Fashion in India covers a whole range of clothing from ornate clothes designed for wedding ceremonies to prêt lines, sports wear and casual wear. Traditional Indian techniques of embroidery such as chikhan, crewel and zardosi, and traditional weaves and fabrics have been used by Indian designers to create Indo-western clothing in a fusion of the best of East and West.

Traditional costumes in India vary widely depending on the climate and natural fibres grown in a region. In the cold northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, people wear a thick loose shirt called a phiran to keep them warm. In the tropical warmth of south India men wear a sarong like garment called the mundu, while women drape 5 meters of cloth around their bodies in the graceful folds of the saree. Sarees are woven in silk, cotton and artificial fibres. Kanjivaram, Mysore, Paithani, Pochampalli, Jamdani, Balucheri, Benarasi, Sambalpuri, Bandhini are some varieties of beautiful sarees from different regions of India. In the dry regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat men wrap and twist a length of cloth in the form of a dhoti around their lower limbs and a shirt-like kurta above. Colorful turbans complete the picture. In the northeastern regions the tribal communities such as Khasis, Nagas, Mizos, Manipuris and Arunachalis wear colorful woven sarong-like clothing and woven shawls that represent the identity of each tribal group.

Fashion in India is continuously evolving as new designers from leading institutes such as the National Institutes of Fashion Technology continue to redefine the meaning of Fashion in India.

A few major events shaped the business of fashion and fashion retail in the year just past us. We list some below:

1. The mall-multiplex crawl into the two and three tier towns and cities

2. Acquisitions and mergers that allowed consolidation of brands as they let bigger entities to take a stake to help push their business better

3. The launch of initial public offers (IPO) by a handful of brands and retailers

4. Indian exporters gain with the phase-out of quotas in January 2005

5. Brands and retailers in expansion mode and actually consolidating their position in the marketplace

6. The entry of a number of international brands across categories and segments

7. Good performance by a couple of brands in the mass segment

8. Beginning of a boom in luxury retail

9. Indian fashion designers making a mark at the New York and London fashion weeks

10. Substantial increase in ad spend by clothing brands

11. Home fashion emerging as a distinct branded segment

12. Visual merchandising gets the focus it deserves

13. Union commerce minister Kamal Nath coming to the Images Fashion Forum in Mumbai and President APJ Kalam coming to NIFT, the country's premier fashion institute

IMAGES BoF lists a few steps at the retail and brand points that may be borne in mind as the year moves on:

1. Look for every collaborative tie-up with non-competing brands and services

2. Avoid cash discounts and offer more value-addition offerings

3. Brands must offer impeccable quality

4. Get the right sizes. Industry should collaborate to arrive at uniform sizing across the country as in the West

5. Offer be-spoke services. The good old darzi is needed more than ever

6. Add e-tailing to your brick-and-mortar stores

7. Focus on specific consumer/market segment and take every possible step to satisfy them

8. Go for shop-in-shop and exclusive brand stores

9. Place trained, polite staff to manage your counters; teach staff not to engage in idle chit-chat when consumers are in the store

10. Go the hog in involving the customer in your brand and merchandise at the shop

11. Take weekly feedback from shop floor personnel on what customers are liking and buying brands that cater to the same segment as yours. Is it the price, quality, colour or style that led to a particular buy?

12. Don't offer too much at one go. Phase out the offerings consistently

13. Offer simple carry bags

14. Meet the demands of all partners – buyers, vendors and retailers