Everything about the India in Fashion exhibition in Mumbai is on a grand scale – the scope, the designers, the materials, the opulence of the exhibition and last but not least the venue itself. It is in the newly opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center (NMACC), housed at BKC in Mumbai, spans more than 4,600 square meters and nine exhibition rooms, offering a unique experience.
Curated by Hamish Bowles and co-designed by Patrick Kinmonth with Rooshad Shroff, the exhibition is not about Indian fashion per se, but rather its impact on the world. Visitors are not only taken on a purely chronological journey, but also on detours into the world of materials, silhouettes and of course embroidery.
An exhibition of this magnitude at the heart of the Bollywood film industry is almost bound to mention this omnipresent force in the lives of all Indians. Movies fire the imagination like no other influence, and that includes what the heroes and heroines, their friends and the many supporting characters wear.
After an introduction looking at how Indian silk fabrics and embroidery were refined at court in the 19th century, the obligatory reference to Bollywood follows with ‘An India of the Imagination’, which traces Indian dress from fantasy to film.
From there, visitors are “gathered in a Mughal garden” to admire a sumptuous display of opulent floral chintz dresses that made a big impression in the fashionable West and were picked up by European couture, as well as muslin creations, which are shown in the next room through six summery and light creations.
The next three rooms are dedicated to the theme “India’s allure meets Paris couture” which, in one room each, shows how Parisian couture is inspired by Indian fashion through ensembles by Chanel, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent from the years 1960 to 1968 let.
Moving from one area to the next, one is struck by US fashion columnist and editor Diana Vreeland’s insight (dating back to 1956): “Pink is the navy blue of India.” This is still the case today, as those who have been to an Indian wedding or Indian office can attest – different shades of pink are everywhere and worn with confidence by women and men alike.
In the next room, visitors are awaited by Valentino’s creations symbolizing “the marriage of East and West”, followed by the inevitable “Journey of the Saree” and a look at how this marvel of draping found its rightful place in Western history has taken fashion. Here the constant reinvention of the saree unfolds in creations by Paul Poiret in 1922, by Elsa Schiaparelli in 1939, as well as by Mainbocher, Madame Grès, Carolyn Schnurer, Hubert de Givenchy and more recently Cristobal Balenciaga, Ritu Kumar, Jean Paul Gaultier and Raw Mango.
“India’s most enduring garment, with its layers and drapes, has captured the interest of fashion designers more than any other Indian form of dress,” reads the accompanying text.
From there you get to the only part of the exhibition that seems to have been put together rather accidentally. The Great Exhibition London 1851 commemorates the international event opened by Queen Victoria, which featured more than 100,000 items on display. This exhibition space features clothes, accessories and other items from different decades before and after the event.
According to the accompanying text, the “Great Exhibition” marked “a high point in the complex colonial relationship between Britain and India”. “The fondness for cashmere scarves and the use of the Buta [Paisley-Design] reached a peak of sophistication in the 1850s and continues to be found in the work of both Western and Indian designers from Christian Lacroix to Anamika Khanna.
India’s influence on fashion experienced an upsurge in the 1960s and onwards as people began to travel to India and be inspired by the country’s fashion and culture. The exhibition pays tribute to this evolution with “The Hippie Trail”, a section dedicated to the playful and colorful creations of designers from the 60s and 70s.
The exhibition concludes with an area dedicated to “Traditions and Innovations”, taking a look at contemporary Indian fashion: “The identity of Indian designers is inseparable from the country’s rich textile and handicraft heritage. India’s extraordinary community of crafts has brought its magical skills to the collections of forward-thinking 21st century design visionaries,” it concludes.
“In a final honeycomb of spaces, we celebrate the remarkable diversity of contemporary Indian designers and their ability to see India in many different forms. As the world opens its eyes to their contribution and new dimensions of representation, Indian fashion designers are finally being given their rightful place in the modern lexicon of global fashion,” the exhibition concludes.
Putting together an exhibition of this magnitude was no easy task and congratulations to those involved. The list of lenders alone is impressive, ranging from the archives of couture houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano and Balenciaga to the personal collection of designer Ritu Kumar and museum loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp, the Museum of the City of New York, the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles and the Palais Galliera in Paris.
A few tips before visiting the exhibition: Don’t be discouraged if the website says tickets are sold out; you can still buy them on site. You’ll also need good reading glasses, as the exhibits are – understandably – dimly lit, but the lettering is fairly small. Each room also has plenty of staff gently but firmly advising you not to go back – so be sure to get your fill before attempting to move on. And last but not least, earplugs are recommended in order to look around in peace, because the music from the loudspeakers doesn’t match the otherwise quiet ambience.
Definitely a must for fashion lovers. India in Fashion is on view at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center in Mumbai until June 4, 2023.