New Delhi: Renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is known for his impeccable taste in clothes as his designs are adored across the globe. A few days back, Sabya's statements got him into a bit of a trouble.
The ace designer spoke at the Harvard India Conference where he was asked about to comment on the cultural taboo of young women wearing sarees. His response was, “I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you. It’s a part of your culture, (you) need to stand up for it.”
The designer received a severe backlash for his statement and now Sabya has written a three-part open letter rendering an apology. He has even explained the logic behind using that statement. An excerpt of his letter goes like this:
“To begin, allow me to sincerely apologise for the words that I used while answering impromptu questions at a conference at Harvard. I am sorry that I used the word ‘shame’ in reference to some women’s inability to wear a sari. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the sari enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive – this was certainly not my intention.
Let me provide some context for those of you who may not have listened to the speech I gave at Harvard. A woman had asked me to comment on the cultural taboo of young women wearing saris because, as she said, society tells them that it ‘makes them look older’. ‘What is your suggestion’, she asked, ‘for those young generations, to break that taboo and embrace the sari…’ Unbeknownst to many, this is a question I field often with friends and customers. The ubiquity of such sentiments in our culture, evidenced by the fact that this question was posed to me at Harvard, of all places, was hard-hitting and triggered an unfortunate series of reactions on my part. Sometimes, when you are that invested in your craft, you become hypersensitive to the negativity surrounding that which you love.”
Check out the complete Three-Part open letter he posted on Instagram:
Sabya has designed for several biggies and won accolades for his fine craft. In fact, Bollywood beauty Anushka Sharma's complete wedding look was by Sabya. His designs remains an ultimate dream for any Indian bride to adorn on her special day.