Haute couture is what sartorial dreams are made of. It is what combines the finest art of fine dressmaking with the smug luxury of the bespoke. This Friday, the Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week kicks off at The Taj Palace Hotel in the Capital, where a dozen design houses will present their most high-end creations. In the Indian context, for a host of reasons, couture has been largely appropriated by the Great Indian Wedding. Consequently, for many, couture has become synonymous with bridal and wedding wear. In such a scenario, do we really have any non-wedding couture here?
According to JJ Valaya, who showcases on Friday, “The literal meaning of the French word ‘haute couture' is ‘fine dressmaking'. Couture is bespoke clothing (which, contrary to popular opinion, does not mean one of a kind) with impeccable finishing, and is tailored to individual measurements, unlike the more commonly available prêt-a-porter. Whilst the base philosophy for couture in India may remain similar to its siblings in France, I feel couture in India deserves an indigenous definition, which encompasses several unique parameters and, yes, its affinity to the Great Indian Wedding is rather omnipotent.”
He, however adds, that “whilst couture in India does greatly service the Indian wedding client, it also has reached out to the entire world very effectively through diverse silhouettes such as evening jackets, gowns and fine shawls”.
Continuing his love affair with photography, Valaya draws inspiration from the evolution of still photography — from black and white to sepia, natural and, finally, digital undertones — for his couture line this time.
Designer Shantanu Mehra of Shantanu & Nikhil says the growth of an Indian wedding from a one-day event to a sequence of events has greatly increased the scope for variety within wedding couture itself. “Now there are several other events that surround the main wedding, like the sangeet, the bachelor party and cocktail events. Now there are destination weddings. The wedding reception is not as formal as it used to be. In all, there are four to five functions hovering around the wedding. That's where couture has taken a shift. It is great access to innovation…if we can innovate around the wedding,” he says.
Comparison with Western definitions of couture, he opines, might be unfair. “The history of European fashion dates back 200 years.” The status of museum art that couture enjoys abroad — the most recent high-profile example being the “Savage Beauty” McQueen retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum in New York — is another aspect of couture that is exclusive to the West that can't be replicated here, where the industry is still nascent, Mehra says.
Their collection that will showcase at the couture week, called “Perfume”, he says is a “cocktail-inspired, fairytale wedding” one.
Designer Gaurav Gupta admits that though there is a market for couture beyond bridal, it is a small one. He, too, acknowledges that even within weddings demand can be varied, due to their multi-event nature. “Clients' demand varies from weddings to cocktail events to sangeets. Our look is a bit more cocktail in Indian wear. Our couture clientele is a very discerning one; it could be anywhere in the world. In fact, the Indian couture market is bigger than most would give it credit for. If you ask me, India has always had a flair for couture, what with the maharajas and our hand crafts.”
Manav Gangwani, who will be presenting a collection titled “A Timeless Affaire”, however, says that when it comes to couture there is as much demand for red carpet clothes as wedding wear. “It's ultimately about how you perceive it. Moreover, the kind of economy we're in, India has more money than anywhere else,” he says.
Designer Adarsh Gill, after retailing abroad for several decades, makes her Couture Week debut this time. “Couture is top-of-the-line, handcrafted clothing. I understand how it should go well with the wedding scenario,” she says, acknowledging that price points play a role in pushing couture into the high-spending wedding market. “It becomes expensive — the hand-finishes, the triple linings… So, I guess, for couture, weddings are perfect.”
Varun Bahl, while acknowledging that couture in India is usually, and unfortunately, understood as bridal, is optimistic that things will change. “With a separate fashion week dedicated to couture, people might become more aware of couture as a concept. But, for now, couture is about weddings and people who attend weddings,” he says. After turning to Russia for inspiration in his previous couture showing, Bahl reveals 18th Century French styling will be a feature in his opening show.
Valaya aptly sums up the status of couture: “Couture is more suited for an individual, and not for generic trade and mass production. It is a labour of love and, like most things special, it commands a higher value which connoisseurs of fine craft and those looking for spectacular clothing for spectacular events in their lives relate to. Affluence, of course, does help a lot.”
