When the editor of the American edition of Vogue, Anna Wintour, sneezes, the fashion world catches a cold, such is her clout. It is rumoured that once Milan Fashion Week was postponed because Wintour couldn’t make those dates. There are several other such legendary stories about Wintour. But, most importantly, what makes Wintour so powerful, almost 20 years after she was appointed as the editor of the magazine, is that she has created legendary editorial content in terms of both quality and its complete hold on the fashion market. Being featured in the American Vogue is considered special because it can make or break a designer or a style. That’s why Wintour and her product are both revered and feared. And as we all know, America is the market that dictates fashion.
In India, however the advent of international fashion magazine titles hasn’t had the same impact. No new benchmarks have been set, despite breathless self-promotion, in either the way photo shoots are conceptualised or in the choice of editorial content. And most of the editors of these fashion magazines don’t have a finger on the fashion pulse quite the way Wintour does. Therefore these magazines, according to the fashion designers, contribute in creating better brand awareness but rarely help shift their merchandise off the store shelves the way the American Vogue can. Unlike Wintour and her publication, the fashion titles in India aren’t game-changers.
And that is a real pity, especially at a time when Indian fashion has hit an all-time low. The fashion titles are important stake-holders in the fashion business. It is fashion titles that push people into stores to consume fashion. And a thumbs-up from an important publication like Vogue does matter. Even if mainstream newspapers and media may have now lost the power to topple governments with big exposés, the fashion media still control fashion-consumer behaviour. And a weak, unimaginative fashion press serves the industry poorly.
There aren’t many fashion editors who understand what trendy Indians want, with the result that covers of most of these magazines are lacklustre and far removed from the lives of those they wish to address. Though there isn’t any shortage of diva-sized egos in the fashion press (every fashion editor nurses the ambition of being able to push the dates of the local fashion week, but few, mercifully, have that clout), there aren’t any that can command the respect of either the readers or the designers.
Which basically means that Indian designers still face the conundrum of having to find a way of communicating their labels in a way that will make them desirable. And at a time when Indian designers are faced with cruel market realities — shutting down shops, poorly performing retail outlets, and cash flow issues — it doesn’t help that they still don’t have a viable way to reach their target audience. Until they are able to do that, fashion will continue to be just a mom-and-pop show earning some petty pennies, and not the economic powerhouse it has the potential of becoming.
