NEW DELHI, April 27 -- Open an online fashion app today, and you'll find a Rs.490,000 Gucci dress or a waitlisted Rs.415,000 Prada leather shirt sitting alongside discounted streetwear and mass-market labels. This paradox isn't accidental. India's online fashion and beauty market is projected to reach $210 billion by 2028. Yet even as it scales, the discount-led model that powered this growth is under strain. In response, platforms such as TataCliq, Myntra, Ajio, Amazon's fashion and beauty division, and Nykaa are trying to shed their deals-driven identity-albeit gradually. TataCliq, for instance, has partnered with online luxury retailer Darveys to create a more deliberate, curated approach to luxury rather than a broad rollout. Myntra has recently added S&N by Shantanu & Nikhil and is also working with Darveys. Offering 'masstige', bridge-to-luxury, and super-luxury products is a clear push to move consumers up the value chain-from frequent low-ticket buys to fewer, higher-value purchases-even as discount-led volumes continue to anchor the core business. The commercial logic is straightforward. Higher-priced products offer better margins. But the challenge lies in driving that behavioural shift. "Online fashion has been built on discounting for years, and that has conditioned consumers to expect deals on everything. The market has effectively been deflated, and it becomes very difficult to sell anything at full price. Premiumization cannot sit on top of that model," Harminder Sahni, managing director at consulting firm Wazir Advisors, told Mint. Sahni added that it will require a structural reset in how platforms price, present and sell products, not just incremental changes. Even as fashion and beauty platforms try to change the playbook, there are early signs that demand at the top end is expanding rather than being manufactured. At Tata Cliq Luxury, average order values are about 3.5 times those of its mass-fashion platform, its chief executive, Gopal Asthana, told Mint. The company has sold products priced above Rs.2 lakh across categories such as accessories, watches and apparel-with luxury watches alone growing at about 26% annually over the past four years. On Myntra, which has added nearly 40 global brands, including bridge-to-luxury labels such as Charles & Keith, &honey, LUSH, E.L.F Beauty and Saturday Skin, in the first three months of 2026, the premium push is also tied to broader market expansion. "India's lifestyle market is projected to clock 10-12% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and reach $210 billion by 2028, signalling a growing opportunity for premium and luxury categories," said Venu Nair, chief of strategic partnerships and omnichannel at the company. Categories such as occasion wear, accessories (including watches and bags), and beauty are driving growth in its luxe segment. At the same time, the demand beyond metros is becoming harder to ignore, pointing to a structural shift rather than a niche trend....