In recent years, London Fashion Week has become a showcase not just for the capital's top designers, but for the Indian influences on British fashion - with designers blending traditional Indian fabrics, styles and fashions with a modern British sensibility, and celebrating centuries of fashion history.
This year’s London Fashion Week takes place between Thursday 17th to Monday 21st September, and includes venues such as 37 Bloomsbury, just round the corner from the iconic Sicilian Avenue, recently reopening after a multi-year refurbishment.
London's international influences are everywhere, from the Afro-Caribbean styles of Brixton to the Italian-infused design of Sicilian Avenue, and Fashion Week is increasingly a showcase for one of the world's most proudly cosmopolitan cities, where savvy shopping rules (recent research by Sicilian Avenue showed that 8 in 10 Londoners shop more intentionally than they did in 2019, rising to 91% among Xennials).
Indian designs and motifs frequently appear on the catwalk at London Fashion Week and beyond in Milan and Paris - often framed as luxury innovation, without acknowledgement, such as a Prada £650 Indian-inspired sandal which sparked accusations of cultural appropriation.
But the links between India and British fashion go back centuries - here are five of the most iconic garments that link the two.
Lady Curzon’s 1903 Peacock Dress and Zardozi Embroidery
The gown worn by Baroness Curzon of Kedleston for the coronation of King Edward VII perfectly illustrates how British and Indian style and history cross-pollinated, with the gown (made of gold and silver thread) a reference to the Peacock Throne, which stood in the Diwan-i-Khas palace where the ball took place. Made from panels of chiffon using 'zardozi' gold wire weaving techniques, the dress inspired the use of Indian embroidery in Western fashion.
Jodhpurs: How Indian Riding Breeches Redefined British Sportswear
The traditional 'whites' worn for Polo in Britain actually have Indian roots - and the Jodhpur is named after the capital city of the state of Marwar in modern-day Rajasthan. The fitted breeches were first tailored for avid polo player Sir Pratap Singh in 1890 and were quickly adopted by polo teams in India. When the Jodhpur polo team toured England in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, the pants became a sensation in British sport.
Cashmere Shawls: From Kashmir to Victorian High Society
Kashmir (or cashmere) shawls became a fashion staple from the 18th century onwards with the shawls (made of fine wool) originally worn by Indian men. They grew into a global cashmere industry, with the shawls worn by Queen Victoria and Empress Josephine, and becoming a symbol of high status. Charles Dickens wrote, "if an article of dress could be immutable, it would be the (Kashmir) shawl; designed for eternity in the unchanging East."
The Paisley Pattern: The Persian and Indian Boteh Motif
The name Paisley might evoke Glasgow (it was named after the textile mills of Paisley, near Glasgow, then Europe's top producer of textiles), but the ‘boteh’ pattern has far more exotic origins. The pattern was originally known as 'pine and cone', and became popular in the nineteenth century - before seeing an explosive revival in the 1960s, and with Paisley worn by artists such as the Beatles - a far cry from its origins as an Indo-Iranian pattern used to represent elite status.
Pyjamas: The Indian Loungewear That Conquered British Bedrooms
Believe it or not, there was a time when men (and women) did not wear pyjamas to bed. In fact, prior to the arrival of pyjamas from the subcontinent, it was much more common for men to be seen in a gown late at night. Pyjamas originated as trousers in India, but were adopted by British colonists and soldiers - originally known as 'mogul's breeches', they first became popular as lounging-wear before being widely adopted as sleep attire from the late Victorian period.