Hauteheads walk the bridal path

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Will it be wrong to say that Indians spend insane amounts on weddings and festivals, much of that on designer wear? International luxury brands came to India with a bang but could not break into the market which is largely controlled

by the trousseau creators. Indian designers have made it big because we still wear traditional garments at weddings. And when we have to buy prêt, we rush to Mango, Zara, Westside, Pantaloons, Wills and other prêt specialists. The foremost reason being the price as designer prêt doesn’t come cheap here.
While Indian designers are happy doing their prêt and diffusion, it is their festive/bridal line that earns them profits, which in a way provides the fuel to run the former. Designers confess that bridal/festive wear market is where all the money is and it makes sense to be a part of it. Even the non-conformists can now be seen biting into the pie.
Samant Chauhan, who has designed for men since his debut in 2006, showcased his first bridal collection at WLIFW. “It’s my first bridal collection and I now intend on developing it as a bridal label,” he informs.
Samant further explains that Indian designers don’t have huge infrastructure, which proves to be a deterrent for prêt production. Pret is about numbers. You have to sell big quantities to make money but with couture, one can sell small numbers to get big profits. “I have been sustaining on prêt for the last five years. But then you need to upgrade. After some time you need to focus on profits. Since I don’t have a large set-up for mass production, I have made this shift. However, I have retained my sensibilities and signature style in my bridal collection,” says Samant.
Designer Manish Tripathi says that we do have a market for prêt, but this is not what our designers sell. Business is not corporatised and we lack the required marketing strategy. Says Manish, “It’s not impossible to do prêt and keep going, but it is not lucrative. Pret is like a bus while couture is taking a flight to reach your destination. If we want to sell prêt and earn profits, then we have to take it seriously. We have to stop thinking that ‘I will make money from bridal wear’.”
Joy Mitra, who has been doing Indian wear since the beginning, says that it completely depends from person to person. “In India there is not a great demand for designer prêt. If the customer spends a big sum on a garment, he expects certain exclusivity from it. That is the reason why designers continue doing diffusion and why prêt won’t work.”
However, others are quite optimistic about the market and feel the fashion scene in our country is rapidly changing and buyers are more aware than before. “The festive wear market is very enticing. It’s like a mine of gold. But somehow I can’t relate to it. So I am happy doing my Western wear. Moreover, it is now possible to sustain just on prêt. Once you have a certain identity and formed the right buyer base, the volumes will do the talking. Once you have convinced your customers that your work deserves the price you are quoting, they will be ready to spend. So it’s more about building your brand identity and the market is yours,” explains designer Gaurav Jagtiani.