For Yadav, the difference between an event that lands and one that does not is meaning. His rule for brands is simple: “Bring the house to the festival, not the festival to the house.” Sticking diyas and marigolds onto a global campaign, he says, “isn’t a Diwali strategy, and the Indian client sees through it in a second.”
From Reliance Brands’s portfolio, he points to Ferragamo’s first-ever Diwali capsule, made exclusively for India, as well as Valentino’s third Diwali in the country, which began with an India-exclusive bag crafted by local artisans. Of Michael Kors’s fourth Diwali party, he says: “At four, it’s no longer a campaign; it’s a tradition.”
Premium luggage brand Tumi, meanwhile, has created Diwali windows and a gifting campaign in India annually since 2021. This year, the work will also run in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Global brands are beginning to see India not just as a market to sell into, but as a source of ideas and trends that can influence consumers around the world. “Cultural relevance is essential to earning sustained growth and real brand love in India,” says Yadav.
Playing catch-up beyond India
In New York, Diwali has largely been shaped by the diaspora, with luxury brands only beginning to follow. Acharia, founder and CEO of A-Series Investments and Management, started the All That Glitters ball about 15 years ago in her Tribeca loft; it has since become a fixture, with this year sponsored by Lexus. “Part of the mission has always been visibility,” she says. “We bring together South Asians making an impact across different industries and create a moment that shows the mainstream media that South Asians have a place in the broader pop culture narrative.”
Acharia believes there is room for more ambitious experiences. “Right now, we have quite a few parties, but we don’t have the Diwali equivalent of an Indian ballet yet, or many immersive experiences like we do to celebrate Western holidays. There’s so much we can do, and Diwali is a holiday that you can really experience through fashion, food, and lights.” Oushq, the platform publicist Jessel Taank is building for creatives from India and the Middle East, marked Diwali on October 19 with an evening co-hosted by Pritika Swarup, founder of Prakti Beauty, in partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) at The Standard Hotel in New York. Pairing editorial storytelling with e-commerce, the platform is due to launch by November.
