Business of wedding fashion: Why India’s biggest fashion houses love celebrity weddings

Isha Ambani wore a Delhi Vintage Co. lehenga with gold and silver thread embroidery, for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's Shiv Shakti Pooja ritual.

Celebrity weddings—Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani's, and the more intimate weddings of Rakul Preet and Jackky Bhagnani and Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal—have not only captivated social media and traditional media of late, but they have also provided a significant boost to the wedding couture industry.

This trend, which took flight with Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s lavish Italian summer wedding in December 2017, is redefining India’s wedding economy. Amidst the glitz of global brands such as Dior and Prabal Gurung, Indian designers have risen to prominence, as celebrity couples and their entourages increasingly opt for Indian creations. The last five years have been particularly lucrative for these designers, with the past three months standing out as exceptionally stellar.

Abhay Gupta, founder & CEO, Luxury Connect LLP, and author of the book 'The Incredible Indian Luxury Bazaar', says: "When the first business family of India does an event or wedding of this scale, which is guesstimated at Rs 5,000 crores, it creates a lot of employment. The money, which is being spent at various functions, vendors and people organising the event, will filter down in society... Indian luxury fashion and handcrafted industry has received a huge fillip since the family, and the celebrities in attendance, both Indian and international, have chosen to wear Indian handmade clothing."

Anant Ambani wedding: Kiara Advani and Isha Ambani in Tarun Tahiliani outfits.

Designer Wedding Windfall

While the exact expenditure by the bride and groom’s families, guests, and celebrity attendees on their attire remains undisclosed, insiders suggest that many designers have provided these garments gratis for publicity. The real financial windfall is expected when the Indian wedding season commences, as brides-to-be and their families seek to emulate these high-profile looks.

The Indian fashion industry, heavily reliant on wedding fashion, stands to benefit significantly from this trend. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, about 80-90 percent of many designers’ business stems from bridal couture. Euromonitor International projects that India’s $1 billion luxury fashion industry, dominated by designers, will grow at a compound annual rate of 20.3 percent over the next two years, driven primarily by wedding fashion.

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's sangeet ceremony.

Abhay Gupta of Luxury Connect LLP says: "The opulent sherwanis and bandhgalas Anant Ambani wore for some of the functions were once owned only by royalty. This will help artisans find new markets as everyone who can afford it, will want to emulate him. I believe the wedding will also help younger designers who work with artisans to find new markets. Not everyone may be able to afford the designers worn by the Ambanis and their guests, but younger designers with great aesthetics and artisanal work will find a booming market."

Celebrity weddings shore up Indian fashion’s bottom line

The stories on the ground bear out the statistics. Designer Rahul Mishra’s business, for instance, focuses significantly on bridal and wedding couture. His collections blend traditional Indian techniques with modern designs, creating intricate and luxurious bridal wear. His Spring Summer 2024 Wedding Capsule Collection, inspired by Singapore, showcases this dedication, merging traditional Indian motifs with contemporary aesthetics.

It took Mishra six years to sell his first bridal lehenga in 2017; now, there’s a five-month waiting list. He notes that the retail side of his booming business, including attire for family members, is largely driven by weddings. “Weddings are red carpet events for people, and celebrity weddings are the biggest red carpet,” Mishra observes. The rise in big weddings since the COVID-19 pandemic has sustained employment for the embroiderers he works with across rural India. “Couture is fun, it is art, it is creative, but it is not going to create as much employment as weddings do.”

Designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra have shifted their focus predominantly to weddings, capitalizing on the immense demand. Mukherjee, who has pivoted his business away from ready-to-wear towards event, occasion, and wedding wear, claims that millennials are driving this wedding fashion boom, heavily influenced by celebrity weddings and social media, particularly Instagram. Anita Dongre, for instance, boasts an annual turnover of Rs 700 crore, with a 30 percent growth in her business.

Shanaya Kapoor (left) wore a sky blue lehenga with silver embroidery, and Khushi Kapoor wore a sparkly pink saree. Each of these Manish Malhotra ensembles is pegged at Rs 1 to Rs 5 lakh.

The Economic Impact

The wedding couture industry thrives on substantial expenditures not just for the bride and groom, but also for outfitting family members and guests. This trend is bolstered by the era of Instagram and the need for a uniform aesthetic. Although designers are often reticent about disclosing the exact cost of celebrity outfits, the price range can be inferred.

Who wore what and how much did it cost?

Not many designers are ready to let out the cost of what the celebrity couple and the guests and baraatis wore. But the range in which they fall can easily be gauged. Sample three recent weddings.

Wedding of the Decade: Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani

At the recent Shiv Shakti Pooja, a pre-wedding ritual for Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani, Isha Ambani wore a lehenga by Delhi Vintage Co., featuring gold and silver thread embroidery. Such pieces range from Rs 65,000 to Rs 3 lakh, but Isha’s lehenga was reportedly five times more expensive due to its intricate craftsmanship.

Throughout the months-long wedding celebrations, Isha has showcased high fashion, wearing Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, and more, alongside Indian designers like Manish Malhotra and Falguni Shane Peacock.

Nita Ambani wore a Falguni Shane Peacock creation for the Sangeet.

At the ‘Lagan Lakhvanu’ ceremony, a ritual where the wedding invitation is first offered to deities and close family members, Isha and Nita Ambani wore Anamika Khanna-made lehengas. While Nita opted for a satranga lehenga with aari, zardozi and threadwork, Isha was dressed in a traditional dori work lehenga studded with pearls. A Gharchola Odhani, designed by artisans of the Ambani-led Swadesh initiative, topped the look.

For another ritual over the three-day pre-wedding celebration, the three Ambani ladies chose Manish Malhotra, who is now part of the Reliance Brands’ sprawling luxury business.

Nita Ambani’s ivory lehenga with vintage zardozi embroidery by Manish Malhotra was paired with a handwoven Banarasi tissue dupatta and inspired by the Rajasthani Meenakari Kundan jewellery.

Radhika Merchant wore an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga for her Sangeet.

Isha opted for a contemporary Manish Malhotra A-line lehenga, featuring a dual-tone one-shoulder blouse in silver and emerald.

Shloka Mehta wore a recreated version of Kareena Kapoor’s iconic “Bole Chudiyaan” look from ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, also by Manish Malhotra, updated with a one-shoulder backless blouse.

Manish Malhotra’s bespoke lehengas and wedding ensembles begin at Rs 5 lakh but can go up to Rs 14 lakh if the embroidery is intricate.

At the haldi ceremony on July 8, Ananya Pandey wore a pink angrakha anarkali crafted from 80 panels of silk cotton chanderi, plant dyed with recycled coconut skins by a brand called re-ceremonial. These customized pieces can cost north of Rs 3 - 5 lakh.

Janhvi Kapoor rocked a coral lehenga by Arpita Mehta, paired with a vintage bandhani dupatta that inspired the aari embroidery on the fit. Mehta’s embroidered lehengas are priced between Rs 2.97 lakh and Rs 4.25 lakh.

Janhvi Kapoor’s custom mermaid-cut peacock feather lehenga paired with a bustier blouse by Manish Malhotra is pegged at about Rs 1 lakh.

Luxury Connect's Gupta says: "By bringing the best of the entertainment and the corporate world to India for this one wedding, the Ambanis have showcased the strength of India. The kinds of wedding couture guests and baraatis have been wearing showcase the best of Indian handcrafted luxury. I read somewhere that Nita Ambani bought handmade saris costing Rs 5 lakh each as a giveaway to friends and family. This will help the textile and embroidery industries as demand for handmade and embroidered ensembles will go up. The opulence and beauty of Indian embroidery, prints and textiles is on full display. I wager it would create more employment for artisans. Shahpur Jat in Delhi is known as the hub for artisanal work. Once, the artisans were charging Rs 2,000 an hour. Now I am told the best ones can also demand Rs 20,000 an hour. That shows how much the demand has shot up."

Deepika Padukone in a custom-made saree by Torani.

Manish Malhotra creations dazzle the sangeet

At the sangeet in Mumbai last week, Radhika and Anant were decked out in custom fits by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Celebrity stylist Shaleena Nathani dressed the groom in a royal blue embroidered bandhgala suit called “The Midnight Garden,” featuring zari, French knots, tikki, and vasli in a stunning zardozi motif mix. The jacket had gold embroidery, a split Mandarin collar, and a front button closure. The bride-to-be slayed in a glittering chandelier-inspired golden lehenga, covered in Swarovski crystals and pastel hues. The cost of an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla bespoke embroidered outfit goes from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 15 lakh for each piece.

Nita Ambani’s sparkly lehenga with silver threadwork by Falguni and Shane Peacock was custom-made. The designer’s bespoke wedding ensembles cost Rs 5 lakh and above.

Isha Ambani chose a Schiaparelli custom royal blue drape sari with a silver embellished blouse. A bespoke costume from the brand costs €7,400 (roughly Rs 6.7 lakh).

Isha Ambani in a Schiaparelli royal blue drape saree with a silver embellished blouse.

Ranveer Singh wore a silver-thread embroidered Gaurav Gupta white bandhgala from the designer’s new collection. His intricately detailed garments for men and women start at Rs 3 lakh and go up to Rs 8 lakh. Deepika Padukone was in a custom deep blue and silver saree, which is pegged at Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Alia Bhatt’s black fitted lehenga and blouse by the US-based Pakistani designer Faraz Manan is from a collection ranging between $2,799 and $3,499 (Rs 2.5 - 3 lakh roughly). Janhvi Kapoor’s custom mermaid-cut peacock feather lehenga paired with a bustier blouse by Manish Malhotra is pegged at about Rs 1 lakh.

Manish Malhotra ruled the sangeet: Khushi Kapoor wore a sparkly pink saree, and Shanaya Kapoor wore sky blue lehenga with silver embroidery. Each of these ensembles is pegged at Rs 1 to Rs 5 lakh.

Alia Bhatt’s black fitted lehenga and blouse by the US-based Pakistani designer Faraz Manan is from a collection ranging between $2,799 and $3,499 (Rs 2.5 - 3 lakh).

Sonakshi Sinha - Zaheer Iqbal wedding

Sonakshi Sinha went against the grain and dressed in her mother’s upcycled cream-white threadwork embroidered sari for her civil wedding, in keeping with the dress code of weddings today. But for her reception, she chose a bright red Raw Mango Banarasi silk brocade sari, which cost a more modest Rs 80,000.

For the wedding, friend and colleague Aditi Rao Hydari was dressed in a velvet floral printed Sharara set by the label Prints by Radhika, pegged at Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000.

Kajol’s tailored Shivan & Narresh gold liquid lame sari with printed blouse is pegged at Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh, while Vidya Balan wore a Jade by MK ensemble valued at Rs 80,000 - Rs 1 lakh.

Sonakshi Sinha's reception saree cost around Rs 80,000.

Rakul Preet and Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding

For their wedding in bucolic Goa, the bride and groom wore ensembles by Tarun Tahiliani, said to have cost over Rs 3 lakh. Rakul’s bridal lehenga featured three-dimensional floral motifs in ivory and blush shades. Bhagnani opted for an ivory chikankari sherwani embroidered with the ‘chinar’ motif, a design that reportedly took six months to complete.

Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani got married in South Goa on February 21, 2024.

Fashion’s not just a metro thing

Overall, weddings are a key driver for the Indian fashion industry. An April 2024 report by Statista—the European data gathering and visualization platform—says: “The highest fashion spending is on weddings.”

“Prominent Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai have been the main drivers of this remarkable growth in the fashion sector. But there has been a notable change in recent years as Tier 2 cities have become fashion destinations. These cities have changed the face of the Indian fashion industry thanks to their rapid urbanisation and growing prosperity,” the Statista report adds.

According to Statista, the Indian fashion industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.26 percent (CAGR 2024-2028).

Statista estimates that in the first six months of 2024, revenue from the luxury fashion market in India amounted to $1.56 billion.

This trajectory is consistent with the overall growth of the Indian luxury market. According to a March 2024 report by Bain & Company, India's luxury market is poised to expand by 3.5 times its current size, reaching an estimated value of $200 billion by 2030.

Isha and Nita Ambani in Anamika Khanna outfits.

Affluence drives the fashion boom

The industry’s growth is driven by a surge in the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (those with net assets of $30 million or more), burgeoning entrepreneurship, a robust middle class, increasing e-commerce penetration, and rising demand from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

The number of ultra-wealthy individuals in India has multiplied eleven-fold over the past decade, positioning the country third globally in billionaire population after the United States and China, as noted in the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2022.

For decades, Delhi and Mumbai have vied for the title of India’s luxury fashion capital. Now, as India becomes the world’s most populous country and the fifth-largest economy—surpassing the UK—luxury brands are scouting for new urban hotspots to cater to the local affluent consumers and expand their footprint.

In recent months, luxury brands such as Valentino, Balenciaga, and Galeries Lafayette have entered partnerships with Indian retailers. Valentino and Balenciaga have teamed up with Reliance Brands Ltd. (RBL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL). RBL is arguably the largest retailer of luxury couture brands in India, boasting nearly 35 prestigious names under its umbrella, including Tiffany & Co., Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Tory Burch, Tod’s, Versace, and Bottega Veneta.

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) has collaborated with Galeries Lafayette, the renowned Parisian brand, to introduce approximately 200 luxury and designer brands in a flagship store spanning 90,000 square feet across two historic buildings in South Mumbai, set to open in 2024. A second store in Delhi will be located in DLF Emporio, and it is expected to be operational by 2025. Additionally, ABFRL plans to launch a dedicated e-commerce platform for Galeries Lafayette in India.

Mukesh Ambani and Anant Ambani