Sabyasachi Mukherjee reacts to the backlash post his comments on Indian women not knowing how to wear a saree

Renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, responded to the backlash over his comments on Indian women and the saree, saying the matter has snowballed into an unintended “gender issue.” The designer said his remarks at the Harvard India Conference, which were in response to a query on the difficulties that women face in draping a saree, were intended to be a reflection on the “celebration of our clothing history and heritage”.

Sabyasachi stated over an e-mail exchange from Boston: “What was intended to be a comment on celebration of our clothing history and heritage became a debate on feminism. This is not a gender issue. Since the question was about the saree, women were involved. I would take the same stand on men’s national clothing too. I have not made any statement on a woman’s choice on what she wishes to wear which is always her own prerogative.”

Talking to the Indian students gathered in Cambridge on Saturday, the celebrity designer had said, “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.”

“Women and men are trying …read more