I know I'm quite ranty on the subject of bad clothes, and could really do with a dose of decent retail. But if Topshop etc ever make their way here and want to become as much of a presence in India as they are in the UK, it isn't the design frat whose influence they're going to have to compete with, but a label that I'm not sure too many people reading this will have heard of, except for everyone in this country (and chances are, you probably own something from there too)- Fabindia. If there's one single label that defines the look of late teen/early twentysomething college kids in this country, this is probably it. I've never been a huge fan of the clothes - the tops are often too shapeless for my taste and, for lack of a better way to put it, it feels like the lazy way out given that kurtas (long tunics) and jeans are practically a uniform here, but they do have their good points: the fabric is entirely natural, the clothes look rather nicer in real life than they do on the site (which contains only a tiny selection of what's available- turns out they even do food..), and, long before anyone even thought up the words 'ethical fashion', their products are handmade and sourced in villages across India (they're big on craftsmanship and supporting it), and here's the ultimate kicker: they're somewhat affordable, which is rather a big deal when other so-called 'high-quality' (read: splashy designer, more often than not) labels are entering the country and charging the equivalent of a trainee lawyer's salary for three months, for a dress. I mean, I know they're high-priced and all, but some things are ridiculous.all pics from www.fabindia.com
7 comments:
People shouldn't pay so much for a name if the design is lacking.
(CH) And yet people do.
A Fabindia post? *grins* The short skirt and sari don't look like their usual stuff, though. IS that a sari? Or a poncho or something?
Damn, I couldn't have come back to life just a week later, and missed this accusatory Fabindia post. Tho', in my defence, I only own one kurta and that's by default coz' it didn't fit who I bought it for.
Ha@peraketh. What're you even doing at a fashion blog man. No offence, of course.
TCH: It's what I call having more money than sense...
That object up there isn't a sari, it's a shawl.
Can of Worms: I didn't mean to sound accusatory, it's just that I find the clothes a bit blah, and the ubiquitousness of it all gets to me sometimes (and you don't need to justify ownership of the kurta, really).
This is interesting. I have always thought of their design as really sloppy and they're completely overrated. I do love some of their fabric but I almost never buy myself anything from there.Also my mum buys some of her clothes from there and they're pretty average quality.Their clothes are not colourfast and I don't think they mention it anywhere. Also their return policy on their home furnishings is crap. So yes very overrated and it annoys me when ppl gush about how amazing they are.
Their fabric is the strong point, which is why I bothered posting about them at all. And the colour bleeding was something I thought they mentioned?
I don't wear clothes from there, like I said, because to me it's a one-dimensional 'look' that I'm not comfortable in. But I do think that if they stepped up the design a little it could be brilliant (considering the worker-friendly policies etc), though of course they have no incentive to do so- a lack of fit is evidently part of their manifesto.
fabindia zindabad. but the thing about them is that they're a bit too recognisable..
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