REPRESENTATION OF SOUTH ASIAN FASHION
We’ve all probably seen Cardi B’s stunning Grammy’s look – a floor-length electric blue silhouette that accentuated her best features – but did you know it was designed by a South Asian creative? Gaurav Gupta, known for his stunning sculpted pieces, has created looks for Ashanti, Megan Thee Stallion, Liza Koshy, and now Cardi B among many more celebrities, however, he and other designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee are often hailed as the ‘fashion world’s best designers that no one has ever heard of’.
DIVERSITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
One of the biggest problems in diversity within the fashion industry is that people don’t want to leave the familiarity of brands that they already know – how familiar are the names Gucci, Carolina Herrera, Christian Siriano, and Micheal Kors? Now, how familiar are the names Amesh Wijesekara, Archana Kochhar, Megha Rao, and Rahemur Rahman? Even though Wijesekara has been featured in Berlin fashion week numerous times and Megha Rao even headlined New York Fashion Week in 2021, these names are still practically invisible in mainstream media – due mainly to a disconnect between Western perceptions of South Asian fashion and the realities of it.
For years – generations even – South Asian fashion, while stunning, has been categorized as conservative and heavy traditional pieces against intricate yet feature-covering jewelry – which while an important part of the culture and diversity of South Asia, has curbed the creativity of fusion and development in South Asian fashion. With the emergence of artists like Rahemur Rahman and Param Sahib, gender lines as well as the lines differentiating ‘western’ and ‘non-western’ apparel are slowly being blurred, making the space for a new and inclusive era of fashion and identity within South Asia, and the world. But with all these developments in South Asian fashion, why is it still so hard to see the representation of Indian fashion outside of a traditional lehenga?
INCLUSIVITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
Growing up, the representation of fashion I knew was often my favorite celebrities such as Katy Perry and Iggy Azalea dressing up in Indian clothes without understanding the cultural significance of the pieces they were wearing. Soon, this coalesced into the ‘bindi’ trend at Coachella or the ‘henna tattoos’ which I would begin to see everywhere. In the Western world, this was what Indian fashion was, and as mentioned before, a division between ‘western’ and ‘non-western’ fashion emerged.
Continuing the same example of New York Fashion Week, it is no secret they’ve struggled with including a diverse cast of designers to feature throughout the week, historically bolstering mega brands like Cristian Sirriano to feature constantly over smaller POC brands on the same runway. However, things aren’t looking too bad. Just last September, the first South Asian New York Fashion Week was launched, providing a platform to artists throughout the continent to showcase their designs and create a creative space for the encouragement of more Asian representation in fashion. It opened up an avenue for South Asian designers to advertise their brands to the global market and make moves for further features in Paris, Milan, and Berlin – where hopefully these artists can earn more space to display their work.
THE FUTURE
So here’s to the next generation of South Asian pioneering in fashion – one devoid of cultural appropriation by celebrities and rather the recognition of South Asian talent and the appreciation of the stunning designs like Michelle Obama wearing Naeem Khan’s gowns or Paris Hilton in Falguni and Shane Peacock.