Are Indian Women Ready to Bare, Beachwear for Indian Woman

Very few Indian woman wear a swimsuit on the beach while eithers wore salwar kameez or saris. This was despite the many Indian designers who are launching chic beach and resort wear collections. When designers Rina Dhaka, Sanchita, Hemant-Nandita, Ranna Gill, Parvesh-Jai, Ashima-Leena showcased flowing floral gowns, dresses, kaftans, swimsuits, bikinis on the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) ramp, former beauty queen-turned-actress Gul Panag felt it was a waste. "So much beachwear! One would be forgiven for thinking this is Ibiza not India! Really, what is the percent of ladies hitting the beach here?" Gul, who was appointed as the Twitter face of WIFW, posted on the micro-blogging site. According to Hemant of young designer duo Hemant and Nandita, while resort wear is catching up among Indian women, beachwear will take time to pick up in the country. "Beachwear is getting popular among designers, but its sales won`t pick up in India very soon. There aren`t too many beaches here in our country and women are still conscious about wearing such clothes in India unlike abroad where it is considered mainline. But this time our resort wear has got a good response from Indian stores like Ogaan and Aza," Hemant commented. While resort wear consists of casual and loose kaftans, sarongs, skirts and light evening gowns to wear on a holiday, beachwear comprises sheer dresses, swimsuits, bikinis, hot pants et al. Despite the growing manufacture of these clothes, it is mainly bought by people from Europe and the Middle East -- especially from Switzerland, Kuwait and Bahrain, said Hemant. "There is a lot of demand for resort wear in local markets, especially for kaftans and tunics with floral prints. We add stonework and beadwork to it to add a little Indian touch to these clothes and customers are readily buying these because they are easy attires. Our resort line starts around Rs.1,500," said a young designer. Parvesh-Jai, another designer duo, started with couture six years ago and gradually shifted to resort wear owing to the growing demand internationally. Now they have begun to sense the demand for such clothes in India as well. "When we started, India was not ready for such clothes and the market was very niche. Now with the changing lifestyle of people and thanks to super rich people who love to holiday, resort wear has become popular in India too. But I would say the country is still not ready for beachwear," said Jai. "Although young girls are comfortable in swimwear, most women here still prefer full swimsuits rather than a two-piece bikini set," he added. Looking at the many Bollywood movies that released this year and the number of actresses who flaunted sexy bikinis in those movies, one may think that the Indian audience has accepted skin show. But in the real world, very few dare to bare!