‘ Sarojini Madam goes wearing the clothes of Disco.’ When the song ‘Saturday Saturday’ from Badshah’s film ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’ was released in 2013, Delhi girls went mad. At that time, club and party culture was becoming mainstream, so many middle-class girls could relate to Sarojini’s reference. Why wouldn’t they? Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market, one of the most popular shopping centres in the country, was a fashion hub that never went heavy on the pocket.

Yet, owing to its ‘low price’ appeal, admitting to wearing Sarojini’s items wasn’t really a trend – which this funny viral reel expresses perfectly:

Now, Sarojini is a major part of Indian pop culture. Social media platforms are full of videos of Sarojini, and comedy sketches referencing the market, such as Akash Gupta’s ‘Excuse me, brother?’, are going viral. A photo in front of the recently remodeled but already iconic yellow gate is the ultimate Delhi postcard shot.

Was Sarojini always the fashion hub that it is today? Absolutely not. In fact, it wasn’t even called Sarojini Nagar.

a bit of flashback

The construction of Sarojini Nagar Market began after Independence when refugees who came to Delhi from Pakistan after Partition were allotted housing above shops. It was then called Vinay Nagar. At that time, this market served as a basic community shopping hub for the residents of the market and thousands of families living in the nearby government quarters – shops like scrap dealers, dhabas, stationery, general stores, etc.

This was in the late 80s and early 90s, around the advent of globalisation, when Sarojini Nagar became a hub for export surplus shopping, with vendors selling high-quality goods at bargain prices. Some of the stock even came as huge donations from developed Western countries. So, people could get international fashion here – of course, without spending a lot of money.

The mix of affordability and style attracted the youth, fashionistas and even designers looking for inspiration. In the late 90s, fashion dominated the place which was otherwise a purely family market, and it started earning the reputation of a crowded market. Miss Universe 1994 winner Sushmita Sen also bought fabric from Sarojini Nagar Market for her pageant gowns.

In 2005 it was the target of a horrific terrorist attack. But soon the market moved on and so did the shoppers. People from Delhi as well as tourists from other states and countries started flocking to the streets once again.

The rise of social media

Now let’s talk about 2024. Sarojini is a brand in itself, trusted by everyone from fashion influencers, celebrity fashion stylists and young enthusiasts who don’t mind braving the maddening crowds even on a hot afternoon to pick up the best fashion.

From the film ‘Aisha’ to the web series ‘Made in Heaven’ starring Sobhita Dhulipala, their styling teams have incorporated the work of Sarojini. Social media has also played a huge role in this. Big influencers like Komal Pandey and Kritika Khurana used to make many styling videos of Sarojini Nagar in their early years.

Viewers across the country are mesmerized by how they can make a cheap top worth Rs 100 look so good. Obviously the video garnered a lot of attention because of their styling skills and affordable prices of the clothes. This social media fever grew even more as more and more people – fashion influencers or not – took to vlogging.

Now, in the age of Instagram reels, Sarojini Hall videos help budding influencers gain instant attention.

While they show off their low-priced purchases for social media, it’s now also a flex to wear those select items. Gen Z is definitely bringing that vibe!

Gen Z Flex

“Shopping from Sarojini is a talent. With us Gen Z, if we find something really good in the market that we can wear to a party, we flaunt it. You have to keep an eye out for that. When I was first nominated for the Cosmopolitan Blogger Awards, I wore a Sarojini blazer to the welcome dinner and that’s how I made four new friends because they were also wearing Sarojini,” shares fashion and makeup content creator Ashree Puri. India Today Podcast.

The exclusivity of the clothes bought from Sarojini also makes them even more endearing. Unlike fast-fashion brands like H&M and Zara, which make thousands of units of each design, clothes bought from Sarojini are often unique, with sometimes only one piece available.

According to fashion content commentator Sufi Motiwala, the real flexibility lies in how you style your Sarojini purchases.

“Sarojini Nagar actually represents everything that is Delhi, no matter where a person lives. Wearing Sarojini is not a flex, just like wearing any other clothing is not a flex. The real flex is whether you can wear Sarojini and make it look premium,” says Sufi Motiwala.

Tanya Bedi, a Delhi-based Generation Z fashion content creator, says she loves this market because it is the closest option for affordable shopping.

“Some people like to keep their budget-friendly secrets close to their chest, while others, like me, can’t stop themselves from bragging about their bargaining skills. So, I will proudly announce, ‘Look at this jacket I bought from Sarojini for just Rs 150’,” adds Tanya Bedi.

Craze across the country

The Sarojini craze is not just limited to Delhi, which is why you will often see people from cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru sharing exciting videos about their visit and shopping at Sarojini. In fact, it is common for large travel groups and even individual travellers, especially from the southern and eastern states of the country, to visit Sarojini during their Delhi trip.

Not just fashion enthusiasts, but families too flock to Sarojini and shop everything from home decor essentials to kids’ clothing, footwear and furnishings at affordable prices.

Entrepreneurs also acknowledge this nationwide interest.

“When we launched Sarojini Market Online to make the market accessible online during the pandemic, we received surprisingly high interest from cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Most of them knew about the market through social media videos. So, when we made shopping from the much-loved market online, it created a lot of buzz,” says Vandit Chawla, a Generation Zer Sarojini resident and the man who gave the iconic yellow wall a makeover.

That being said, shopping at Sarojini is not for everyone. Some days you get lucky with the collection, and some days you don’t. The crowds can also be a challenge, especially on weekends. Plus-size women often struggle to find good quality clothes too.

Did the king taunt by calling her ‘Sarojini’? wearing the clothes of ‘Madam Disco’? We don’t know. But we do know that buying and styling attention-grabbing clothes from Sarojini is a great experience. And Gen Z’ers are here for it! Millennials are here for it too.