Saree remains six-yard wonder for most Indian women

Known popularly as the identity of an Indian woman, sarees may not seem to be worn by many on the streets, but statistics show the industry has seen a massive leap from the past few years, the boom apparently benefiting the designers more.

Leading retail houses and showrooms in the city estimate a 15-20% increase in saree sales over the last year.

"Saree industry is growing tremendously. We have seen a growth of 20% from last year. In the coming two months, we are going to launch seven more stores," says Puneet Nanda, a designer at Satya Paul.

When asked whether the saree is slowly disappearing from the market, Nanda says, "No, it hasn't disappeared. The only change seen is that saree is no more a daily wear for the urban people. This has benefited us a lot because if you wear a sari occasionally, you want it to be a special one and here you come to us. So, as the demand is decreasing, we are becoming more successful."

Fashion designer Neeta Lulla thinks sarees are becoming younger as time passes and its demand is increasing.

"Saree is contemporary wear and is becoming younger with time. The demand is increasing tremendously. Saree is an integral part of our lifestyle, culture and heritage. Whatever it is, we can't do away with it," Neeta says.

Nalli Group of Companies, a leading player in the textile and retail business, has also been experiencing year-on-year growth in saree sales. "It's more of a perception that the saree is going out of fashion. The sale of sarees is increasing, in fact it is more than the salwar kameez," says Murli, a salesperson at Nalli's.

Attributing high or low sales of sarees to the trend, Yogesh, a salesman at Buddh Singh's shop in Chandni Chowk says, "The sale depends on the ongoing trend. Now no one wants to wear heavy Banarasi saree or Lucknow embroidered sarees.

The trend has changed towards light weight and less flashy sarees from Bareily or Kolkata."

"Overall we had high sales in sarees, except for the Banarasi sarees. Almost 70% of our sales was from the sarees and just 30% due to salwar kameez," says Shankar Lal, owner of a textile shop in Lajpat Nagar.

Some, however, are waiting for the marriage season to see a boom in the sale of sarees.

"Ninety-nine per cent of the sale in sarees is from the bridal sarees and a lot of young women who are getting married come to our shop," says Ravi Prakash, owner of a saree shop in Lajpat Nagar.

Calling a saree a 'six-yard wonder', fashion designer Leena Singh says, "The demand for saree hasn't changed. What has changed is its form. We now have 'kali sarees' and 'cocktail sarees' for young girls which are teamed with halter neck or backless blouses. There is a diversity of styles. A saree is a must-have in every Indian woman's wardrobe."

Wrapping over 5 meters of fabric around oneself doesn't seem to be the first choice for several women, says Shirish, a salesman of a textile showroom in Karol Bagh.

"Women now prefer western outfits to the traditional attire. That is easier for them. They always grumble, even when they try wearing sarees here in the showroom," he says.

Leena Singh also says that wearing a saree takes longer than pulling on a pair of jeans and T-shirt. "Sarees are worn informally now. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans hardly takes any time whereas it takes at least 2-3 minutes to tie a saree."