Fashion is moving away from occasion wear and becoming a part of everyday life in India, says well-known designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed, who has a reputation of creating classy menswear and womenswear since over a decade.
"Fashion has evolved tremendously. We have seen fashion as something that was occasion based. However, now, fashion is more like an everyday element attached with you," Ahmed told IANS when asked about the significant changes that he has noticed in the country's fashion scene.
"You want to look trendy and fashionable when at work, party, beach or lunch. It is no longer restricted to only special days. From picking the colour of your car to the dress or shirt you plan to wear to office, everything is driven by fashion," added Ahmed, who is also the creative director of Amazon Fashion, an online shopping hub that has launched a formal shoe store.
The designer, who was part of the second graduating class from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, in 1990, credits online shopping for bridging the gap between consumers and fashion.
"Two years back I realised that the way people shop will change drastically. Fashion, over the last decade, has become an integral part of our lifestyle. It is one of the fastest growing segments in India."
"Fashion today is not only restricted to the large metros, but has also captured the imagination of consumers in remote cities and towns. The lack of accessibility of products and collections in smaller markets has opened up avenues for e-commerce in India," said Ahmed, who started his eponymous label in 2000, offering a range of western wear for men and women.
He stressed that fashion was earlier restricted to smaller communities, but with the increasing reach of the online community and the fashion appetite of the buyer, fashion is now reachable and easily accessible.
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According to a 2015 report released by India Opportunity Advisors, a strategy consulting and communication company, the Indian e-commerce market is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate CAGR of 80 percent or more over next six years, while per capita spending on e-commerce is also expected to increase from $138 now to about $345 by the year 2020.
Not only is the online business bringing a change in the way people perceive fashion, getting online brands as title sponsors during fashion weeks is also affecting in a good way, the designer shared.
"Getting online mediums as title sponsors for fashion events, we are now able to tap designers sitting even in the smallest part of the world, giving him the opportunity and exposure to showcase his talent at a wider platform and also give consumers access to a wide variety of brands and designers, which are otherwise present only in select cities in India," he said by citing an example of Amazon India Fashion Week.
"With Amazon India Fashion Week, we aim not only to bring fashion and designers closer to our consumers across India, but also to give designers a platform that will give them access to national markets and customers who are increasingly shopping online for fashion," added Ahmed.
(Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in