Luxury Indian Fashion: A Social Critique [Paperback]

This unique ethnographic investigation examines the role that fashion plays in the production of the contemporary Indian luxury aesthetic. Tracking luxury Indian fashion from its production in village craft workshops via upmarket design studios to fashion soir?es, Kuldova investigates the Indian luxury fashion market's dependence on the production of thousands of artisans all over India, revealing a complex system of hierarchies and exploitation.

In recent years, contemporary Indian design has dismissed the influence of the West and has focused on the opulent heritage luxury of the maharajas, Gulf monarchies and the Mughal Empire.Luxury Indian Fashionargues that the desire for a luxury aesthetic has become a significant force in the attempt to define contemporary Indian society. From the cultivation of erotic capital in businesswomen's dress to a discussion of masculinity and muscular neo-royals to staged designer funerals,Luxury Indian Fashionanalyzes the production, consumption and aesthetics of luxury and power in India.

Luxury Indian Fashionis essential reading for students of fashion history and theory, anthropology and visual culture.

A deep and thorough examination of the luxury fashion industry in India, written by a specialist in this field who has embedded herself within the culture by spending extensive time living in, and genuinely experiencing, the environments she explores. Kuldova visits terrains not previously tackled by anthropologists to present us with an insightful, honest and eye-opening study, which is factual, while critically analytical, at times gritty and unabashed. It is of my opinion that this book will be invaluable to students of many disciplines as well an enjoyable read for a wider audience. Kathryn A. Hardy Bernal, Massey University, Wellington, Newl: