in the past year vera wang marchesa jean paul gaultier etro and chanel have showcased indiainspired collections why has the land of exotica suddenly become mainstream fashion fodder for the bigwigs asks garima sharma jean paul gaultiers guests were in for an indian surprise at his recent springsummer 2013 show in paris the french haute couture fashion designer presented a collection inspired by india and matched the ambience to the theme with rows of seating christened after indian dishes tandoori tikka masala naan dal and vindaloo replete with models flaunting bindis dupattas over their heads and little girls with maang tikaas this was the fifth indiainspired show in a year the past year has seen an increasing number of international designers making india their muse see boxes it cannot be just a coincidence that all of them chose indian motifs themes and jewellery as inspiration for their collections in the past 13 to 14 months from a oneoff exotic inspiration india has now become a mainstream muse for fashion stalwarts american fashion designer anna sui one of the most celebrated names in hollywood says the world is becoming smaller markets are opening in new parts of the world everyone is talking about china and india as the next big global markets indias growing economy has made it one of the most important markets designers all over the world are taking note of that fashion designer namrata joshipura who often shows in new york and paris says people are talking about india a lot in mainstream media and focusing on whats happening culturally over here india is showcased not just in couture but also for readytowear lines jewellery designer jade jagger rocker mick jaggers daughter says western designers have always been inspired by india but its nice that they are acknowledging it openly now its not just creative influences but the economic dynamics of the postrecession world that are driving indian and oriental elements origamistyle silhouettes japanese floral prints chinese embroidery and dragon motifs mandarin collars etc into the mainstream says fashion designer ritu kumar the world has always been fascinated by india from even before the mughals came here however with the current economic climate it is highly lucrative for international brands to cash in on the indian flavour there is money in india now and the nri client base is becoming bigger by the day at one end we have the design bigwigs representing style elements borrowed from the new buyers world at the other end we have the buyers who get the tag of a huge brand name with design sensibilities that match their own its a winwin situation for all also as india becomes fashion inspiration a new style sensibility is emerging we have the indemand western silhouettes that combine elements from the east making the products appeal to hip welltravelled global youngsters with deep pockets fashion entrepreneur and observer pernia qureshi says indian clothes are now being easily interpreted for the modern customer the inspiration