Indian fashion brand Sabyasachi seems to be a lot in the news lately, but for all the wrong reasons. Less than a couple of months ago, the brand caught fire for its collaboration with Swedish fast-fashion brand H&M.
The collab was called out for promoting fast fashion which is highly dangerous to the environment and exploits people from third world countries.
Before the public could even begin to forget that episode, Sabyasachi has made headlines again. This time for something far worse – religious reasons.
Sabyasachi Invites Backlash Over Its Mangalsutra Ad Campaign
Sabyasachi launched its own line of mangalsutras – a holy thread worn by a married Hindu woman, indicative of her marital bond with her husband.
The brand showed intimate pictures of women in lingerie wearing it, which hurt the religious sentiments of many Hindus who called for its immediate boycott.
To promote inclusivity, it even showed a gay couple wearing the thread traditionally worn by a woman. It was, again, not taken well by netizens. They were enraged as to why only Hindu practices are used to promote inclusivity. They dared Sabyasachi to use an Islamic ritual or practice for the promotion of any ad.
A legal notice has been sent to it by BJP’s legal advisor in Gujarat Advocate Ashutosh Dubey. The company has taken down all the controversial pictures, but a formal apology hasn’t been issued yet.
How Twitter Reacted
Twitteratis were divided on this issue. While most of them were furious at Sabyasachi, there were some who mocked the haters and supported the brand.
Here are a few tweets of people who were against this campaign:
Read More: Unusual Collab: Slow And Ethical Fashion Brand Sabyasachi With H&M?
Tweets from people who could not wrap their heads around this hatred towards Sabyasachi:
Not The First Time For Sabyasachi
As mentioned earlier, this is not the first time that Sabyasachi had to deal with public rage. In 2018, the company’s founder Sabyasachi Mukherjee got into trouble for shaming thin women.
“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!” he said.
Then in 2019, through an Instagram post, he called women who put on a lot of makeup and overdress “wounded”. He was called out for being unnecessarily judgemental to those women who like to dress up and put on makeup.
What is your take on this Mangalsutra ad campaign by Sabyasachi? Do you think they took it too far or do you like it for its modern take? Do let us know in the comments section below.
Sources: Times of India, India Today, The Quint
Image Sources: Twitter, Google Images
Find The Blogger: @TinaGarg18
This post is tagged under: Sabyasachi, mangalsutra, Indian customs, Hinduism, Hindu religion, lgbtq+, inclusivity, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, fast fashion, indian handloom, saree, matrimony, sex, intimacy, women, beautiful women, thin models, body shaming, fashion, indian fashion, sarees, overdressed women wounded
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