India is not one market- it’s ten countries in one,” said Tiwari. “To build fashion brands for tomorrow, we must first understand the many India's that exist today. And that means looking at the world through a fundamentally Indian lens.”
Her address explored the deep paradoxes and opportunities shaping India’s $350 billion fashion market which is set to grow at 25% CAGR by 2030.
Positioning fashion as a cultural barometer, Tiwari said that consumer preferences in India are both expressive and hyper-local. “Fashion is not just what people wear, it’s how society speaks. You can tell a lot about a region by how people dress,” she said.
Reflecting on her career with international fashion labels, Tiwari highlighted how global brands struggled to resonate in India due to ill-fitting products and seasonal mismatches. “A jacket that sells in October in Europe won’t work in Delhi, where it’s still 30 degrees,” she pointed out.
This led her to establish Cover Story with a hybrid model- a design studio in London, complemented by an Indiabased merchandising team. “We look at global runway trends, but filter them through the lens of the Indian woman—her fit, her climate, her preferences,” she explained.
Tiwari sees India’s digital adoption and fashion diversity as key growth levers. With 800 million internet users, ecommerce offers scale to new-age brands without the burden of high real estate costs. “We’ve seen the D2C boom, from Comet and Souled Store to Fable Street, these are Indian brands with global quality,” she said.
In value and fast fashion, homegrown players are surging ahead. “More than 60% of India’s top fashion retailers are domestic brands,” she said, citing Trends, Zudio, and Cover Story as examples. From “shadi ke dates” influencing seasonal collections, even in western wear, to the explosion of demand for athleisure and sneakers post-2022, Tiwari highlighted the new lifestyle shifts that brands must account for.
“People are buying ?20,000 sneakers not just in metros, but across smaller cities too. Wellness, fitness, and performance wear are no longer niche—they’re mainstream,” she said.
Tiwari warned that sustainability and inclusivity must move beyond tokenism. “Gen Z expects brands to do better. Sustainability will soon be table stakes,” she said, noting growing interest in circular fashion, artisan-led supply chains, and ethical production.
She also underscored the need for more diverse and inclusive fashion—from range architecture to marketing narratives. “In India’s layered society, inclusivity is not a trend—it’s a necessity,” she added.
In one standout example, Tiwari revealed that Karl Lagerfeld’s global team had approached Cover Story in 2019 for a capsule collection in India. “It was the first time a major European luxury house collaborated with an Indian brand at this scale. And the verdict? Our quality matched what they saw in Paris,” she said.
While global brands see India as a major growth frontier, Tiwari believes the future belongs to Indian brands with international ambitions. “Why should only Chanel or Dior own luxury? We have centuries of craftsmanship. The next global fashion house can be born here,” she said.
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