A forever muse for Western designers, Indian fashion has evolved by blending ancient techniques with modern needs to champion acceptance
“Clothes have no gender,” remarked Akshay Tyagi, a renowned celebrity stylist, brand consultant, and costume designer based in Mumbai. When it comes to Indian fashion, his opinions hold great sway. Tyagi is a top professional with an impressive list of accomplishments, including designing costumes for Bollywood films such as Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Maharshi, and Sheer Qorma, as well as styling high-profile celebrities both on and off the red carpet, including actors Varun Dhawan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rajkummar Rao, cricketer Shubman Gill, and actresses Sobhita Dhulipala, Tara Sutaria, and Kiara Advani. His fashion editorials have graced the pages of prestigious magazines like Vogue and Architectural Digest. He has collaborated with esteemed global brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, and Zegna, and has worked closely with designers such as Gaurav Gupta and Rahul Mishra.
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Tyagi’s recent highlights feature dressing prominent actresses Pooja Hegde and Mouni Roy, curating wardrobes for India’s leading artist Rani KoHEnur, and designing custom outfits for performer BomBae. Throughout his career, he has been devoted to exploring and incorporating cross-cultural influences, bridging Eastern and Western fashion sensibilities.
Akshay Tyagi’s extensive experience made him a fitting choice for the masterclass “Decolonising Diversity & Increasing Inclusivity: An Indian Study” at Istituto Marangoni Milano.
Traditional Indian fashion has long captivated global creativity, inspiring Western designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano with its vibrant colours, intricate embroideries, and distinctive techniques. Over the past decade, Indian fashion has sparked new dialogues and evolved significantly, combining ancient techniques with contemporary needs to achieve a higher level of inclusivity than ever before. Drawing on his extensive expertise, Akshay Tyagi offered valuable insights into this evolution, highlighting various approaches that have contributed to the increased inclusivity within Indian fashion:
1. Seasonal Campaigns — Both the Kerala-based jewellery house Bhima and H&M have embraced non-binary expressions, creating emotional campaigns that reflect love and acceptance, prompting audiences to reconsider societal conventions.
2. Representation in Editorials — Moving beyond the superficial “Let’s put a rainbow on it” approach, magazines have increasingly featured diversity in their editorials and covers, showcasing it to both global and local audiences through print and social media.
3. Films — Bollywood, inspired by international cinema, has begun to incorporate storylines that promote diversity, breaking down barriers and allowing individuality and expression to be conveyed through both plot and costume design.
4. Lakme Fashion Week — When model Anjali Lama first appeared at Mumbai’s Fashion Week in 2017, it sparked a movement that led to the creation of India’s first non-gendered model agency, founded by non-binary model and performer Glorious Luna.
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5. Global Personas — International personalities have used their platforms to represent Indian culture and express their fashion choices, such as Queen Priyanka, who stars in the latest season of the Peabody Award-winning HBO show We’re Here.
“It’s all about how you can adapt what is available to you and then translate it onto your subjects,” concluded Akshay Tyagi, offering a final thought on how to drive an inclusive change through one’s work.
Ximena Fernández Ochoa
Fashion Business, Digital Communication & Media, 2nd year, Milano