Fashion, flamboyance and looking good have always been integral parts of Indian culture.
Indian designers are renowned for their flair and attention to detail. Those that produce traditional garments are singled out for their ornate craftsmanship.
Saira Kazi, founder of online website www.ukindianfashion.co.uk says that while most designs are available in the uk the high end market still remains hard to sell even to the most fashion-savy clients in the United States and Europe.
While buyers and stores may consider buying parts of traditional collections or outfits, selling them as a whole is, at present, difficult.
Essentially, international markets work on principles of commercial viability and wearability. This makes the traditional Indian look hard to push on shop floors.
The type of clients that Indian designers are trying to reach at home and abroad are very distinct, and both are looking for markedly different things.
For any fashion designer looking to crack the international business, knowing the statistics is critical, he says, insisting that for every 100 brands that are created only one is commercially successful.
The Indian fashion industry is still in its infancy.
When pondering its potential growth, experts point out that India is where Brazil was 15 or 20 years ago.
They add that Brazilian designers are now gaining global recognition for their ability to serve both local and foreign markets well.
The trick, however, is deciding who to create for and who to sell to.
For Indian designers, the possibilities on either side of the equation are large: A domestic market with more than one billion potential clients, as well as an international market keen to see them combine traditional flare with Western commercial viability.
