India not yet ready for foreign fashion

New Delhi, Aug 31: India is still not ready for garments designed by foreign designers, as these would be restricted only to a minuscule elite class, according to New-York based Indian-American designer.

While Indian fashion has drawn a huge interest abroad, with top designers from the country taking part in various international fashion shows, the foreign fashion trends in India are yet to find a place on the Indian fashion map, says Saman Kukreja.

''India still has a long way to go before it can handle creations of foreign designers, and it will take India 2-3 years to get there,'' said Kukreja who is attending the Wills Lifestyle India fashion Week.

A friend of top Indian designer Jattinn Kochhar, she says India's large middle-class is a stumbling block in the progress towards assimilating western designers as part of accepted Indian fashion.

''Western clothes are still way too expensive to even the rich class of Indian society, but it would not too far away considering the giant strides in India's economic development , which has raised the bar of a consumer's lifestyle,'' said Kukreja.

In contrast, the Fashion Design Council of India, the apex body of thre Indnian fashion industry, expects brisk business business at the Spring-Summer event. As many as 70 foreign buyers and fashion houses including some of the biggest names like Soho and Harrods are keeping a hawk's eye on the trends seen at the fashion extravaganza.

The organisers have kept an extra day at the event, exclusively for a buyer-seller meet.

UNI

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