They say that life imitates art, and one doesn’t have to look far to see that this is true. It’s difficult to imagine another culture where cinema has the reach and influence that it does in India. We buy what celebrities sell to us in commercials, obsess over the names of their newborn children, and allow the release of certain films to become so political that we take to the streets to protest. Whether you’re a moviegoer or not, you can’t deny that the screen-to-street bleed is unavoidable – especially if you’re aware of what’s going on in the fashion world.

The fashion industry has undoubtedly matured and developed a more organised infrastructure of fashion weeks, commercially driven ramp shows, and a backbone of PR managers, professional stylists, and choreographers over the last two decades. However, another factor has firmly established itself along the warp and weft of Indian fashion: Bollywood star power. Unlike the global trend, where celebrities mostly appear as front-row guests of the designer and only top models play showstopper, Bollywood-obsessed India operates differently. Our supermodels are those from Tinseltown. They pose in fashion advertisements and serve as social media fashion icons and the face of the Indian fashion industry, in addition to acting in films. Fashion designers rely on Bollywood films and stars’ wide reach and appeal to attract attention, media coverage, and business. Stars require designers to help them look fashionable and current when they attend events. It’s a designer match made in heaven.

Whether it’s Kareena’s Salwar-Kameez pants and T-shirt look in Jab We Met that started an “Indo-Western” revolution or Deepika’s night-out club outfits from Cocktail that brought back major love for mini dresses – no…