Evolution of Fashion in India

by Jacob Smith Marketing

Fashion is something we're concerned with every day of our lives. In general, fashion is a term for common style or practice, particularly in clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup etc. Fashion is something that's constantly evolving, and because of its evolution in history, you will see a lot of changes in fashion. It is not just about wearing expensive dresses but it has become the way of expressing yourself creatively and playing around with the clothes. Fashion has taken a very important role in our lives. Yet there is a very strong distinction between the current generation and the older generation.

Fashion improves human life because not only does it encourage you to dress fashionably, but it also gives you the ability to experiment and be independent in your thought, helps sustain positive self-esteem, and serves as a means of entertainment. We have seen many Indian female models and influencers styling beautiful outfits making heads turn. To stay ahead in the game of fashion, every year new trends emerged in the fashion market that attracts people to buy new clothes and upgrade their style game. In this article, we will discuss Indian fashion and how it has evolved over the years.

Indian fashion has been always known for its ethnicity and diversity for decades. People from different traditions and cultures live here. The remnants of Indian fashion can be found from ancient times during the era of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilization. Globalization was observed in the Indian fashion industry after independence, leading to changes in the style of Indian dressing.

Let’s see how Indian fashion changed from the ancient period to the 21st century

Fashion during Ancient Period

Indus Valley: In this period, males used to wear black cloth wrapped around their waist and they also placed a turban around their head. Women used to wear scanty skirts made of cotton along with necklaces, rings etc.
Vedic Period: During this period, men used to drape a single cloth around the body. There was a pleated lower garment called Paridhana which was wrapped around the waist. For women, Saree was the main attire during the early Vedic period.
Mayurian Period: In this period men used Patka to wrap around the waist. Ladies used to wear skirts and draped long scarf called Uttariya on the upper part of the body.
Mughal Period: Men used to wear a close-fitting frock cloth with a flared skirt. Women wore salwar, garara along with different ornaments.
Rajput Period: During this period, men used to wear angrakhis, pagdis, salwar. Women wore lehenga cholis, sarees, Suhanki, polka and various other clothes.

Fashion during 1970’s

In the 1970’s three-piece suits were inspired by Bollywood trends. At that time, leather jackets, trousers, butterfly collars were in fashion. Women used to wear sarees in retro style, halter neck and high necks were popular at that time. Polka dots were also worn by women during that period.

Fashion during 1980’s

During this period Indian fashion was modernized. In this time, strappy sandals, denims, trousers found their way to match. The Indian fashion was influenced by the western culture and many new trends emerged during this period.

Fashion during 1990’s

In the 1990’s fashion became minimalistic. New trends emerged during this period. Indian fashion was highly influenced by the western culture and they started adopting the westernized fashion concept by making bold and stylish choices. This period saw the arrival of full-sleeve salwar kameez, denim shades, dungarees and long skirts.

Fashion in 21st Century

The whole fashion game brought a revolution in the 21^st Century. People started experimenting more with clothes. From styling plain white shirts to sarees, the Indian female models and influencers have changed the whole fashion game in India.

Author’s Bio: The article has been written by Atlanta Baruah. She is working as a trainee for Social Media Executive in Olive E Business a digital media agency. I am writing this article by doing an extensive research on this topic Indian Female models and evolution of Fashion in India through different articles. I enjoy writing and learning about new topics.