New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- It's that time of year when fashion feeds are filled with runway shows in New York, London and Milan. But this September, while moving between the three cities, I kept encountering India in unexpected ways-not just through Indian designers presenting their collections internationally, but in conversations with editors, buyers and those watching the next generation of talent. Indian fashion, it seems, is no longer knocking at the door of the global fashion system. It is very much part of the conversation.

Much of that is down to an increasingly confident contemporary Indian fashion language, with designers recognising that creativity and commerce have to work together. But it also made me wonder: is our own fashion ...