For our brand specifically, we sit at an interesting point where half our market is in India and half is outside (mostly in the West) and both markets are very, very different. We find flexibility in being able to design for one market or the other, or somewhere in the middle and so haven’t had to cater drastically to Western ‘luxury’ market expectations. That said, of course, we keep in mind what the market will invest in, and have to adjust accordingly.
A very important element is audience participation through real-time voting. In a certain sense, real people become part of the process of international recognition of designers, rather than only closed professional industry structures. Another important factor is the idea of healthy creative interaction between countries. This interaction is not built around commercial pressure but around cultural expression and design vision, creating a space of respect and mutual interest between participants.