Stores and designers across the city tell Shrabasti Mallik and Arjita Mishra that they are catering to the mass demand of tricolour garments for Republic day. They sense a return of the ethnic revolution
It is that time of the year again. Rajpath will see a vibrant display of tableau from all the states in the country, one more brighter than the other. Social networking sites have already been flooded with patriotic messages and, like always, people seem to be on a mission to display how patriotic they are.
Among the many things we do (read clicking selfies, hoisting the National Flag and the watching the Republic Day parade on TV without fail) we make sure that for a day we wear ethnic on our sleeve. It’s like going traditional for a day — kurta, pyjamas, jhumkas, juttis, bangles and what not!
“Though patriotism naturally runs in the blood of every Indian, over the years, the way of showing it in public has become more and more flamboyant,” said Manoj Jain, VP of marketing, loyalty and visual merchandising, HyperCITY Retail India limited. He added, “Nowadays, Republic Day and Independence Day have become the time to go all out and colour the town saffron, white and green. These days help one to cherish the legacy of our forefathers and let the world know how much we love our homeland. Hence wearing the tricolor has caught on trend on such days.”
For India’s 67th Republic Day, they have put together a special line of apparel range dedicated to celebrating freedom. The range includes tri-coloured anarkali’s, kurtis, leggings, patialas, skirts, dupattas, scarves and accessories. They are also offering flat 50 per cent off in addition to another 20 per cent off on fashion, luggage, home linen and furniture till today.
When we think of an indigenous Indian fabric, the first thing that comes to mind is khadi. And we relate khadi with Fabindia. We spoke to the spokesperson there and he said that they have an extensive collection of whitekhadi garments. “They are highly appreciated,” he said and added, “They can be paired with interesting accessories like orange and green bangles, bracelets, earrings, stoles, jackets and bandhgala. The company takes pride in its unique proposition of combining the Indian weaves with western cuts and globalised styling. Keeping the practice intact, this year Fabindia has brought an excellent range of Indo-Western clothing and accessories. The Indo-western collection ranges from trendy pants, skirts, palazzos, dresses, footwear and interesting jewellery to compliment the whole look for men, women and kids.”
While some of us will opt for a dress with the tricolour, designer Aneeth Arora believes that there is no reason to wear the tricolour. She pointed out how politicians will don the white khadi kurta.
“Because that is symbolic of our freedom and the spirit of the country,” she said. When we asked her of she was working on a separate line for the occasion, she said, “We don’t need to because I work with the Indian textile so it is very much in the context.”
But there is a growing trend in how commercial apparel house brands are coming up with ethnic wear and are also doing good business. Arora explained that their target is to attract the masses and catering to their specific demands is their job. “They know what customers will want and they manufacture accordingly,” the designer said.
We do not know if this temporary show of patriotism is for the good or bad, but we do know that even if were to be proud of the country and its achievements, we might as well do it from our hearts.