The Global Language Monitor’s ranking of the top 50 fashion capitals rated New Delhi at 48th spot, which is nine spots lower than last year’s 39th. Many designers feel that in spite of back-to-back fashion shows in the capital, Delhi is still low on style quotient.
Fashion designer Sunita Shankar says, “Fashion is about making style statements. I don’t see Delhi doing that. Almost every store and most of the fashion shows in the city emphasise too much on bridal couture, but where are the stylish and trendy cuts? There are very few designers who are into styling and creating wearable collections. While Mumbai glitterati are trying to be stylish, Delhi has a long way to go,” says Sunita. Mumbai was rated at 38th spot while London has been crowned the top global fashion capital, edging out New York for the second year in a row. “The reason that’s keeping Delhi behind is its lack of couture consumerism. The fashion movement has just begun in the city. It is yet to evolve,” says fashion designer Gaurav Gupta.
Delhi also needs to reflect its culture and tradition on international fashion scene, says fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore. “It’s often the mindset of the people living in a city that make it trendy. We need to make the world aware of our culture and tradition to make a mark on global fashion scene,” says Rathore.