India’s experimental brides carry new opportunity for luxury

When Indian film star Kiara Advani married fellow actor Sidharth Malhotra in February, much of the fashion buzz was focused less on the wedding itself at Jaisalmer’s Suryagarh Palace resort and more on Advani’s fresh, modern look for her evening reception in Mumbai. She chose a long, black and white fishtail gown with layered emerald necklaces, both by leading designer Manish Malhotra.

Some social media trolls suggested she should have dressed in a more traditional style, but fashion critics praised the cool sophistication of the monochrome dress — a perfect example of how dress codes at exclusive Indian weddings are opening up.

An early international luxury brand entrant to the Indian market was Louis Vuitton back in 2003, with Dior following in 2006 and Gucci in 2007. In their sights from the very beginning was the potential of the wedding market. Never mind the Greeks — the Big Fat Indian Wedding market was estimated to be worth $50 billion in a KPMG report from 2017.

Luxury brands initially focused on accessories, leaving clothing to Indian designers. Kalyani Saha Chawla, former VP marketing and communications at Dior (2006-2018), says Dior was the first international brand to bring ready-to-wear to India in 2006. “Chanel had launched a year earlier but had little ready-to-wear in their boutique. It was only about accessories from most brands. In the years I did the buying I kept in mind the handful of clients who would be interested in clothing. I remember a bride, whose mother was a client, who ordered a custom-made dress from the archives. Her mother was one of the very few couture buyers from India. Back then, it was considered quite a fashion moment.”