Feature Image: Oh Polly
“It’s very European, effortlessly chic.”
These words were used in a spring 2024 TikTok by fashion rental company Bipty. The representative in the now-deleted video was struggling to describe the style of a translucent shawl laid atop a long-sleeved dress. Despite the garment clearly resembling a dupatta, a traditional piece of South Asian clothing, she can only describe it as European – a comment that received backlash from many on the internet. More recently a similar description was attached to a collection of Oh Polly dresses featuring a scarf detail, which many influencers called a “Scandinavian scarf” – a garment again resembling the dupatta. All while South Asian styles are being overlooked in mainstream fashion and South Asian people are being continually disrespected and insulted in mainstream media.
The racist online remarks against South Asians have seemingly increased within the past few years. These insults typically characterize us as “dirty,” “smelly,” or “ugly,” with some viewers bombarding the comment sections of Desi creators with similar statements. Many female creators, in particular, receive rude comments about having body hair, being labeled as “man-like” and compared to an animal, and in every short street interview about race and dating, Indians are almost always chosen as the race people don’t want to date. Even the recent tragic Air India crash, which resulted in over 200 hundred people dying, garnered TikTok comments making racist comments “about the smell.” South Asians being considered as unhygienic or unattractive is not a new concept, however the casual nature of these comments in today’s world – where this behavior should be seen as unacceptable – have surpassed those standards of respect and became a somewhat social norm.
What’s ironic is the difference in treatment between South Asian people and South Asian traditions. The people are blatantly disrespected and ridiculed while traditions are admired and used – but only when it is “Europeanized.” This is not just in fashion, but practices like doing yoga, drinking chai, and applying henna only became socially acceptable when done by white people while brown people still received the short-end of the stick. Now, of course, there are instances where adopting the practices of others is a form of appreciation – when the origins of a practice are given credit. However, such as the case of the “Scandinavian scarf,” practices relabeled as being related to white or European people is appropriation.
Brands can take inspiration from South Asian styles without appropriating and “Europeanizing” them. A good example of this is Louis Vuitton’s Spring-Summer 2026 Men’s Show titled “Voyage to India.” Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Pharrell Williams, took a research trip through New Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur, taking inspiration from the allure of fashion in India’s metropolitan cities. Rather than focusing on garments Williams focused on colors, fabrics, and craft – the pieces featured embroidery, light layers, and sun-faded fabrics resembling the nuances in men’s high fashion in India. The runway itself was an enlarged Snakes and Ladders board, a subtle nod to Indian craftsmanship as the game originated in India. This show made it abundantly clear that the styles were not uniquely Louis Vuitton, but were Indian-inspired – without appropriating Indian garments and giving credit to the inspiration of this collection in a nuanced way. And let’s face it, if Louis Vuitton – a brand that has appropriated clothing many times in the past – can do it so can Oh Polly.
Fashion reflects society. Whether it reveals tensions or the effects of big events, fashion trends speak volumes about where society is and where it is going. The revival of appropriating dupattas reflects how South Asians are treated in the world today, facing disrespect and casual racism despite the successes and persistence of our people in the world. Accepting labels of “Scandinavian” or “European” by popular brands like Oh Polly is ridiculous – especially when Louis Vuitton is able to take inspiration without appropriating Indian garments. Society allows for this appropriation in mainstream fashion because the discrimination against South Asians in social media is more-or-less widely accepted. The current “Europeanization” of South Asian fashion shows a disturbing reality of our world today, where South Asians aren’t seen as people who matter and whose culture is stripped away of its original identity and degraded into whiteness. However, brands like Louis Vuitton share a hopeful future of cultural appreciation and respect.
