From Ads To Remarks: 5 Times Fashion Designer Sabyasachi Courted Controversy

Sabyasachi controversy: Fashion and jewellery designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is neither a stranger to renown nor to controversy. The 47-year-old, whose namesake label dominates the luxury couture market in India, is often in the spotlight for comments he makes or collections he puts out.

His latest ads for a mangalsutra - a sacred thread many Hindu women wear after marriage - is drawing flak online from netizens who claim their culture is being attacked. A section of social media users is not thrilled with the representation of the jewellery collection. This is not the first instance of a brand facing outrage for its ad - see Fabindia, Tanishq, Dabur - in recent times.

Owing to his status, Sabyasachi is constantly under immense scrutiny and has, more than once, faced public wrath. It leads one to question: Is this outrage achieving any objective? Or does it carry true expectations for change?

5 Sabyasachi Controversies That Drew Outrage:

1. Mangalsutra ads

A recent slate of ads Sabyasachi published to promote a new 'intimate fine jewellery' collection has become the subject of massive public ire on social media. Out of the many pieces, one has been marketed as the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra, which is facing the most criticism for its portrayal on the body of a woman clothed only in lingerie. Ads for other designs show models of multiple skin colours, posing in various heterosexual and same-sex combinations. Many on Twitter have objected to these ads claiming they are "obscene" and "insulting" to Hindu marriage customs. Read here.

2. H&M collaboration

In August this year, Sabyasachi rolled out a new line of apparel in collaboration with fast fashion brand H&M. What grabbed the most eyeballs was the Rs 9999 price tag on a plain printed saree that netizens said looked much like what their grandmothers had in their wardrobes at less than half the price. Besides the trolling, there was also criticism for Sabyasachi tying up with a brand mired in allegations of unethical workplace conditions. Many also asked whether artists who worked on the collection were being compensated enough. Here's what Sabyasachi said on the reaction.

3. 'Overdressed women are wounded'

"If you see a woman ‘overdressed’, caked with makeup, armoured with jewellery, it is most likely that she is wounded. Bleeding inside, silently," Sabyasachi said in an Instagram post in 2019. "Heal her with your company," he wrote. The post was at the receiving end of massive backlash with netizens accusing the designer of sexism for weighing in on how much or how little makeup women should wear. Others said it was "hypocritical" of the designer for questioning beauty standards he had indulged in propagating through his fashion label. Read here.

4. 'Shame if you don't know how to wear a saree'

In 2018, Sabyasachi kicked up another storm following his speech at a Harvard conference where he was addressing Indian students. "I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you," he reportedly said. Immediately, women slammed the remark online for its seeming non-inclusive nature. In a statement, Sabyasachi apologised and said his intention was to bring notice to the "shame" and "taboo" the saree often carries among women, young and old, due to stereotypical connotations.

5. 'Obsessed by boobs'

Another problematic statement Sabyasachi made was in a 2018 interview where he said, "In fashion, you have to reinvent yourself every three to five years. You need to be fresh. Right now, I’ve become tired of gaunt faces and stick-thin models. I’m obsessed by boobs!" For both appearing to shame thin bodies and viewing big bodies as just a fashion trend, Sabyasachi's remark was widely called out.

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