Why does homegrown fashion in India carry a hefty price tag?

From prioritising personalisation to emphasising on eco-friendly practices, four founders of the country’s coolest labels explain what ups the prices of their products

You don’t have to dig too deep to discover that there has been a surge in the number of homegrown labels in India in recent times. If you spend a few minutes scrolling through the Instagram accounts of influencers closer to home, it won’t be long before you unearth a lengthy, diverse list of Indian designers and labels. However, despite this sudden proliferation of options, several shoppers still struggle to seamlessly incorporate local brands into their wardrobes for one key reason–the hefty price tags that often accompany the creations. To better understand what contributes to the cost of homegrown fashion, we reach out to four industry insiders. 

Customisation 

Many of us will admit to having purchased a piece of clothing from a high-street giant that doesn’t fit quite right or has a detail that we could have done without. Compromises of this kind are less common when it comes to garments made by homegrown labels because a large majority of them are focused on offering their customers an inherently personalised experience, one that acknowledges the distinct set of sartorial needs that every individual has.

Riya Gupta, creative director of New Delhi-based label Studio Rigu, explains that it’s this commitment to customisation that often drives up prices. “Our signature ombré dying technique is a painstakingly artisanal process where the fabric has to be hand-dyed and re-dyed in three to four colours. Also, each piece has to be made according to customer specifications because of the colour placement on the body. Therefore, it cannot be mass-produced, and this makes the entire process costly,” says Gupta, whose designs cater to women of varied age groups and shapes.

Conscience 

Apart from prioritising personalisation, a made-to-order approach, although expensive, is frequently favoured by many labels because it reduces waste. “Our small-batch inventory model allows us to make just what we need while preventing a colossal wastage of excess garments that are not bought,” says Neha Modi, co-founder of Mumbai-based slow fashion label Pause. Additionally, other such eco-friendly efforts, which stem from an acute awareness about the fashion industry’s growing environmental impact, are also reflected in the high price tags of homegrown fashion. “Brands like ours tend to be more mindful about sustainability, whether its where the fabric is sourced from or the working conditions of people making the clothes, and this adds to the price of our pieces,” says Modi. 

Gursi Singh, co-founder of conscious label Lovebirds, offers similar insights. “The price of a garment produced by a homegrown brand is often higher than off-the-rack clothing by a high-street brand because we are inclined towards working with ethically-sourced raw materials, and bringing back local techniques of production which are more expensive processes.”

Creativity 

In addition to the steps that a brand takes towards becoming more sustainable, creativity is an important, often overlooked, cost driver. Unlike fast fashion labels, which routinely and not-so-discreetly draw inspiration from the styles sent down the runway every season, homegrown labels take pride in investing time and resources in creating out-of-the-box and authentic designs. “We, as a brand, place a lot of importance on ideation and exploration while working on a new collection and see the cost of innovative design as an investment in the perception of the brand,” explains Singh, whose emphasis on innovation has earned Lovebirds both accolades and a spot in the closets of the country’s fashion insiders.

Change

The eagerness to experiment spills into other areas, too. Many Indian labels are constantly finding ways to make their offerings more accessible to a larger audience. “From using one fabric to make multiple styles to upcycling excess fabric to create new designs and products, we’re making every effort to reduce the cost for our customers,” says Modi. However, Modi and several others who sit at the helm of homegrown labels will attest that a substantial drop in prices, without forgoing certain factors that forge the very foundation of their brands, is unlikely. “A significant reduction in price only occurs when the production sizes increase, and as a brand offering a personalised experience to each consumer, cost-cutting is difficult. It can compromise our values of authenticity, mindful luxury and sustainability,” adds Gupta. 

This, then, leads us to a crucial question: Does the solution to this dilemma have more to do with perspective and less with price points? New Delhi-based Ankita Bansal, co-founder of denim brand There!, highlights that the idea is to start viewing such purchases as long-term investments that bring you much more than momentary joy. “If you buy something that isn’t the best quality but is inexpensive, it’s likely that you won’t get much use out of it, and will have to replace it soon. But, if you invest in something that costs more and is of better quality, it will have repeat value and stay with you much longer,” she concludes, giving those who have been deterred by the prices of homegrown fashion something to mull over. 

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