear Churidar
Pajamas and Kurta, paired with vibrant turbans for
formal as well as casual occasions.
5. Punjab
Ensembles such as Salwar Kameez, ones
featuring Churidar, are worn by the women of Punjab as
well. Patiala Salwars originate from this state. The
styles of this state feature scarves, or Dupattas, that
contrast the color of the rest of the ensemble. The women of the state also
wear Ghagra while the men wear Kurta Pajamas that
sometimes feature the Churidar style as well. They also
wear headgear such as Pagri. Punjab is known for its
distinctive style of shoes, Juti, that has been adopted by
the rest of the country for formal occasions.
6. Maharashtra
Sarees, paired with Choli, are the ethnic clothing of women in Maharashtra. The men
of the state wear Dhoti, paired with Pheta. Their
headdresses are made of cotton, silk or wool and are called Pagadi.
7.Jammu and Kashmir
Being a union-territory that is so varied in communities and
religion, Jammu and Kashmir is home to a variety of
different fashion. Women in Jammu and Kashmir wear
Pherans, which have different variations for Hindu and Muslim women.
While the Hindu version has narrow sleeves, the Muslim version is
characterized by its broad knee length sleeves. Hindu women pair these with
a headdress called Taranga while Muslim women either
wear Abaya or a headdress exclusive to the state that is
tied around the head and pinned. The men wear Pherans meant
for them with Turbans. The traditional clothing of Jammu
and Kashmir is known for featuring bright contrasting color
combinations.
8.Karnataka
The traditional clothing of the women of Karnataka
is Saree. Karnataka, being the most popular supplier of silk in the
country, produces Sarees made of Kanchipuram and Kanjivaram Silk,
as well as those made of a variety of brocades and chiffons.
The men of the state wear Lungi paired with Angavastram.
9.Kerala The most well known of Kerala’s ethnic wear is the Mundu. Worn
mostly by men, the Mundu is the state’s version of a Lungi. There
are both formal and casual versions of this clothing as well various
versions for women. These often have work done on them, with wedding wear
having the most intricate crystal embellishments. Sarees are
also worn by women in this state and are often made of Kanchipuram
Silk or Benarasi Silk and embellished in a similar way.
10.Delhi Ethnic clothing for women in Delhi mostly consists of Salwar Kameez in
its different variants and fashion style. They often
feature Zardozi embroidery as well as influences from many
other parts of India. The men wear Pajama with Kurta or Sherwani.
Due to the metropolitan nature of Delhi, ethnic clothing from
all parts of the country is seen here.
But the change is a-coming
But even if clothes are the very foundation of local cultures,
let's now look and what young modern designers are doing. They are not looking to mimic the West, as some Asian
cultures have done. They want evolution, interaction, co-mingling, and
above all, Creation.
Finally, the trends of women’s clothing in India is not only
their beautiful traditional pieces but the indo-western attires as well.
These indo-western designs are now styled with ease with other Indian
outfits. Just as the name suggests this is Indian outfit that is matched
with a western outfit to get a fusion outfit. The designs and styles are
unique and descent with a touch of both trends. Hence those who love
experimenting with various trends can try out the indo-western look
especially for their Lehenga. Below are some of the modern outfits that you
can choose according to your fashion taste and style that have an
indo-western twist.
Indo-western
Lehenga
As you search to buy online ethnic
wear in India you will
come across the Lehengas. These traditional party wear outfits have evolved
to better stylish and chic trends. The Lehenga is among the few that has
numerous ways to wear in a modern fusion twist. Ditch the usual Lehengas in
red and maroon colors that have a slit and dupatta to match. To the
glamourous indo-western trend that is in pastel and unconventional colors
in bridal and regular lehengas. To achieve this fusion look, your Lehenga
can have pockets or not. Also, puffs and frills are incorporated in the Lehenga
setas well as Indian designs. Plus, most of the time the dupatta is not
necessary for the idea is comfortable clothing. Slay with the indo-western
Lehenga with a fusion blouse with a backless neck or whichever fusion style
you prefer and embrace these new changes.
Indo-western
gown
In this outfit, all you need is confidence to slay this
glamorous outfit to a wedding or grand event. The western gowns are
upgraded with elements of Indian culture to bring out the fusion twist. By adding traditional
embellishments and embroidery to the modern gown you get a truly Indian
outfit. These gowns have other ways to achieve the indo-western twists.
That is visible with Indian brides and celebrities today as they make their
style statements on various occasions. For instant, embroidered jackets,
shrug style blouses, use of modern accessories are some of the popular few.
Creating a new style with a gown is seen among most designers as they use
different color hues, embroidery patterns, and layers and unique cuts. This
makes the attire very modern with an Indian twist and vice versa.
Anarkali with
jacket
Ditch your dupatta and wear a jacket over your traditional
Anarkali for a quick indo-western look. Many styles are now available to
style your Anarkali with a jacket. Either it is a long or short jacket or a
waistcoat the look is quite a craze among the Indian women. A plain
Anarkali with an embroidered long jacket is a common look. Plus, a
floor-length jacket with slits is one that is popular too due to the cape
style effect that it creates. Furthermore, the type of jacket style you choose
depends on your fashion sense and the level of comfort you are aiming for.
Embrace this new concept of indo-western fashion to fit in and dress up to
the increasingly popular trends.
Indo-western
Kurtis
The Kurtis is the most versatile piece of clothing according
to the styling options available. It has the most indo-western styles to it
that you can adorn to many occasions. The indo-western Kurtis, suits the
young to the middle-aged woman and every body type. However, it is
important to choose the Kurtis style accordingly to accentuate your curves.
For instance, the tunic Kurtis is a perfect blend of ethnic
and contemporary wear. They sit
effortlessly on your body and slide onto it with much ease. If you desire a
Kurti that gives your body a perfect outline the tunic Kurti is the best
option. The occasions you can wear this Kurti to is to college, kitty
parties and everyday wear. Match with culottes, leggings, and treggings but
avoid wearing short tunic Kurtis with full-length leggings.
The maxi dress
The indo-western maxi dresses show off the Indian haute
couture scene by bringing out the essence of culture and the uniqueness of
contemporary wear. These floor-length gowns that have fancy embroidery and
designs are in fashion right now. They possess an elite vibe with the
beautiful out of this world necklines and blouse designs. A lot of design
ideas are implemented and experimented with the maxi dress. However, the
length varies depending on the wearer’s choice and comfort and the sleeve
type as well. Have a maxi dress in your indo-western collection that brings
out your personality and fashion tastes perfectly.
Blouse
designs
Blouse designs were a consistent plain type with embroidery
and round neck, buttoned and short sleeves. Today with the indo-western
growth among Indian outfits. The blouse has had its share to leave a
lasting impression
in everyone’s eyes. The
blouse designs are made in the back, sleeves, necklines and front area.
Either it is in gowns, dresses, cholis to give that modern touch. Although
the back designs are the indo-western trend right now choose one from the
many that will give you a splendid look. Such as the teardrop neck, netted
back, sweetheart design among others.
And men are not left out
the millennial Indian male consumer has developed his sartorial
cognizance. But, is there enough supply available for this growing demand? 

According to Raymond’s 2018-19 annual report, India’s apparel
market is majorly driven by menswear, with it accounting for 43 per cent of
the total market. The shift in behaviour is quite visible. From my father
going to the local tailor to get his yearly quota of trousers and shirts
stitched to my brother spending hours browsing through e-commerce apps to
update his wardrobe, there has been a significant change in the way men
shop. Rajiv Purohit, lead designer at Good Earth menswear, explains,
“#menlovefashion #menlovejewellery #kohlinedeyes #menindrapesaresexy are
hashtags I use to describe men’s fashion today. We lost this somewhere with
men. Men today are involved and self-aware, like they were until the ’60s.
They know what they want to wear, what fits work for them, and how to
accessorise and take care of their bodies, inside and out. Even if unsure
or apprehensive, men are more willing to experiment today. They are
shopping for themselves, and they are shopping for entire looks. As a
designer, it’s very important that I give styling ideas on how to mix and
match, or dress up and down with the same look.”
In 1989, multi-designer store Ensemble showcased Rohit Bal’s
first all-menswear collection. Following this, designers such as Manoviraj
Khosla, Raghavendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Cue by Rohit Gandhi +
Rahul launched their ready-to-wear lines for men. In 2009, the Fashion
Design Council of India (FDCI) organised the country’s first ever men’s
fashion week, in association with Van Heusen. That year was an important
one for the industry as designers started breaking away from the kitschy,
almost costume-like, approach to fashion and started presenting pared-down
silhouettes that would sell on a global platform.

The shows had to be cancelled after a few seasons due to the
lack of sponsors, but they opened the market up to a whole new world for
menswear — contemporary designs constructed with indigenous fabrics, a
unisex aesthetic and Indian minimalism. Fashion designer Raghavendra
Rathore weighs in on the evolving menswear segment, “Markets develop as
society evolves via technology, lifestyle and governance, alongside the
businesses that cater to the market. Compared to a decade ago, the consumer
has a higher global exposure, and their expenditure has also grown
exponentially. Today, male consumers have a more significant voice in the
fashion marketplace. Their dominance in sunglasses, watches, and other
leather accessories has seen an upward demand, which makes them the ideal
target in the retail multiverse. The bespoke space, in particular, has
always been male-dominated. Men have always encouraged designer brands to
offer scintillating products and their appetite for customised ensembles
has grown considerably.” In 2010, Suket Dhir retailed his first organic
menswear line from Good Earth that included uncomplicated separates like
jamdani shirts, brocade jackets and bandhgalas. In 2014, Antar-Agni by
Ujjawal Dubey presented structured drapes on the runway, which pushed
forward the idea of gender-neutral clothing in India. Over the years,
veterans such as Arjun Saluja, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, JJ Vallaya and Tarun
Tahiliani have steadily built on this contemporary narrative with occasion
wear that features androgynous separates, floral prints, embroidered shawls
and sequined sherwanis.
A slew of womenswear designers also launched exclusive
menswear collections in order to diversify their consumer base. Amongst
these were Manish Arora (for Koovs in 2016), Shivan & Narresh Man
(2016), Amit Aggarwal (2018), Bodice by Ruchika Sachdeva (2019), and Rimzim
Dadu (2019). Streetwear and athleisure also found prominence on the
runways, which led to the launch of cutting-edge labels such as Bhaane
(2012), Huemn (2012), Sahil Aneja (2012), Dhruv Kapoor (2014) and Nought
One by Abhishek Paatni (2016). In October last year, Good Earth Sustain
launched its first menswear collection Abeer. “I want men to be
dressed as beautifully as women. Abeer is a global man, rooted in tradition and, hence,
storytelling is an integral part of his life. I wanted to reintroduce men
to my love for India and handcrafted fabrics and techniques and how these
looks can be an integral part of everyday lives and not just the special
moments,” says Purohit.


Design intervention was not the only factor that compelled the
Indian man to elevate his wardrobe from cookie-cutter to idiosyncratic.
Pop-culture and the social zeitgeist also played a major role in
transforming the notions of traditional masculinity. When actor Ranveer
Singh stepped out in a skirt for the Bajirao Mastani promotions
in 2015, people sat up and took notice. Here was a man (who was otherwise
the epitome of what one could define as conventional Indian masculinity)
wearing a quintessentially feminine silhouette and owning it. This
appearance was followed by some of his other iconoclastic and, sometimes,
bizarre looks that altered the rules of menswear in the country at a
mainstream level. Men started searching for something cool and different —
something that brought out their individuality.
The launch of contemporary multi-designer menswear stores —
Curato in Mumbai (2018) and Dapper in Kolkata (2019) — was a big step in
organising the sector’s retail industry and bringing all the options under
one roof. Curato was launched in October 2018 in Mumbai by Shibani Bhagat
and Tanisha Rahimtoola due to the lack of a unified retail platform.
“During my wedding preparations, all the men in my life grappled with the
same problem of where to shop. There was no customised experience for men,
where they could find the best collections and a variety of apparel, all
under the same retail space. We found ourselves making countless trips to
individual designers or tailoring units at multiple bespoke outlets from
all over India, which was both time-consuming and expensive. That’s when we
realised there was a prominent gap in the market,” says Bhagat. Today,
Curato stocks close to 40 brands, including brands such as Khanijo, Anurag
Gupta and Arjun Kilachand, which span over a spectrum of occasion wear,
athleisure separates and accessories for men. Rahimtoola explains, “Our
modest yet unique enterprise was conceptualised to fight the rigid fashion
binary. We don’t promote anti-global fashion but what we would like to call
the ‘owing our own’ concept.” The gap between affordability and luxury is
also being filled by upcoming labels such as Andamen, Bareek and Rouka by
Sreejith Jeevan. And when we say affordable, we mean separates that fall
under 3,000 rupees.
Today, Instagram has become a key player in changing the
landscape of menswear, making it inclusive and one-of-a-kind. Enter
Jaywalking, a label championing streetwear, that doesn’t show its models’
faces in the posts — only the clothes. The label’s designer Jay Ajay Jajal wants
consumers to feel that anybody can wear the outfits. Tailor & Circus, a
body positive unisex inner-wear label, doesn’t believe in posting overtly
sexual images on the ‘gram. Along with this type of consciousness, there is
also a heightened sense of responsibility amongst contemporary labels to
help create a sustainable economy and circular supply chain for their
garments. In October 2018, Lota, an ethical fashion label that works with
textile scraps, sold their debut collection of ‘wasteful shirts’ on Instagram
through an auction. Delhi-based designer Jenjum Gadi works with native
handlooms and, sometimes recycles his old collections to create his
menswear line. In order to augment socio-economic sustainability amongst
the rural and urban sectors, Raymond Ltd. joined hands with the Khadi &
Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in 2017 to launch Khadi by Raymond —
India’s first branded khadi label for men.

So how would you categorise the menswear segments in the
country today? Business, casual and wedding wear? Well, menswear has
definitely moved beyond this established catalogue. Today, men have a whole
spectrum of personalities to choose from — minimalist or maximalist,
athletic or eclectic, as long as it’s true to themselves. Choose what works
for you. I know a friend who has only black T-shirts in his wardrobe and a
colleague who makes his own shirts. My brother has every possible shade of
blue pants in his closet and, that too, in two different weaves — cotton
twill and denim. He understands that both the fabrics fall differently on
his body. Another acquaintance has a sizeable collection of white sneakers
because he believes that they work with everything else that he owns. It is
2019, and the rules of dressing up are that there are no rules. Fashion is
a powerful tool that not only makes a statement but also starts meaningful
dialogues and, if done right, can subvert conventional perceptions.
The system of menswear retail in the country is clearly going
through a shake-up, and while brands are still on the fringes, they are
testing the waters of this disruption and experimenting with their
approaches to redefine Indian masculinity.
The future of the garment industry in
India may not Mahatma Gandhi's handloom, though that machine is
one of the most fascinating of technologies that is in many ways superior
to the most modern, say, German manufacturing machinery.
India should not care if garments are made in China or by
robots. India is, was, and will always be one thing: culture.
I wish young Indian designers all the best and have wonder at their talent
for social evolution while retaining their core principles.
Principles such as Ahimsa should be expressed in fashion.
Principles like cross-cultural acceptance of influence from others from ALL
over the world expresses Tolerance.
And there are many technologists who are building machines
that can make these unique designs as one-of on demand, or mass-produced
for 1.3 billion people to wear different clothes each of the 365 days
of the year.
This is one of the dreams of The Kitcoin Club (https://kitcoin.club)
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