07 April 2023, Mumbai
Catching the mood of the consumer of the day it is that the urban fashion movement is meaningfully evolving in India, welcoming streetwear clothing as an ‘approved trend’.
Context setting; Streetwear, a fashion subculture that originated from urban and skateboarding scenes, has gathered pace, acceptability & popularity across diverse settings in India in recent years witnessing robust growth, come on the back of trade dynamics viz. changing fashion preferences, increasing urbanization, and the influence of global fashion trends in evolving paradigm.
Reinventing Style
The first principle is that local designers are tapping into the growing subculture of woke millennials who appreciate local rap artists, support local brands, and prioritize conscious fashion choices.
Homegrown streetwear goes beyond conventional ideas of dressing up, accommodating the diversity of Indian identity and enabling consumers to manifest/express their unique/individualistic sensibilities without fear of judgment.
The Rise of Indian Streetwear for the Conscious Consumer
A quick glimpse of the streetwear clothing market size in India has been continuously expanding, with a growing consumer base/clientele that includes millennials and Gen Z.
The Indian streetwear market as per the Technavio report projects the category to clock growth with a CAGR of over 10% in the forecasted period 2021 to 2025.
Kickers; What drives up this category's future is supporting factors such as the rise of social media (SMs), the globalized world imparting faster awareness of global fashion trends, and the underlined recognition warranting demand for comfort yet stylized clothing.
Revolutionizing Fashion
Broadly it is a Pan-India phenomenon currently as numerous production centers across the country are actively indulged in the manufacturing of streetwear clothing involving major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata are production-hubs of streetwear clothing, through the period given the growing consumer brand consciousness, a vast number of established and emerging brands based in these regions/centers and the interesting part is many of these production centers have got started and, are known for their creativity, innovative eco-system with the capability to serve to the diverse fashion needs of the maturing Indian market.
Scope & scale
The limitless scope of the streetwear category in India is encouraging encompassing an array of clothing and accessories such as T-shirts, denim, hoodies, joggers, sneakers, caps, etc.
What is striking about the streetwear category is its product attributes such as casual, comfortable, vibrancy, and trendy aesthetics, commonly they are characterized by bold graphics and unique designs, and patterns. An important piece of the puzzle is It offers a unique/differentiated style that helps connect them with the youth's popular culture and urbanized lifestyle, resonating as a preferred clothing/dressing choice among fashion-forward wearers.
The Evolution of Modern Supply Chains
There is no growth possible in the absence of robust supply chains & eco-system where India scores are giving a fillip to this growing category as India also boasts a strong hub of local raw material suppliers with a range of input high-quality materials/elements going into streetwear apparel/garment making e.g. fabrics, trims, buttons, and zippers, etc play a crucial role in supporting the production process.
The Emerging Subculture of Conscious Indian Streetwear
What drives it; Towards the end, it is imperative here to emphasize the growing importance, acceptance & popularity of the streetwear clothing concept in India has gained considerable traction in recent years giving rise to ever-growing market size, and forever active production centers across major Indian cities. The manufacturing community has well understood the importance of staying invested, keep innovating in the overall scheme of things to partake in this growth story.
Adapting to Change; Given that manufacturing of this category in India is well backed up by easy access & availability of local raw material suppliers, this is in a good place for sustained growth in coming seasons and years galvanized by changing fashion trends and ever-evolving consumer preferences and choices. Trade remains sanguine that 'Popularizing accessible and inclusive streetwear fashion in India, making it more democratic and inclusive for all' is the road ahead.
