The Couture Fashion Week in India has has raised a curious conundrum in the local world of fashion. Out west, couture is almost universally recognized as the finest outfits tailor made for a specific client, but in India, couture can mean anything fancy. So what do we see in Couture Fashion Week? Everything from the gorgeous to the downright gaudy, it would seem.

In a country where couture is synonymous with anything extravagant and ornate, what’s the relevance of a couture week? Do Indian designers produce the finest quality products, which merit the couture coinage? Does embossing a tulle lehenga with reams and reams of sequins qualify it to be called a work of couture. We spoke to some of our leading fashion lights in an attempt to fathom the purity of Haute Couture and its relevance in India’s fashion scene.

Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI

Technically you’re right and given by your logic, the only person who can call himself a couturier is Manish Arora, who is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Francaise. (Read More)