New Delhi, Feb. 28 -- There's a recipe to runway shows today: an exotic location, a grand set, foot-tapping music (better if live), and a front row packed with friends of the house, buyers and influencers who may be paid by the brand. A celebrity showstopper is the cherry on top. The aim is to curate spectacle and become the talk of social media. If it translates into business, even better.

Imagine the surprise, then, when a fashion show takes place at an amphitheatre on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad with a set that looks subtle and is yet intricate, to keep the focus firmly on the clothes. And no front row studded with influencers. Just soft music and a crowd of 100-odd people-buyers, enthusiasts and a handful of journalists-s...