History of Fashion in India

-

Introduction: "Rich and diverse, spans from ancient times with regional variations like the sari, ghagra choli, and dhoti, to the modern era with the rise of Bollywood and global brands, evolving through periods of traditional craftsmanship, colonial influence, and post-independence development."

Ancient Roots & Traditional Styles:
  • Early Evidence:
    The history of clothing in India can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization and even earlier, with cotton cultivation and use as early as 2500 BCE. 
  • Vedic Period:
  • The Rig Veda mentions "Paridhan" (dyed) and "Pesas" (embroidered) garments, indicating refined fabric techniques. 
  • Mauryan Era:

      • Literary and sculptural sources, like the Arthashastra of Kautilya,

       mention threads, coats, cloth, and ropes manufactured

      by the weaving department. 

      ·         Muslin and Trade:

      • By the 2nd century AD, muslin clothes from southern India were traded to the Roman Emperors. 

      Traditional Garments:

      • Across India, women wore saris with choli tops, while a skirt called a lehenga or chaniya, paired with a choli and dupatta, formed the ghagra choli ensemble. Colonial Impact and Post-Independence:

      British Raj:

      • Fashion was initially an honor managed by the most extravagant of the country until the Indian colonization. 

      Post-Independence:

      • In 1947, India achieved autonomy, leading to a period of evolving fashion trends. 

      Bollywood's Influence:

      • Indian cinema, particularly Bollywood, played a significant role in shaping fashion trends, influencing styles and fabrics. 

      The 21st Century:

      • The rise of brands and globalization has further shaped the Indian fashion landscape.  

      Fashion Shows:
      In 1958, Bhanu Athaiya designed the first traveling 
      promotional fashion show in independent India for 
      Calico Mills, a pivotal moment in Indian fashion history. 

       

       

      Comments

      Post a Comment

      Popular posts from this blog

      Fashion

      -
      Image
      Fashion is popular aesthetic expression at a certain time and in a certain context, especially in clothing, footwear , lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and body proportions.Whereas a trend often connotes a very specific aesthetic expression, and often lasting shorter than a season, fashion is a distinctive and industry-supported expression traditionally tied to the fashion season and collections.Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class and culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, fashion connotes "the latest fashion, the latest  Even though they are often used together, the term fashion differs from clothes and costume, where the first describes the material and technical garment, whereas the second has been relegated to special senses like fancy-dress or masquerade wear. Fashion instead describes the social and temporal system that "activa...
      Read more

      History of clothing in Indus Valley Civilization

      -
      Image
        History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent can be traced to the Indus valley civilization or earlier. Indians have mainly worn clothing made up of locally grown cotton. India was one of the first places where cotton was cultivated and used even as early as 2500 BCE during the Harappan era. The remnants of the ancient Indian clothing can be found in the figurines discovered from the sites near the Indus valley civilization, the rock-cut sculptures, the cave paintings, and human art forms found in temples and monuments. These scriptures view the figures of human wearing clothes which can be wrapped around the body. Taking the instances of the Sari, the bandana, to that of the turban and the dhoti; the traditional Indian wears were mostly tied around the body in various ways. Statue of the "Priest King" wearing a printed robe, Mohenjo-daro, Indus Valley civilization, c. 2000–1900 BCE . Royal cemetery of Ur headdress acc...
      Read more