I'm building saraam.co - Udaipur based bean to bar chocolate studio. And this insight has shaped us for a long time ! We have recently worked with a mithai from a small temple town in Rajasthan as a reference and its architecture as a design and packaging reference. It works with everyone, because the flavour is so novel and the form (chocolate) so familiar. It attracts the America's, Europeans and Indians alike. The secret to growing wide eventually to to go deep first. Would love to connect. :)
Although I believe founders and brands who have to benefit from this transition can't just look at microcultures as a marketing reference. They've to truly understand it, celebrate it & engage with it. I carry a diary with me which is just about noting down disappearing local Rajashanti words around food & agricultural practises. It doesn't directly do anything with saraam. But it helps me think in that system. At the core of it, I genuinely care about these microculture and hence I'm able to do what I do. Key is to look within
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly believe one needs to immerse themselves in micro cultures and not be a tourist. I wrote about it in detail in my article—India’s Visual Language Crisis.
I’m watching Fable and Mane’s new launch with Kareena Kapoor, Aavrani launch hair care with Lily Singh, Ranavat’s ambassador Poorna Jagganathan, Diaspora Co collab with Padma Lakshmi in the US.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on celeb collabs/ambassadors (I need to take a look at your body of work in case you’ve already covered it!)
Thank you for always engaging so thoughtfully with my work.
In my research, I found that 67% of consumers trust influencer recommendations more than traditional advertising. But influence today is increasingly shaped by microcultures and regional creators, not monolithic Bollywood celebrities.
When brands continue to work with celebrities, they are often building networks rather than pure consumer trust. Celebrities open doors, unlock access, and create opportunities within specific circles. Consumers are also far more discerning now. They understand these are paid endorsements and evaluate them accordingly.
That said, celebrity influence still works strongly within the diaspora. It allows consumers to support not just brown founders, but also brown faces who have helped reshape the global Indian narrative. It is a layered form of cultural signaling rather than simple persuasion.
This is a topic I am excited to explore more deeply. A longer piece coming soon
Exactly this. And you're right, the Chinese beauty playbook (Florasis, Perfect Diary) went from "interesting local phenomenon" to Sephora shelves in ~3 years. Once proof of concept exists, capital + copycats move fast.
Which makes the window even more urgent. The Indian brands moving now (Subko, Nappa Dori, indē wild) aren't just building businesses, they're becoming the reference point for what "premium Indian" looks and feels like.
Once that's set, everyone else is playing catch-up in a category someone else defined.
Appreciate the pushback, you're probably right that 3-5 years is generous. Might be closer to 2-3 before we see the flood.
I'm building saraam.co - Udaipur based bean to bar chocolate studio. And this insight has shaped us for a long time ! We have recently worked with a mithai from a small temple town in Rajasthan as a reference and its architecture as a design and packaging reference. It works with everyone, because the flavour is so novel and the form (chocolate) so familiar. It attracts the America's, Europeans and Indians alike. The secret to growing wide eventually to to go deep first. Would love to connect. :)
Although I believe founders and brands who have to benefit from this transition can't just look at microcultures as a marketing reference. They've to truly understand it, celebrate it & engage with it. I carry a diary with me which is just about noting down disappearing local Rajashanti words around food & agricultural practises. It doesn't directly do anything with saraam. But it helps me think in that system. At the core of it, I genuinely care about these microculture and hence I'm able to do what I do. Key is to look within
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly believe one needs to immerse themselves in micro cultures and not be a tourist. I wrote about it in detail in my article—India’s Visual Language Crisis.
I loved reading it. That's the reason I opened a Substack account !
Fantastic! Saved for future reference :)
This space is so exciting!
Wrote a piece on BPC & fragrance mkt last week. Including your piece as reference there!
Thank you, Aditya. I'll definitely check it out.
Another great piece Fatema!
I’m watching Fable and Mane’s new launch with Kareena Kapoor, Aavrani launch hair care with Lily Singh, Ranavat’s ambassador Poorna Jagganathan, Diaspora Co collab with Padma Lakshmi in the US.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on celeb collabs/ambassadors (I need to take a look at your body of work in case you’ve already covered it!)
Thank you for always engaging so thoughtfully with my work.
In my research, I found that 67% of consumers trust influencer recommendations more than traditional advertising. But influence today is increasingly shaped by microcultures and regional creators, not monolithic Bollywood celebrities.
When brands continue to work with celebrities, they are often building networks rather than pure consumer trust. Celebrities open doors, unlock access, and create opportunities within specific circles. Consumers are also far more discerning now. They understand these are paid endorsements and evaluate them accordingly.
That said, celebrity influence still works strongly within the diaspora. It allows consumers to support not just brown founders, but also brown faces who have helped reshape the global Indian narrative. It is a layered form of cultural signaling rather than simple persuasion.
This is a topic I am excited to explore more deeply. A longer piece coming soon
CAN'T WAIT! 😍
Exactly this. And you're right, the Chinese beauty playbook (Florasis, Perfect Diary) went from "interesting local phenomenon" to Sephora shelves in ~3 years. Once proof of concept exists, capital + copycats move fast.
Which makes the window even more urgent. The Indian brands moving now (Subko, Nappa Dori, indē wild) aren't just building businesses, they're becoming the reference point for what "premium Indian" looks and feels like.
Once that's set, everyone else is playing catch-up in a category someone else defined.
Appreciate the pushback, you're probably right that 3-5 years is generous. Might be closer to 2-3 before we see the flood.