Fashion Street - Mumbai

Where do Mumbai's youngsters go when they want fashionable clothes without paying shopping-mall prices?

Fashion Street is one of the answers.

Located along MG Road near Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, this long stretch of pavement is packed with hundreds of small stalls selling clothes, footwear, bags, sunglasses and accessories.

There are no polished showrooms here.

Clothes hang from temporary racks, T-shirts are piled one above another, and vendors constantly call out to passing shoppers. You may find the same shirt at several stalls within a few metres.

Which means one thing.

Do not buy from the first shop.

Walk around first.

Bargaining is Part of the Shopping

Fashion Street is known for inexpensive clothes, but the price quoted initially is rarely the price you need to pay.

Bargaining is very much part of the experience.

Knowing a little Hindi or Marathi may help, but you certainly do not need to master the local language before coming here. A smile, some patience and the willingness to walk away often work equally well.

You will also see clothes and accessories carrying familiar international brand names. Do not assume that the label makes them genuine. Export-surplus clothing, inexpensive fast fashion and imitation branded merchandise all find their way into markets of this kind. Check the fabric, stitching and quality rather than buying merely for the name printed on it.

Shopping, Mumbai Style

Fashion Street is especially popular with students, youngsters and anyone looking for trendy clothes on a budget.

But even if you do not intend to buy anything, the street is interesting to walk through.

The endless clothes, impatient bargaining, crowded pavements and vendors trying to attract your attention are all part of the experience.

A shopping mall gives you air-conditioning and fixed prices.

Fashion Street gives you a bargain only if you earn it.

And that is probably more fun.

Happy travelling.