Indian ethnic wear has earned global admiration for its rich craftsmanship, elegant silhouettes and centuries-old textile traditions. But according to content creator Mohit Dantre, not every outfit sold under the label of “Indian fashion” does justice to that legacy.
In a video shared on Instagram on June 10, Mohit reacted to a foreign creator’s shopping trip to an Indian clothing store in New York City. While clarifying that he had no issue with the creator himself, Mohit expressed frustration over the outfits being marketed as representative of Indian fashion. (Also read: Content creator stunned by China’s free futuristic gym park: ‘Solar-powered machines, live calorie tracking’ )
Mohit Dantre calls out ethnic wear sold by NRI-owned stores
“Yaar, NRIs bohot tacky Indian kapde pehente hain (People always accuse NRIs of wearing tacky Indian clothes), yeh toh ilzam humpe hamesha lagta hai (that’s an allegation we’ve always faced). But ek naya ilzam main laga raha hoon (but I have a new allegation to make), NRIs bohot tacky Indian kapde bech bhi rahe hain duniya mein (NRIs are also selling very tacky Indian clothes across the world),” he said.
Explaining his reaction, Mohit added, “When I came across this reel, it boiled my blood. Before I show you this video, I want to clarify that I have no issue with the creator himself. He seems like a great guy. He’s a foreigner who had a family event to attend and wanted to wear Indian clothes, so he went to an Indian clothing store in New York City to shop for an outfit. My problem is not with him, it’s with the kind of clothes that are being sold and marketed as representative of Indian fashion.”
‘What in the Govinda is this?’
As he reviewed the outfits shown in the reel, Mohit was visibly unimpressed. Looking at a bright red-and-yellow kurta set, he exclaimed, “Yeh kya hai? (What is this?) What in the Govinda is this? Yeh kya combination hai? (What kind of combination is this?) Laal pe peela? (Red with yellow?)”
Reacting to another outfit, he continued, “I mean, oh my God. You know those Patel sisters from Harry Potter ya The Office mein when they were Indian (or whenever Indian characters appear in Hollywood productions like Harry Potter or The Office), or anytime anybody in Hollywood wears Indian tacky, ugly clothes and they call them Indian — gande colours (bad colour combinations), ganda fabric (poor-quality fabric), chamak dhamak (excessive glitter and bling). Yeh kya hai bhai? (What is this, seriously?)”
‘You’re damaging your own reputation’
Mohit reserved his strongest criticism for the store owners rather than the customers. “My issue is with the NRIs who own these stores. I don’t want to send them any hate, but what exactly are you people selling?. At least put in some effort. Even small shops in small Indian towns pay attention to fit. They use good fabrics.”
He further argued that Indian fashion is much more nuanced than the loud, heavily embellished styles often marketed overseas. “Of course, we love colours. But there is a balance and harmony to them. Yeh neela peela ek saath phenkte hain (Here they just throw blue and yellow together). Upar se ganda sa stole (And then add an unattractive stole on top of it). What is this? You’re damaging your own reputation and misrepresenting Indian fashion.”
