Why not fashion a new sartorial order?

Cultural appropriation is a hot-button issue these days, so a fashion collection being buttonholed over it is not that unusual. That a couture collection that featured ashen-faced models carting macabre life-size replicas of their heads in their hands while sashaying down the ramp should unravel because some other models wore turbans is a cautionary tale of our times. In that context, the extraordinary repertoire of Indian clothes displayed by the visiting Trudeau family managed to elicit largely positive reactions both in Canada and India. Indeed, the family must be complimented for the intrepid manner in which they sported desi clothes at every place they visited, considering most visiting dignitaries confine themselves to a token Indian scarf or Nehru/Modi jacket.

Wearing local outfits is a common political tool to reach out to diverse people but it is becoming a prickly issue. It is unclear, however, why western wear — including business suits —are not given that same regional or ethnic pre-eminence; anyone can wear trouser suits, blazers, dresses and skirts without any criticism of cultural appropriation. Turbans, of course, have a religious significance and should not be treated lightly. But why should only western ensembles be deemed universal and other common outfits, such as the kurta-churidar, be considered a preserve of a particular ethnicity?