fashion, with its legacy of handicraft, colour and durable motifs, may have evoked global appreciation, but top buyers say homespun designers need better branding and market awareness to attract serious money.
Until about a decade ago, pret-a-porter fashion barely existed in India, despite its wealth of fabric and lavish embroideries inspiring Western designers such as Roberto Cavalli and Oscar de la Renta.
But, helped by a booming economy and victories by Indian beauty queens at international pageants, Indian haute couture has leapt from the closet to dress a glamorous clientele ranging from Hollywood star Nicole Kidman to pop diva Madonna.
The recognition has not, however, translated into big business and the Indian designer industry remains in its innfancy, its size estimated atanywhere between $US50 million and $US250 million ($NZ67.99 million and $NZ339.95 million) and in the $US35 billion global market.
"Indian fashion is like diamonds in the rough," said Albert Morris of London's Browns, who attended one of India's top fashion week events in Mumbai that ended on Wednesday.
"There is great talent, but many Indian designers lack awareness of their competition in the West. They are sort of naive in a nice way."
The Lakme Fashion Week, where some of India's best talents such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Narendra Kumar showcased their lines, attracted dozens of international buyers, but most were retail boutiques that mainly sold to Indians living abroad.
Browns, which stocks Mukherjee and is a regular at Indian fashion weeks, was the only A-list buyer at the event.
"If someone like Browns keeps coming back what does it mean? It's just the beginning for Indian fashion and things don't happen overnight," said Fern Mallis, senior vice-president of IMG Fashion, which organises runway shows around the world.
The outsourcing boom saw big Western retailers such as Gap and Banana Republic ordering their clothes from cheap Indian suppliers, but now the country is also seen as a land where high fashion can be found alongside silk saris.
Fashion analysts say Indian designers have to move in a consolidated group at assorted fashion fairs to prove the strength of their creativity abroad.
"If you compare on a global scale, Indian fashion is a cottage industry driven by a few individuals generating piffling turnovers," said a young designer who did not want to be named.
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