Anushka ka lehnga, Sonakshi ka Dabaang look — online retailers are cashing in on Bollywood designs to sell their clothesline. Most Westerners want to buy Indian now, they say. Deebashree Mohanty tells you more

Electronics, books, gadgets, food and now sarees. The latest entrant into the online space has taken the e-commerce market by storm. Indian ethnic wear is a rage abroad, especially in the European markets where foreigners want to ape the Indian look to the tee. So Anushka ka lehnga from Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola has been a superhit with the goras.

“We have been in the business for sometime now and the numbers are overwhelming. We have an imprint in over 130 countries and the reaction that we have received is  mindblowing.

“Sarees and salwar kurtas are hotsellers but the lehenga choli is also a favourite, especially among the Westerners,” says Rajesh Nahar, CEO of cbazaar.com, the online portal dealing with Indian attire.

Nahar tells you that dotcom manages to churn out 16,000 fresh designs in a month. “We have tie-ups with some designer and also a few in-house designers who work with us to make Cbazaar a success. Their brief is simple — research and come up with new designs and new materials to suit everyone’s style quotient. We also have a research team which scouts places to look for something that is new and blingy. Colleges and universities are a sureshot way to determine what is in and what is out,” Nahar explains.

Contrary to belief, Nahar says it is not just the Indian diaspora that spends a lumpsum to buy these Bollywood-inspired attires, called Bollywood vogue. “Foreigners crave for Indian designs. It is not just the clothes that are treading, we also deal with pakka Indian shringar which has its takers,” he adds.

The craze for Indian ehtnic line doesn’t stop at clothes and jutees. People want to adorn the entire look replete with  accessories. “The range is a happy mix — not too steep, not very cheap either,” he states.