Korean Fashion luxury brands that used to go after the fame of pop stars are now looking for Indian faces. Not only Alia but superstars like Samantha and Karthik Aaryan are the Indian faces of luxury brands. What made luxury brands suddenly love India so much? International brands even organize special fashion shows in front of the wider India. An example is the show held by the international luxury brand ‘Dior’ in front of the ‘Gateway of India’ in Mumbai. India’s growth as a global hub of luxury fashion has been going on for a while now. There is a clear reason behind all this. Know about it in detail…
∙ Indian love story of luxury
On May 16, 2023, the international fashion show held in Seoul, South Korea was the center of attention of an Indian star – Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt. Italian luxury fashion giant Gucci organized the cruise show, which was attended by many famous people including Korean pop stars who have fans all over the world. This is the first time that Gucci has chosen an Indian star to be the brand’s global marketing presence. The Gucci Runway Collection 2024 venue at Seoul’s cultural landmark Jeonbaekong Palace was the first reflection of that marketing strategy.
Leading K-pop singer and actress IU, along with other Korean and foreign stars, Alia Bhatt was in the forefront. Alia Bhatt made her first media outing as Gucci’s global representative stand out in a cutout detail black dress with a ‘Gucci Jackie 1961 Transparent’ bag and a ‘Korean heart’ printed on her fingertips. Why Alia Bhatt to be Gucci’s Global Ambassador? Many people have this question!
Alia has never once been the center of global attention, confined to Bollywood only. Their first Hollywood film is about to release. Just two weeks before the Gucci Cruise show, Alia will arrive at an international stage for the first time. It is certain that Gucci chose the Bollywood star to be the new face of luxury because he stepped on the red carpet at the ‘Met Gala’ held in New York on May 1st. What prompted the Italian luxury brand to outbid all the world-renowned players and seek an Indian presence for the global market? The reasons are not one but many.
∙ The global hub of luxury fashion
This is not the first time India’s love affair with luxury brands. It’s just that this trend that started a few years ago is getting more popular now. And, more international brands are targeting Indian stars. Last year, Louis Vuitton, a French presence in the global fashion scene, made actress Deepika Padukone its international ambassador. Besides, six other Indian stars have signed contracts with various global brands. Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Manushi Chhillar, Athiya Shetty, Aditya Roy Kapur and Karthik Aaryan are brand ambassadors of big companies like Tommy Hilfiger, Estee Lauder, Langee, Nautica and Armani respectively.
In the field of luxury fashion, ‘Dior’ has chosen Indian soil to hold its fashion show in April 2023. The Dior show was held in front of the ‘Gateway of India’ in Mumbai, announcing that it was honoring the Indian heritage in the field of fashion. Big fashion labels are already capitalizing on India’s heritage and craftsmanship. But now the international fashion companies are in deep love to find more roots in Indian soil. That is why they are moving away from the usual way of bringing Indian inspired collections to the market and coming up with deeper market strategies.
These brands are incorporating our unique fabric and handcraft specialties into the new collections while passing the credit to the Indian artisans. Dior has taken a step further and reached Mumbai with a new collection.
For a long time, the handicrafts for Dior clothes were done by the women of Mumbai’s ‘Chanakya’ School of Art and Craft. Dyer has come here to directly announce a partnership with ‘Chanakya’, an organization that aims at the survival of women through handicrafts to make them self-sufficient. It also aims to tap into the growing Indian market and take a ‘global approach’ to international customers.
India’s growth as a global hub of luxury fashion has been around for a while. It was the South Asian countries that supported the luxury brand market even during the Covid lockdown. They are sure that more growth can be achieved in this field in India. But this is not the only thing behind the brand’s love for India.
∙ Rising population; A growing market
Organizations that study market changes believe that South Korean culture, which has grown to become an influential force worldwide through K-pop, is opening up a new development model for India. If that happens, Indian players can make a big impact in the international market. International fashion brands believe that their customers can quickly identify with Indian stars.
Global luxury brand Dior coming to Mumbai with a fashion show is proof of the importance that international giants are giving to the growth potential of the growing Indian market. They have already eyed India as one of the growing economies in the world. India is expected to overtake Germany and Japan to become the world’s third largest economy in the next decade.
With India surpassing China’s population according to a United Nations report, the market giants cannot ignore India’s attractiveness. Estimates of 66 to 100 million of India’s population being middle class also open up market growth potential for them. This year Apple has opened its first store in India in Mumbai and is looking for the ‘bright spot’ of luxury.
∙ ‘Global Indian’
The marketing strategies of international companies are looking for the growth potential of a new market called ‘Global Indian’, not just the Indian market. According to the 2020 UN report, Indians are the largest diaspora community in the world. About 1.8 crore Indians are living in various foreign countries. There are 35 lakh Indians in the UAE alone where luxury brands are competing to open stores. Brands are increasingly focusing on this segment.
While it is not easy to quantify the ‘luxury spend’ of diaspora Indians alone, they are an unavoidable presence in brands’ sales strategies. Brands don’t think they can corner the ‘global Indian’ market by partnering with Indian designers and launching Indian-inspired ‘capsule’ collections. At the same time, they feel that having Indian players as a global face will increase acceptance. Luxury brands are hoping that respecting and valuing the ‘global’ consumer will be ‘profitable’.
English Summary: Why are the World’s Luxury Fashion Brands Focusing on India?
