History of Fashion In India

November 24, 2020

History of Fashion In India

In this day and age where fashion is constantly changing and our generation is highly influenced by everything we see on the internet, you can't help but wonder, where did all of this originate from? What led to the major changes that we see in our indian fashion scenario today and what were the influences?

Indian fashion is known for its combination of colours, heritage and sophistication. Throughout the years it has retained its beauty and intricacy even though it has gone through many transformations, from dhoti and ghagras to chinos and crop tops. Besides the transformation that has taken place, the industry covers a wide range from extravagant embellished gowns for wedding ceremonies to casual everyday clothing.

The indian fashion industry has been blessed with years and years worth of rich tradition behind it, as fashion started showing its colors from the times of ancient India.

Ancient India

In ancient India, from the Indus Valley Civilization or the Harappa civilization, there is evidence of use of woven cotton fabric used for clothing.

Priest-kings used to wear robes over their shoulders and men sported turbans. Women at the time wore knee length skirts, and both men and women wore jewellery like bangles, earrings and beaded necklaces.

Vedic period brought along a long simple unstitched piece of cloth called the “sari” which ranged from the length of 4-5 metres long. It was one of the easiest attires for women to wear. At the time generally wealthy women wore sarees made of rich material like silk, whereas it was common to wear sarees made out of cotton. Not only the social status, rather the region , religion as well determined the manner in which it was worn and also the material that was used. The Ghagra choli and dupatta were also introduced during this time period.

Men were known to wear dhotis which was draped around the waist and separated by pleats and they didn't wear any upper garments.

Time of the Dynasties

With the many dynasties that ruled India also changed the whole fashion industry along with it. Wool, silk, cotton, jute, linen, and muslin were used to make clothing. The evolution of stitched garments can be traced back even to before 10th century AD, and further proposed by the Muslim empires again in the 15th century.

During this time there were many different ways to wear your saree. Incase of an occasion to “dress up” women would wear them as skirts and put the pallu over their shoulders or over their heads as a veil. The working women needed a more comfortable fit and would drape it in a manner that it was fashioned as pants. This is known as the “Nauvari” draping style and is still worn by women in Maharashtra. This draping style is done with a nine yard saree rather than a 5 yard one. The women who fought in wars and were part of armies in the pre-British period would tuck the sari in the back for comfort and also to free up their arms for fighting. The younger women during this time would wear colourful sarees whereas women who were mourning and widows were restricted to wearing white ones.

British Era

With the british era came the use of industrial british cloth. Khadi, a handwoven material emerged in India, in order to lessen the reliance of Indians on British industrial goods. Salwar Kameez and various other traditional ethnic clothes like the lehenga, sherwani, lugda, lungi, etc. and khadi clothes like the Nehru Jacket, etc. became staples in the Indian wardrobe.

Indians were then introduced to the western world of clothing with skirts, dresses, gowns, blazers, tuxedos, trousers, and pants.

Inspired by the charleston dresses the cholis also started appearing with glitz and shimmer. They were made using lace, satin, cotton or silk.

Post British Era

The influence of international trends changed the way Indians dressed over the years. The fashion industry during this era saw major growth and evolution. Saree, dhoti, ghagra choli remained quite popular in the post-independence era but with a hint of western influence into it. There was chunky jewelry and embroidered saree, lehengas, suits and many other attires in the 60s. In the 70s there were loud colours polka dots, bell-bottoms, and oversized sunglasses. The 80s bought in the age of Disco with glittery costumes, denim and leather biker jackets, and chiffon sarees.

During these times women started making much bolder choices and shifted from the shy traditional attire to more modern looks. Even handcrafted fabric like chikankari, benarasi were replaced. 90s marked the arrival of full-sleeve salwar kameez, floral dresses, long skirts, denim, shades, and dungarees. Indians adopted more westernized fashion and made stylish choices.

21st Century (Modern Period)

The 21st century is a mixture of both western and traditional in the fashion scene here in India. Most of the trends are highly influenced by bollywood. Attires like one-piece dresses, sportswear, halter tops, skirts, and floral gowns were common choices in the early 2000s. And there was a development of the Indo - Western style of fashion which combined the feminine beauty of traditional indian clothing with the practicality of the western; take for example jeans and a kurta.

The fashion industry in India is still growing and as the saying goes, “history has a way of repeating itself.” We see many of the trends from the 70s and 80s making a comeback into the industry once again.

The fashion industry is constantly changing and India is keeping up with this change. We see that there is some hint of westernisation embedded in our traditional wear. Many brands have made a market here in India as well. Handwoven materials like chikankari which was a staple earlier are now priced very high. Indian designers are trying to go back to the ancient roots with incorporating hand block printing, ikat printing, tie dye etc into their clothing lines. Even though the western made its way into the indian fashion scene, indian clothing has also gained a huge recognition over the years on the international front.

At the end we can say that our choices will be influenced by what's in and out and India will never have a dearth of a vibrant rainbow of fashion.

Yours,

Neeve

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