Fashion and the Film Industry

Fashion and the film industry have had a long-standing love affair since the dawn of time. Particularly for Bollywood and Hollywood, these two major film industries have often drawn influences from each other. Their complex paradigm has led to many storyline inspirations, crossovers and style emulations. And over the last couple of decades, India's film and fashion industries are being championed by Western culture and vice versa. 

Bollywood's increasing popularity in the West and Hollywood's in the East has meant that a whole new style of globalised fashion is introduced -- from haute couture to music, art and even textiles. And the very latest and hottest sought-after fashion is traditional Indian clothing and accents. 

Besides major fashion houses like Fendi sourcing Indian crafts, garments like sari (also spelt as saree), salwar-kameez and dupatta have also exploded on the global platform. Trend forecasters and fashion experts have even reported a significant rise in demand for saris as the modern bridalwear. Case in point: take a look at Shan Boodram's gorgeous white gold wedding sari

The explosion of Bollywood culture on a global stage has also inspired the Western world to adopt India's glamorous point of view when it comes to personalisation in both menswear and womenswear. Where Western fashion is tailored and sharp, India injects an overarching theme of glitz into every outfit. 

On another note, Hollywood's influences on fashion have been vast and endless ever since the silent film era. The latest fashion trend to arise is the use of fashion and clothing as a tool of support for political movements. According to a report by the Fashion United, the current trend of political fashion has significantly increased sales for garments with a female empowerment message. Following the #timesup and #metoo movement, sales of black coloured garments have also gone up across high street and luxury labels. 

The rise of celebrity culture in both Hollywood and Bollywood has also garnered a whole new buzz for continuations of trends that are timelessly elegant. In a highly Instagram-conscious digital sphere, many fashion experts have spotted the rebirth of heritage brands and either a minimalist or a maximalist approach in pursuit of the next gram-worthy snap.