The Ambani family grabbed the world’s attention as they hosted an exuberant five-day long wedding extravaganza for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. The ceremony held at Mumbai was the culmination of months-long pre-wedding events in which many notable celebrities made appearances. Moreover, the festivities had been dubbed the Indian Metgala as celebrities strutted in exquisite designer outfits, impressing the fashion world and the netizens.

Bollywood and Hollywood stars flaunted flamboyant apparel, expensive accessories and luxury bags from noted Indian designers as well as global couture houses. The events hosted at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre turned out to be a scintillating show of high fashion which gave Metgala, the annual haute couture festival, a run for its money.

Meanwhile, netizens were curious to know about the price tags attached to these designer wear. While some wondered whether the actors actually bought the custom-made outfits designed by famous designers, others assumed that Mr. Ambani himself may have purchased the clothes for them.

Borrowed clothes
Those who are aware about the workings of the fashion industry know that celebrities and designers often collaborate for red carpet appearances or mega events like the Ambani wedding. The celebrities may have borrowed all the outfits and accessories that they had worn for various events at Anant and Radhika’s wedding, for a day. Even though it may sound embarrassing to wear borrowed clothes to a mega event, this trend is known as ‘sourcing’ in the fashion world. Celebrities’ stylists source the outfits and accessories from various designers depending upon the nature of the event. The scope of sourcing is immense as per the market value of the celebrity. A few months ago, actor Ayushmann Kurrana had remarked, “Entire Bollywood is on rent”.

‘Sourcing’ business
The collaboration between stars and the designers is aimed at the lucrative fashion market as such events open up incredible scope for free marketing and advertising. The designers’ own brands get visibility and accessibility to greater audience, when celebrities appear in their creations.

Usually, the celebrities conduct photoshoots wearing a designer’s clothes and shares the pictures on their social media handle by tagging him or her. Hollywood star Priyanka Chopra attended the Ambani wedding wearing a spectacular lehenga from an exquisite collection by ace designer Tarun Tahiliani, that isn’t released yet.

Sourcing is common here too!
Sourcing is not a phenomenon that is only seen in the Bollywood; actors in all the languages rely on sourcing to appear stylish in designer wear. Even the Malayalam stars attend film promotions and other events wearing designer wear that have been sourced. Despite the amazing marketing scope of such collaborations, not all designers are fans of this trend. While partnering with a celebrity benefits bigger brands, it may not be the case for smaller homegrown brands.

Designers say that some celebrities are hesitant to return the clothes they had borrowed. Besides, some of them even ask for clothes to be worn not only for public events but for private events too. Each piece of designer wear is created with immense hard work, creative input as well as dedication. So, there are a few designers who do not appreciate celebrities, who are financially capable to purchase the outfit, asking for free collaborations or sourcing.

What happens to these clothes?
Stars often return the outfits and accessories that they had worn only once for the events. Some designers may gift the clothes back to them, or in certain instances the celebrity may purchase the outfits. Meanwhile, the clothes that are returned are dry cleaned and then exhibited at the store for customers. 

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