The timeless appeal of the south Asian classic has gone global – and a new London exhibition shows how it has been reinvented
When Dior showed off its autumn 2023 collection in March with a catwalk event in Mumbai, it was lauded as a “watershed” fashion moment of recognition for India. European high-fashion houses had, after all, been working with manufacturers there for decades, but few had included the country in its collections.
Now, attracted by India’s growing affluent class and luxury customer base, here was a big Paris label sending models down the runway in garments clearly inspired by India: Nehru collars, silhouettes evoking the sari and sherwani, and intricate embroidery produced by its long-time collaborator, Indian atelier Chanakaya.
