Developing a designer appetite

Comment Perhaps it is a nod to their forefathers, the maharajas, who were the last word in luxury. Maybe it is just a desire to dust off the saris.

Diana Vreeland, a legendary editor of American Vogue, declared in 1962: "I adore that pink - it's the navy blue of India." Until then, the Indians' preference for any designer item or colour had been largely ignored by the western world. But in the past few years they have developed an eye for fashion and designer goods that is threatening to eclipse the appetite of even the Chinese or Japanese consumers.

The Japanese, who almost single-handedly kept Louis Vuitton in business, have turned to less flamboyant and cheaper goods such as those made by the home-grown retail chain Uniqlo. There is no such move towards austerity in India. Their mantra is the brighter and the more bling the better. Versace, Armani and Hermes are all reporting good demand and rising sales. Clearly you need something special to stand out in the world's biggest democracy. It may not be very democratic to swan around with a Hermes Birkin bag on the arm, but no doubt it gladdens the soul to be able to do so. Perhaps it is a nod to their forefathers, the maharajas, who were the last word in luxury. Maybe it is just a desire to dust off the saris.

It may be bad news for the purveyors of pink salwar kameez, but for the French and Italian designers it is only good news, particularly as their traditional markets in America and Europe remain depressed. @Email:[e-mail]