The Evolution of Street Style in India
You have been waiting for the weekend shopping to check out all your favourite brands. And finally, the day has arrived. You immediately checked your phone and refreshed the tab to select your favourite choices of clothing and add it to your bag and this has almost become a routine for you. You again hit the refresh button and just as you go to the buying section the dresses which you selected and added to your cart have been sold out.
With the rise of hype culture in India, streetwear has become the hottest commodity for people looking to switch on some funky and classy dresses to look fashionable in this modern culture.
Streetwear originated in the West when Shawn Stussy began to print logos on T-shirts in LA, California in the 80’s. It has evolved from hip-hop and influences from street art to become what it is today.
According to Sohiny Das, co-founder of Grain Fashion Consultancy, it’s nearly impossible for Indian streetwear to be the same as its Western counterparts. “Streetstyle has to be an original version of the existing place. Geography, Weather, Architecture and the general vibe of the city influence how people dress, she says.” “We can’t compare India to America, or Mumbai local trains to the New York subway”.
So, how streetwear influenced India? With the advertising of streetwear culture on social media mainly Instagram, streetwear style emerged in India with the rise of audiences watching reels on social media. It’s a dual existential identity like what is worn in real life is advertised as what is worn in reels life. Everyone dresses according to to get clicked for photos keeping in mind. Over the last decade street style blogs and social media have made it possible for someone sitting in Kolkata to know what’s happening in Amsterdam. There’s more documentation now. And probably there is some kind of uniformity globally in the way people dress — words like ‘normcore’ and ‘athleisure’ work everywhere.
With the influence of pop culture on street style it is a reflection of it too. Manish Arora was someone who captured this essence in a Technicolor lineup called Fish Fry. The T-shirt brand Tantra had great slogans that reflected the general mindset: “Overeducated and Underemployed” was my favourite in the 90s reflecting Sohiny.
The earliest influences of Indian Streetwear have been inspiring including global high fashion as well as street style across continents for many decades. The explosion of colours, patterns, textiles, layering, drapes and the mish-mash of everything has attracted the visitors and intrigued in the way considered a “deliberate style”, Sohiny observes.
The rising hype culture in India along with homegrown streetwear brands has been a counter-effect. The streetwear movement has transitioned from the love of cultural references in fashion to purchases made for the sake of ‘flexing’ on social media. Fashion here takes a backseat. While we love our oversized puffer jackets and our baggy joggers that make a style statement of their own, at some point we need to question our love for streetwear and how organic it is. Another argument has also arisen is how streetwear makes us feel comfortable in our clothes and look good. You could say it puts the leisure in ‘athleisure’ itself.
