After dupatta rebranded as Scandanivian scarf and Prada’s Kolhapuri chappals-inspired sandals rows, now an Amercan fashion brand has come under fire after an Indian woman called out what she described
as the blatant repackaging of a traditional India saree as a Western-style dress.
In a video shared on Instagram, Arshia Moorjani, an entrepreneur and founder of beauty brand, Meri Stori, pointed out that a garment sold by US-based fashion brand JW PEI, as “Botanical Embellished Draped Overlay Maxi Dress” is actually an Indian saree. She questioned why it was marketed as a “dress” when actually it resembles to saree.
“Are we joking here?” she said. “It just bothers me so much because this happens time and time again, where not even inspiration y’all, this is just copy and paste of a saree, is taken from India and then repackaged to be like this cool new silhouette.” She also posted a screenshot of the outfit from the website, which was priced at $229, around Rs 21,917.
“We Need The Credit”
She further clarified that she is happy to see Indian culture represented by mainstream fashion brands. However, she shared that proper acknowledgment is important. “We need the credit, where the credit is due. Calling this an embellished draped overlay maxi dress is a f–ng joke,” she mentioned.
She also talked about diversity within fashion companies, arguing that representation should not be limited to models appearing in campaigns but should also exist among the people designing, naming and marketing products.
“This is also why it’s so important for brands to have diversity on the back end, because I promise you, if JW PEI had any Indian person, I don’t know if they do or not, but I would imagine that they would call it out and be like, oh yeah, that’s a saree, not an embellished dress. So this is why it’s important,” she explained.
“Are Brands Trying To Gaslight South-Asians?”
Her post has since gone viral, with many appreciating her for speaking up on the matter, while others criticised the brand for rebranding a saree as a maxi dress.
An individual commented, “BOTANICAL what now?? This is a saree!”
Another quipped, “Just went on their website, it’s still up. They have a lot of dresses giving saree and dhupatta vibes. They know exactly what they’re doing.”
“It’s literally a Sari…are brands trying to gaslight South-Asians right now?! Culture appropriation to the max,” a user wrote.
Someone else shared, “First it was an Indian motifs called paisleys, broaches and pankh on Turbans becoming headdress, recently dupatta being called Scandinavian scarf, kolhapuri’s called Prada and now this! It’s interesting how the west has taken SO much fashion from India and rename it to sound like it was their idea.”
Meanwhile, a different person asked, “@jwpei_official – what on earth are you thinking? Don’t repackage a sari as a maxi dress!!”
