The charming and charismatic Hindi movies hero of Bollywood, Dev Anand who rocked the 1950s, 1960s till 1980s is known as the style icon for scripting a fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers and jackets and his signature puff. Similarly, in my opinion, John F. Kennedy (erstwhile American President) used to be referred as “style icon.”  He always looked perfectly attired and naturally elegant. JFK had it all that takes to entice the world; the wit, the brilliance, the looks and of course he was stylish to the core.

A fashion statement is an event during which a person or a group of people wear either a specific article of clothing or an entire outfit that somehow stands out and grabs the attention of onlookers. The beautiful gowns, sexy frocks, and over-the-top confections with the glittering gizmos on famous personalities make the style; we see celebrities making fashion statements with their clothing. When Dennis Rodman showed up to an event scheduled to support his autobiography while wearing a wedding dress, he was making a very shocking fashion statement. Madonna, who is reported to have had a relationship with Dennis Rodman, has made quite a few fashion statements of her own.

The way people look matters in a society. Our looks, our figure, our body shape, our expressions, body language matters a lot in our career, our social image. As a society, we are obsessed with looks and style. And, looks provide all kinds of clues about health, strength, fertility, our education, our financial status, our confidence etc. Clothes are the closest artifacts to the human body; they not only protect our body but, they act like a second skin. It is fact that if we care about bodies, we care deeply about the clothes which wrap our body around them.  The clothes frame them, they augment our features and frame and they transform us. This is why most people get affected by fashion; it is both art and science. Fashion affects us more than paintings, architecture or sculptures.

I think it’s difficult to ignore Narendra Modi’s signature half-sleeve kurtas and churidaars. The pastel shades and hues give a facelift to his persona. You need not be remotely interested in politics to look at his fashionable attire. His formals are snappish and well stitched. He reflects assurance, national pride and poise ease to try out new things. The PM’s fondness for wearing mostly linen and khadi kurtas in subdued colours paired with sharply-tailored jackets has always been spot on. He stands out for his uniqueness. The world has never seen an Indian Prime Minister like him. He flaunts his stylish Bvlagri spectacles frames, expensive watches and swanky Mont Blanc pen collection while making his style statement.

In addition to simply wearing unusual or shocking garments, a fashion statement can also be political statement or represent the wearer’s feelings about a certain social issue. In fact, many of these kinds of fashion statements are much more modest. Someone who cares very much for the environment might, for example, prefer to wear clothing made from recycled material. A person who prefers not to use animal products may wear belts, shoes, and carry bags or satchels that are made out of leather alternatives. In India, a white Khadi saree or a khadi kurta with Gandhi cap expresses patriotism.

Fashion is something that changes within a few days time; it is usually short lived. Some things like width of lapels, cut of trouser, colors of blouses and shirts and ties in stores tells what is in and what is out. But, one of the easiest way of making a fashion statements is the one in which a person simply wears an item of clothing that includes a phrase or sentence that specifically defines one’s feelings about a certain social or political issue. These statements are most commonly worn on the front or back of T-shirts, sweat shirts, or jackets. Such statements are made by both celebrities and common people. It is the best way for individuals and groups display their opinions; by doing so, people can bring their perspective and point of view on particular issue or cause. People can race towards being better than what we are today.   We see words, pictures, logos printed on apparels; which certainly helps them take their conversation and cause beyond the online world. Sometimes this helps to start a conversation in the society. People can express their statement together or individually to become a voice of change.

There is something called ‘Fashion Forward’ which means somebody interested in fashion and using or wearing things which will soon become fashionable. The fashion world is most fast-forwarding. Its business is very competitive yet dynamic; each designer and customer tries to jump ahead to remain current. Tommy Hilfiger, the famous designer, says, “A trend happens as the result of a natural reaction to the customer’s direction. But even though you may see a common trend, I think every designer has a different take on it.”

Gabrielle Bonheur famously known as “Coco Chanel” was a French fashion designer of women’s clothes and founder of the Chanel brand; she once said that “Copying is the ransom of success.” Fashion is all about copying. There is no such thing as an original style. Those things called trends basically mean we are all going to be dressing the same evermore. She used to say that fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, it has to do with ideas, it is about the way we live and what is happening around us.

I think if you can make a clearer definition of your style and its key elements, it can help you with shopping and it prevents you from buying things that you would rarely wear. Think about this: it will become much easier to dress yourself successfully if you have a good sense of what your style is and if you can describe it in a few words. Find 2 words that define who you are and your style; do this exercise with your favorite outfits.

I believe that you can describe your style when you know exactly what makes you. When you and your style match you can make your style statement. If you are happy, you will find your style over the place. That’s because you will have clarity in exactly what is that you want, what elements you need to compliment your style and you will automatically stand out with your style. Each one of us makes an impact on somebody and of course each one of us has a style statement.

And what more, the e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong are lined up to satisfy their customers with styling tips. In e-commerce, the fashion category is seeing a lot of grip from consumers and sellers both. Sales in this category have doubled to almost $571 million compared with top categories like electronics and books, with an estimated growth rate of 20 percent per year. The fashion segment is projected to reach $2.9 billion by 2016; can you imagine? People are really possessed with their looks. From apparels, perfumes, cosmetics, shoes to accessories you name the trend, style and people from even rural areas want to search and scan the latest designs and order them.

Indian e-commerce companies are investing heavily in this category because the margins are 20 percent higher as compared to other categories of products. Do you believe? It can go higher almost 50-60 percent in the case of private labels.  Further, in the case of private labels, the control on the supply chain and inventory is higher. These higher margins are a blessing for e-commerce companies because they can offset the hits taken due to free shipping, same day delivery and wafer-thin margins on standard goods such as books and electronics which are single digit margin. This definitely has played a big role in Flipkart’s acquisition of Myntra. The growth is further blessed by the fact that India has been used as a sourcing hub by the global fashion brands because of the textile clusters present in Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Surat, Kutcch and Bhagalpur.

“India is going to be the third biggest e-commerce market in the world; after the US and China, it’s a capital-intensive business. If you want to build an e-commerce business, capital is required” says Flipkart CEO – Sachin Bansal. Online retail is worth $3.1 billion, or 10% of the organized retail market, and is estimated to grow to $22 billion, or over 15% of the organized retail market, in five years, according to a November 2013 report by brokerage firm CLSA. The revival of investor interest comes after two years, when most of the venture capital firms steered-clear of local e-commerce companies in past.

Given the high impact on the bottom line by fashion category, top Indian online retailers are now vying to increase and retain their customers. In addition to the traditional loyalty programs outstanding customer service, special discounts, well planned segmenting, targeting & positioning,  newsletters, free delivery, scheduled delivery and subscription based services, these portals are now pulling out all very innovative marketing strategies to engage with customers at a non-transactional level to get them to spend more and spend often.

Flipkart-Myntra lately launched a fashion incubator for young budding entrepreneurs in the field of fashion. The first batch of 20 entrepreneurs have already started with 3-4 online brands amid them getting incubated and retailed through their own online e-commerce store. Currently, Flipkart-Myntra together account for nearly half the fashion market share. Myntra is expecting nearly a tenth of the revenue with its forthcoming launch of private labels along with the associated higher margins. Huge billboards of the Myntra’s “Live for Likes” campaignin most major cities have been created to target the digital generation; the young generation which spends a significant amount of time online every day. It supports and encourages users to be their stylish best and put up their ‘selfies’. This online fashion trend game had Lisa Haydon as the brand ambassador, and also had a targeted micro site for encouraging users.  Myntra’s ‘Look Good’ helpline is helping customers to talk to the stylist for personalized advice either on phone or email. This e-commerce firm wants to democratize fashion.

On the other hand, Jabong started hosting fashion events for displaying their collection. For example, there was a Jabong stage at the Lakme Fashion Week this year. They have launched India’s first online Fashion Week in July and have also linked with two Bollywood movies ‘Main Tera Hero’ and ‘Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya’ for showcasing their apparel collection.  So if a customer can’t make up his/her mind which dress to buy, they just need to call the phone number or log on to the website and a stylist will call back shortly and tell what would suit the customer. This helps the customer to make decision.

Marketing has no end in imagination – Zovi, a well-known private label brand has developed its own courier services and supply chain in cities where it has good footing. Besides 30-day return and free shipping, Zovi has introduced ‘try before you buy’, allowing customers to try clothes before making the purchase.

Limeroad‘s  “Create and Earn” initiative is an innovative way in which users (women only) can design and display her style and fashion in a scrapbook and earn a certain percentage of the sale amount of all items sold through their scrapbook looks. Limeroad also celebrates real womenhood by pinning their images on their official ‘Pinterest’ Page giving women a chance to let their imaginations wild in looking good. It’s really appreciable idea by this e-commerce company.

During the Football World Cup, Jabong took the advantage of football fever selling football merchandise online on its Football Shop.  The availability of the apparel is in sync with the performances of the star players of the world cup tournament with Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar appearing almost universally.

So friends, fashion tips are no longer the privilege of actors, rich & famed people only – it’s now available at the click of a button for somebody sitting in Kanpur, Ranchi or Simla – the entire country. The e-commerce players have created magic, looking stylish is everybody’s right. Personalized consultancies and live-chats are certainly increasing the fashion quotient of the country. Consumers trying to get free fashion tips have to just dial the e-commerce toll-free numbers and log on to their websites. That’s it.

As the economist Schumpeter saw it, creative destruction is a positive force, which drives away weaker companies to disappear and be replaced by more innovative and competitive ones. Creative destruction is inevitable. We are living in a world of constant cultural change, constant trend change, and constant fashion change.  All that we can do is accept it, if we cannot control it. Aren’t we all abandoning our old way of living and thinking in order to fit and live in today’s self-absorbed world thinking more effectively and profitably? The digital revolution is gripping the world by changing its habits, thinking, and living way itself. E-commerce has transformed the business model and changed the shopper’s approach towards retail. Despite its vital effect on shopping behavior, e-commerce is far from revolutionary; it’s simply an evolution. Many retailers and manufacturers have recognized the tremendous opportunities created by the new technology.