From Cannes to the Met Gala: how the Indian saree is conquering the world

When Dior presented its Fall 2023 collection in March at a runway show in Mumbai, it was hailed as a "turning point" fashion recognition moment for >India. After all, European fashion houses had been working with manufacturers there for decades, but few had included the country in their collections.

Now lured by the growing affluent class of India and luxury clientele, here is a major Parisian brand parading models in clothes clearly inspired by India: Nehru collars, silhouettes evoking the sari and sherwani, and elaborate embroidery made by its long-time collaborator date, India's Chanakaya Atelier.

The fashion moment in Mumbai also included the opening of a high profile arts center and a retrospective exhibition of Chanakaya exploring his craftsmanship with Dior over the decades.

Judging by the star-studded audience, you'd be forgiven for thinking that style was no longer going in one direction (it's i.e. from west to everywhere else). Indeed, the saree – which had already enjoyed a glamorous 2022 when worn on the red carpets at Cannes and the Met Gala respectively by actor Deepika Padukone and socialite Natasha Poonwalla – was now worn by famous faces who were not part of the Indian diaspora. , like actor Zendaya and model Gigi Hadid.

At a time when cultural appropriation is seen by many as a disrespectful act (such as not acknowledging the culture, or the application of stereotypes), it seemed different: grateful, a shared celebration.

But when Suzy Menkes, the doyen of fashion journalists, posted on Instagram since the Chanakaya exhibit, writing "who could have imagined that humble Indian craftsmanship could become Dior's haute couture", he was greeted with derision. "Humble" didn't seem like the right word for the generational training that such craftsmanship required, and users accused Menkes of a blank, colonial stare.

True appreciation of Indian design prestige, it seemed, still needed some learning.

Fortunately, a groundbreaking new exhibition at the Design Museum in London has arrived to fill the knowledge gap. The Offbeat Sari is a first of its kind: an examination of the contemporary sari and its eclectic, avant-garde reinvention.

The sari is traditionally understood as a unique piece of cloth unsewn draped over the body. "Because it has a simple shape, it became a canvas for expressing different ideas," says Priya Khanchandani, curatorial manager at the Design Museum.

These ideas, on display at the exhibition, include sarees made from unconventional materials and worn in different ways - one by fashion designer Guarav Gupta is woven from steel, while another by Indian brand NorBlack NorWhite includes a hood, creating an almost streetwear look.

The exhibit also features a sari from the feminist group Gulabi Gang, whose members wear a uniform of a bright pink sari, and the sari as red carpet icon: two Poonwalla sarees featured at the Met Gala and another black and gold saree worn on Padukone at Cannes will also be on display. Of the latter, no photo can do justice to the thousands of stitched sequins shimmering on a material so delicate you'd expect it to tear under the weight - but it didn't. p>

Khanchandani's idea, The Offbeat Sari clean sarees, not the very heavy embellished ones I would see at weddings in the UK. And they wore it with T-shirts or shirts and sneakers."

Those who are less familiar with the saree may have a definite idea in their minds, maybe draped full-length over a blouse. But this iteration only developed "during colonialism, because it was in line with Victorian ideas of modesty," says Khanchandani.

"There have always been different ways to drape - regionally, by function, by environment, by taste. In fishing villages it is draped, which makes perfect sense."

The sari is worn to varying degrees throughout South Asia, but in India itself, it has become a s.. .