By Drishti Arora

A 19-year-old Preetu was caught posting a selfie on her instagram in  the breeze outside Delhi’s Janpath market, she wore a vintage chikankari kurta with rugged denim jeans and funky  sneakers. Her colouful jhumkas shone as she adjusted her tote bag—hand-painted with a block print art. Her caption said: “Sanskaari but Savage.”

That is pretty much the vibe of Desi Street Style, it is the platform where old school meets the new GenZ running deep into the roots while the vibe stays fresh. It’s a kind of fashion where the bindi meets the western outfits.

Where Desi Meets Dope: The Evolution

Old were the days when fashion was lined in magazine pages or designer-only dreams. Today, it outshines in the gullies of old Delhi, at the chai stall of Mumbai, and the college canteens of Bangalore. 

 

Gen Zs are not just getting dressed- they are dropping fashion m with every outfit. Fashion’s grammar has changed- “ It’s bandhani meets badass” cargo pants, lehenga+hoodies, even kurta capes are in remix. 

Scroll through @desi.streetwear- where desi soul meets global swagger. Influencers like Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila and Rida Tharana are leading this wave.

These influencers are stitching the youth and culture together by making one reel at a time, be it Komal’s cultural wardrobe paired with her fashion hacks or Kusha’s comedy reels reaching out to fashion basics. 

Why it Clicks with Gen Z 

• Identity over imitation can be one of the major bonds between the two as today’s youth want more than Zara clones. They are hunting for soul, history and representation. 
• Thrifted jackets, mom’s old saree turned to co-ord sets— Gen Z love giving second-hand clothes a new lease of life. All this majorly sums up the sustainability factor.
• Social media management is the need of the hour for every young aspiring teenager to survive the underworld of socialism. Reels and Youtube shorts featuring outfit transitions, viral fashion hacks and outfit challenges, are going viral for a reason— they’re relatable and visually impactful.

• Gen Z uses fashion as a silent protest against colourism, elitism and gender stereotypes. Posting it online becomes documentation.” My feed is my journal” says Isha, 22. “Each outfit is a mood, a belief and a resistance.

“My nani’s dupatta has more personality than half the fast fashion on sale,” laughs Kriti a design student from Pune.

 

Elements of Desi Street Style 

Be it jhumkas with Jordans, nath with a denim jacket, hindi slogan tees like “ Bindas ladki or Dilli ki junglee,” Indigo dyes bucket hats, mirror- work crop tops paired with jacket or sarees worn with belts and blazers. These aren’t just costumes. It’s a co-existence.  

The Rise of Indie Brands

Desi Street Style has taken a major transition from visual movement to a business model. Homegrown brands like:

• Rangrezaa- (up-cycles old sarees into jackets)
• The Saree Sneakers ( literally what it says), and
• Urban Subculture ( mixes street art with desi prints)

..are successful, all thanks to conscious GenZ buyers who want their wardrobes to resonate with a life story. Fashion has over time become a form of expression for the youth.

Desi Street Style: On the Catwalk Now 

 

Interestingly, what began as a grassroots fashion movement has now reached elite fashion circles and spheres.

At Lakmé Fashion Week 2024 designers like Masaba Gupta, Payal Singhal and Rahul Mishra showcased collections inspired by Indian streetwear culture—featuring rickshaw art, basti graffiti, temple architecture prints and even regional slogans. 

 Anamika Khanna a famous designer have always blended Desi with Drama—but now the streets are setting the pace, not just following it. The message was clear: that Desi is not only back in trend but— it never left. 

Voices from the street 

“Wearing a bindi with a tracksuit? That’s power dressing to me.” – Tanvi, 22, Hip-Hop dancer, Delhi had posted a thread on Instagram.

“We don’t dress for validation. We dress for vibe.” – Ahmed, 20, Street Photographer, Lucknow captioned these words in one the photographs featuring skirts on boy breaking the gender norms.

“Fashion doesn’t need to be Parisian. It can be Prayagraj se too.” – Aarav, 24, Influencer, Instagram.

These are not just catchlines —they reflect the power and bravery’s of a generation putting out their space unapologetically.

DIY DESI: Why Style Gets Resonance 

Many young people aren’t buying into brands—they are making their statements.

• Mitali, 20, stitched her dad’s Nehru jacket into a crop top layering with one of his oversized shirt.
• Riyaz, a DU student, layered her sister’s Anarkali over a band tee and went viral on Instagram making a space where boys could highlight their preferences for clothing.

 

Behind The Real: What It Represents

 

Desi Street Style is not just about how one looks—it’s about what one stands for.

It often challenges elitist beauty standards celebrating diversity of skin tone, gender and body. It’s inclusive, political, playful and bold.

It allows young Indians to break norms, bend patriarchal traditions, and come together blending the best of both worlds—without asking for permission. 

 

Final Look Into The Mirror

Street style has emerged as being so powerful not just because of its shock value but its intimacy..

Every piece worn narrated a story of an old mother’s saree, or a local market bargain.

 

A stitched-together identity. It’s a look-book of emotions not just aesthetics.

So next time you see someone pairing a salwar with a leather corset or rocking a dhoti with crop tops — just believe that they are not confused.

They are creating culture.

 

“The girl with the saree and the sneakers” A real-life story 

19-year-old Mehak went viral on TikTok from small lanes in Varanasi,  for wearing her mother’s saree with a baseball cap and combat boots. Scolded by her mother she narrates how the next day her mother borrowed her sunglasses to look better and wanted to join the trend. 

 “I wanted to wear her past and my present together,” she says. This viral moment got her featured in a youth fashion column, and now she runs her own thrift Insta-store.

 

Men In Desi Street Style 

   “Not just the girls: Desi Drip for the Bros”

From starting the trend of wearing skirts and having scrunchies in the wrist, celebrities like Ranveer Singh and Hritik Roshan started this call for change.

Influencers like Abhinav Mathur and Karron S Dhingra carried away with this idea proving that androgyny and cultural expression can coexist.

Even the humble lungi had find its way into music videos and fashion reels — paired with sneakers or leather jacket. It’s very pleasing and not surprising to see boys rocking kohl-lined eyes or oxidised jwellery, especially in gender fluid fashion spaces.

 

“I wore my mom’s dupatta as a headwrap to a fest—and I got more compliments than ever,” laughs Raghav, 21, a student from DU proudly posting it on Twitter.

 

Tips Section Alert!!

Want to try Desi Style?? Start here:

• Mix prints like zebra and polkadots with new coming cargos— don’t be shy 
• Add a spoonful of drama to your outfit— bold eyes, bindi with jeans and top, chunky earrings. 
• Steal your parents’ wardrobe —you will be astonished to see how an old saree can be transformed into ten different styles.

• Second hand and update: old sarees become trendy co-ord sets, kurtas turn into jackets and anarkalis are transformed into lehngas.
• Confidence is key—grant the looks the world will follow and resonate with you.