New Indian luxury is Homegrown, Handspun, and Haute
India’s luxury market is being recontextualised, fuelled by indigenous brands, booming wealth, and a consumer class that views Indian and global luxury as part of the same habitat.
Dec 2, 2025
There was a time when luxury in India meant buying a Bottega bag or a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. However, today, luxury denotes styling an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla with a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes or accessorising a Raw Mango sari with a Tod's tote. The global and homegrown enjoy equal attention and privilege in any luxury cognoscenti's worldview.
Locally crafted and handspun have become haute like never before with the popularity of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Manish Malhotra, Vaishali S, Jade, Delhi Vintage Co., Ekaya Banaras, and Payal Singhal among the new-age couture buyer, who wants to invest in something meaningful and mindful, and most significantly something that embodies an India Proud sentiment.
India boasts of an incredible heritage comprising weaves, textiles, and crafts, and today the luxists are finally cherishing them. With accelerating urbanisation and phenomenal digital growth, the Indian client, though spoilt for choice, is finally warming up to the supremacy of their own talent.
Celebrated Designers Explain Why
Designer Abu Jani of design house - Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla shares, "Indians have a long legacy of being avid consumers of luxury. Our heritage is replete with the most exquisite fashion and jewellery. Today, our appetite for fine clothes (Made in India) is unsurpassed. We consume luxury with absolute abandon and unfettered enthusiasm. We are an extremely strong culture, one that is proud of and devoted to our own fashion, jewellery, and lifestyle.
Our weddings are the biggest and fattest in the world, and they include multiple events held across days of extravagant celebration. We also have a whole host of festivals throughout the year, which also call for formal and festive wear. Our silhouettes are endless and afford us the opportunity to wear original designs that boast exceptional hand-craftsmanship, sumptuous colour palettes, and intricate embellishments. Without doubt, this makes the wedding market the king of luxury consumption."
How Gen Z is Rewriting the Luxury Playbook
Today, a Gen Z Indian luxury buyer may carry a Jacquemus bag, choose a pair of Aquazzura heels, but they'd invest in a sari from a homegrown label. "When it comes to occasion wear on festivals and weddings, there is no question of western wear becoming the choice. Our culture is deeply ingrained in us, something we both adore and respect. The sheer beauty, variety, and range of Indian silhouettes hold infinite appeal and make homegrown, indigenous labels unbeatable. Western Couture cannot replace Indian couture. It is gratifying as Gen Z Indians own our creative expression and are proud to wear it. We are big on promoting Made in India, be it garments, jewellery, decor," says Sandeep.
Couture is about creating the very finest. It is all about exceptional design, the highest hand craftsmanship, and impossibly beautiful detailing. "Apart from couture, even our indigenous jewellery is masterfully crafted and extremely precious. Indians see jewellery as a good investment and buy it with great enthusiasm at festivals and weddings. The high-net-worth Indian is deeply devoted to luxury consumption both historically and today. The Indian Maharajas were the biggest patrons of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Boucheron. Indian couture holds massive sentimental, emotional, and creative meaning to the Indian consumer. Our hand embroideries hold the highest esteem globally. It is most definitely our favourite choice," adds Sandeep.
Designer Vaishali S observes, "In more recent years, people have started travelling abroad and getting exposed also to foreign luxury and what it stands for. That is why we are seeing a shift from logos ostentation to more discreet use of luxury. Larger categories of luxury have been expanding, such as non-bridal jewellery, cars, watches, homes, holidays, etc.
The growing tier 2 and 3 cities and the middle class are also driving this growth. And as I said, there has always been an appetite and understanding of luxury in India. Moreover, it is a time when the global luxury market is looking at those attributes where India excels: bespoke, slow fashion, workmanship, and sustainability. It is only normal that people look at India for that, and that Indians start perceiving the attraction of luxury as a lifestyle," says Vaishali.