Should craft be tariffed? Not if creative force Sabyasachi Mukherjee has a say in the matter. At a fireside chat during the event, the fashion designer reacted to US President Donald Trump's new tariffs on Indian imports. "India's soft power-craft, culture, music, celebration, architecture and food-is actually India's hard power. When you create products from soft power rooted in historical legacy, the price might go up, but it will become an irreplaceable one that the world cannot get anywhere else. And that monopoly that you create out of wisdom and heritage will always scale, no matter what kind of tariffs increase."
India's most famous bridal designer said the trick to entering unknown markets is to understand their culture and find a solution that also incorporates Indian culture. "When you create a cultural partnership that is equal, and one where there is no dominance or appropriation-I don't want to be a cultural bully-that is the best way forward. When I go out into the West, I give them their clothing but made with Indian handicraft. So, I say, 'The silhouette is yours, but the craft is mine'." Mukherjee is no stranger to global collaborations, having partnered with brands such as L'Oreal, Christian Louboutin, H&M and Bergdorf Goodman. The Sabyasachi x H&M collaboration in 2021 marked the first time that the Swedish high-street retailer offered a sari in its collection.
Firm in the belief that whatever he does needs to tell the 'India story', Mukherjee said he stresses on an equal footing because these global collaborations then become India's "ambassadors in geographies where people don't know much about the country or the craft".
Heritage proud
Value is another factor for a luxury brand to be successful, according to Mukherjee. "India is probably one of the most intelligent markets in the world. Indians are not going to get seduced by an LV belt if it doesn't give value or if it pokes (into your waist). We are not going to squander our hard-earned third-world pragmatism for something we don't believe in instinctively," he said, in a subtle nod to Chef Gaggan Anand's anecdote at a WLF session on how he found a Louis Vuitton belt exorbitantly priced, that still poked his stomach.
"In India, if you create a luxury brand that focuses on the principles of value and not the principles of price, you can go very deep," he said.
India's most famous bridal designer said the trick to entering unknown markets is to understand their culture and find a solution that also incorporates Indian culture. "When you create a cultural partnership that is equal, and one where there is no dominance or appropriation-I don't want to be a cultural bully-that is the best way forward. When I go out into the West, I give them their clothing but made with Indian handicraft. So, I say, 'The silhouette is yours, but the craft is mine'." Mukherjee is no stranger to global collaborations, having partnered with brands such as L'Oreal, Christian Louboutin, H&M and Bergdorf Goodman. The Sabyasachi x H&M collaboration in 2021 marked the first time that the Swedish high-street retailer offered a sari in its collection.
Firm in the belief that whatever he does needs to tell the 'India story', Mukherjee said he stresses on an equal footing because these global collaborations then become India's "ambassadors in geographies where people don't know much about the country or the craft".
Heritage proud
Value is another factor for a luxury brand to be successful, according to Mukherjee. "India is probably one of the most intelligent markets in the world. Indians are not going to get seduced by an LV belt if it doesn't give value or if it pokes (into your waist). We are not going to squander our hard-earned third-world pragmatism for something we don't believe in instinctively," he said, in a subtle nod to Chef Gaggan Anand's anecdote at a WLF session on how he found a Louis Vuitton belt exorbitantly priced, that still poked his stomach.
"In India, if you create a luxury brand that focuses on the principles of value and not the principles of price, you can go very deep," he said.
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