Indian fashion designer Manav Gangwani believes that Bollywood, the Hindi film industry, expedites developments in Indian fashion retail. Gangwani, who has styled stars like Hrithik Roshan, Kangana Ranaut, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, believes that adopting such celebrities helps increase designers' sales.
"Bollywood acts as a catalyst for the Indian fashion industry in terms of retail. In one way or another, designers prefer to commercially dress up a celebrity outfit for a film rather than showcase it exclusively on the ramp. Brand recognition through this channel goes a long way, courtesy of the millions of fans behind Bollywood," revealed Gangwani during an interview.
Gangwani believes that Bollywood and the fashion industry have significant influences on each other. Customers religiously follow fashion trends depicted in movies. Once some famous people are seen in clothes, brand recognition instantly increases. Additionally, films also significantly inspire those who create clothes.
"Bollywood and the fashion industry impose a great influence on one another. Customers religiously follow fashion trends portrayed in cinema. When celebrities are spotted wearing a certain design, brand recognition instantly shoots up. In the same way, various movies serve as a great inspiration to designers," added Gangwani.
It is interesting when designers get chances to create outfits intended for movies since they present unique challenges as well as opportunities; he added that the designer's challenge becomes "something that fits perfectly with the theme of the movie." This involves not only making beautiful garments but also ensuring they match the storylines and character portrayals included in different films. Designers must come up with new ideas by creating something never seen. Instead of conforming to traditional ways of designing clothes, they employ modern aesthetics alongside conventional techniques that make them memorable enough to viewers.
Designing apparel for movies presents unique challenges and opportunities for designers, such as this one, who says that designing a dress for a movie is "a challenge." In addition, it involves creating something that looks like an enhanced aesthetic piece, but the reality is that it aligns with the narrative and characters of the film. The designer must mix traditional techniques with modern aesthetics, creating looks that will remain in people's minds long after watching a movie.
Manav Gangwani would like to see more minimalist designs instead of traditional and classic ones. He said, "Many designers are working out new handcrafting techniques, digital technologies, unusual fabrics, and contrasting colour combinations in their designs. In terms of inspiration, muse, concepts, and notions, the sky is the limit. Minimalistic ensembles are gaining popularity over traditional and classic ones.”
According to this Indian couturier, the couture ace designed for international singers like Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, and Eric Clapton, potential customers have grown very selective. This means that the primary colour range is being replaced by 'jewel tones, pastel shades, and textured prints.'
Manav Gangwani's argument clearly exemplifies how much influence Bollywood has on retailing in the Indian fashion industry and its design inspirations. This gives more insights into these two industries' mutualism and changing trends in Indian couture through the eyes of this designer.
