With a powerful global presence, a flagship store in New York, and having dressed prominent figures such as the Duchess of Cambridge and Arianna Huffington, Anita Dongre’s collective business of pret, sustainable, bridal and jewellery brands is one the biggest in the country today. Expanding her retail network of brick and mortars, departmental stores, domestic online retail giants like Myntra and Ajio as stockists, and e-commerce platforms of the labels’ own, the brand has taken its first concrete steps in the Middle Eastern market. A curated 12-piece collection of maxi dresses in signature prints and embroidered kaftans has debuted on Ounass.ae, a Dubai-based fashion portal housing international designers and luxury brands. Catering to regions across UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and more, the website also features other contemporary Indian names like Pankaj & Nidhi and Hemant and Nandita.

“The Middle East market has been on our radar for quite some time now since consumers there have high disposable incomes with a massive appetite for luxury consumption. We have been participating in select luxury exhibitions since a few years and have witnessed great response to the product which prompted us to make an online entry into the market,” Yash Dongre, business head at House of Anita Dongre, tells Vogue. The spending potential of the region and sizeable share of Indian population has long tempted companies to invest in international growth. 

Amid the ripple effects of the pandemic on fashion business, taking offerings online has felt natural for various homegrown labels, everything from couture pieces to ready-to-wear lines. While many have added features of their existing portals and others launched brand new websites, a growing number of Indian-origin designers have been listed on global platforms. It wasn’t long back when 11.11/eleven eleven made it to Matchesfashion.com's menswear edit. The UK-based fashion e-tailer also houses Peter D'Ascoli textile-focused creation and Misho’s sculptural pieces. Furthermore, Suhani Parekh’s artisanal jewellery label has been available on Yoox.com, Farfetch.com, Selfridges.com, JerycoStore.com and many more. Hemant & Nandita’s resort-style pieces can also be found on Farfetch and Revolve.com. New-generation independent labels such as Ekà, Bodice and Maku among others, also populate various online boutiques such as Aloja.ca, a Toronto-based curated store.