India slayed, swayed and displayed the best of fashion, beauty and entertainment in 2023. We outweighed ourselves and made a prominent spot on the global stage and here’s how!
India has landed on the global stage! If we look back to the olden days when international recognition was nothing short of a quest for India, but today, the tables have turned and the world is witnessing flashes of Indian excellence in every nook and corner. The global stage got to witness India’s romance with craftsmanship, courtesy of our renowned couturiers. The brands of the West were also seen eyeing the A-listers of India only to later rope them in as their global ambassadors and embrace diversity in all its glory. Speaking of glory, our entertainment industry is no stranger to international recognition, but this year screams ‘special’ in bold letters as we bagged THE Oscars! It was a year of Balenciaga-sized debuts, content creators and designers making it big globally and brands like Reliance Brands Limited bringing in a new fashion order. Well, I can go on and on about India’s excellent performance in 2023, so let me dig deeper into what a blast this year has been.
India at the global stage: Indian fashion, beauty and more
A fashion-forward year for India
Indian couture goes global
The amount of diversity that couture exudes is unmatchable and no other country does it like India! From New York, London, and Paris to Milan, the fashion fraternity saw India as an emerging player in fashion in 2023. While Bibhu Mohapatra paid a tribute to his hometown at LFW’s finale, we saw Falguni Shane Peacock return to NYFW’s runway, Gaurav Gupta, Vaishali S and Rahul Mishra took over Haute Couture in Paris and plenty of such instances prove that Indian fashion has come a long way.
Dior staged a show in Mumbai
When the Gateway of India was being all decked up to play muse for Dior’s first showcase in India, we all knew that this was a seminal moment for Indian fashion. Maria Grazia Chiuri brought its sheer craft to India in collaboration with another Indian gem aka The Chanakya School of Craft, a Mumbai-based atelier. The showcase was bustling with the best of Bollywood glitterati designers and other influential personalities, hence making the event even more exclusive.
New milestones: Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre & Jio World Drive
The Ambanis have done it again! Mumbai witnessed two notable locations coming alive this year. One lures the fashion fraternity in and art comes alive in the other. NMACC is the recent and one of the most prominent landmarks of Mumbai, it celebrates India’s tale of couture and drops another massive cultural centre into India’s laps. Post the successful launch of NMACC the Jio World Drive headed by Isha Ambani was brewing a new fashion order. It is an attempt to expand Reliance Retail’s footprint and I must say it is a successful one.
The Jio World Drive is bait for all the fashion and luxury enthusiasts of India, while it offers a wide variety of luxury maisons to shop from, the space’s highlight will always be Balenciaga’s big debut in India. From iconic brands to grand shows, the Jio World Plaza further adds glamour to India’s fashion landscape.
Indian celebrities become global ambassadors
Post Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were chosen as Louis Vuitton’s and Bulgari’s brand ambassadors respectively, it seemed like global brands opened doors for Indian celebs to their brand faces. Alia Bhatt, the one seldom seen on B-town’s headlines was announced as Gucci’s brand ambassador amongst the others this year, Ananya Panday was roped in for Jimmy Choo and Swarovski, and many more names are part of the list.
Beauty brands embrace and acknowledge Indian beauty
While India’s fashion fraternity was pretty busy taking over the global stage, it seems like the big beauty names were eyeing India’s budding market to make a move, and I must say they chose well! Luxury fashion maison were not the only ones roping Indian faces as brand ambassadors, the beauty domain was equally buzzing with such announcements. Manushi Chillar was announced as Estee Lauder’s face, Khushi Kapoor was welcomed into the Sol De Janeiro fam and Tamannah Bhatia turned ambassador for Shiseido.
Apart from these divas representing the brand on an international level, some of our favourites debuted in India and left us all in awe. Well, if brands like Rare Beauty, NARS, Shiseido and more enter the Indian market you know you need to start saving up. Let’s just say you don’t need to plan a foreign trip to add these brands to your vanities anymore, it’s all near you now.
The entertainment industry stood tall
The hype about India’s rich culture finally came alive as the entertainment industry got its dues on the International stage. While we were all mesmerised by Deepika Padukone’s presence at the Oscars, little did we know what was about to come later. As DP said ‘Do you you know Naatu, if not then you’re about to!’ RRR, the Indian blockbuster made history as it became the first Indian film to win an Oscar adding India’s name to the global Hall of Fame.
Furthermore, yet another renowned International title, the Emmy Awards facilitated influential personalities like Ekta Kapoor for the International Emmy Directorate Award and Vir Das for his Netflix Comedy special ‘Vir Das: Landing’.
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