Wedding attire sales lose lustre amid changing trends and economic factors

Customers look at wedding garments in a shopping mall in Kolkata. Reuters

Sales of wedding clothes have decreased significantly, according to a survey conducted by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI).

CMAI conducted a survey among 110 wedding clothing manufacturers to assess business trends this wedding season of May- June 2023. About 77 percent of the respondents to the survey indicated average to poor sales in the wedding season of May-June 2022.

More than 60 percent of the respondents attributed the weak performance to the general economic slowdown, while 14 percent said this was the result of high prices. However, 13 percent of the respondents felt the lower number of auspicious days compared to the previous season contributed to the drop in sales.

"Currently, the market is seeing a fairly significant slowdown, which has been caused by the overall inflationary conditions. The first quarter of the current financial year is likely to be disappointing for the industry, and the impact is being felt by both the value and upper segments of consumers," said Rajesh Masand, President, CMAI.

Compared to the wedding season in 2022, 83 percent of the respondents said that there has been ‘no growth’ this season. According to 40 percent of the respondents, sales declined between 10 percent and 25 percent over the previous year.

A large majority — almost 85 percent — of the respondents said that economically priced products fared better than the more expensive varieties. Lighter embroidery and pastel colours were in greater demand, the survey showed.

"Exposure to Western culture and accessibility to content over social media platforms are influencing the dressing patterns and fashion sense amongst the youth, which is causing a gradual shift from traditional clothing to Western clothing, especially in the women’s wear segment. On the other hand, some sort of a ‘return to tradition’ is being seen in the men’s wear segment, with more men wanting to wear traditional clothing during festivals and weddings," said Rahul Mehta, Chief Mentor, CMAI.

The garment sector has been expanding at an average annual pace of 8–10 percent as consumers return to physical stores. It is estimated that the industry will have expanded by 15-20 percent between 2022 and 2023. However, the cost of raw materials and the overall cost of production have risen substantially. With the growth being mostly price-led, volumes would still be 3-5 percent less than in the previous year.