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Priyanka Chopra's Wedding Couture Designer Savaged Over 'Misogynist' Remarks

© AFP 2023 / ROBERTO SCHMIDTModels wearing new creations by Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee (L) applaud him at the end of a fashion show in New Delhi on August 12, 2012
Models wearing new creations by Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee (L) applaud him at the end of a fashion show in New Delhi on August 12, 2012 - Sputnik International
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New Delhi (Sputnik): Leading Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, whose brand is synonymous with luxurious Indian weddings, got castigated on social media for his recent Instagram post, forcing him to apologise.

The fashion designer has hit headlines for dressing A-listed Bollywood celebs like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone for their weddings.

The objectionable Instagram post stated, “overdressed, caked with make-up and armoured with jewellery [women] are most likely wounded”.

The post further implied that overdressed women are in desperate need of emotional support from men. The remark apparently did not go well with netizens.

A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on

The Twitterati unforgivingly and ably slammed the designer and called him a ‘misogynist’, ‘ignorant’ and ‘sexist’ on social media.

Following the uproar, Sabyasachi used the same platform to issue an apology for his objectionable remarks.

In his defence, Sabyasachi said that the comment was "intended as a message of love and empathy and a call to look beyond exterior appearances". He further explained that the comment was misconstrued, as it wasn't "articulated correctly".

“I acknowledge the feedback we have received regarding the statements made in our recent Instagram presentation. We hear you, and although it was intended as a message of love and empathy and a call to look beyond exterior appearances, it wasn't articulated correctly. I understand that it does not convey the message appropriately at all, and for that, I would like to accept blame and offer an unconditional apology,” said the post.

View this post on Instagram

I thought a lot about whether to post this, but sometimes it is important to set the record straight and get the right message across. Having been in the fashion industry for over 20 years, I have encountered it firsthand and commented about it in many of my interviews - how, while many women use fashion and beauty for joy and self-expression, others use it as ‘retail therapy’ to fill in the gaps and voids in their lives. We, as a society, often get extremely judgemental about peoples’ clothing choices, calling them ‘overdressed’ or ‘tacky’ or ‘inappropriate’. We fail to understand that maybe some are using these as coping mechanisms to put on a brave front to make up for the lack of a support system. The true essence of the post was to ask people to be aware, empathetic, and not judgemental of peoples’ personal clothing choices, which could be a manifestation of their internal anguish. One of the bigger issues in society today, that very few people address, is mental health, and a little bit of awareness, empathy and kindness go a long way in acknowledging it. I have coped with crippling depression as a teenager for 7 years. I found my coping mechanism through radical clothing choices.I was sneered at and bullied, but it helped me find my way again. When I was creating this jewellery collection, I referred to Tagore’s ‘Monihara’ because it talks about these issues, which are sadly more relevant today. And I, for one, have never shied away from speaking about uncomfortable truths, no matter how disruptive it might be for my personal gain. Because when power is given, social responsibility should not be shunned. The mistake, however, was to use the reference as a blanket statement, as sometimes when we are passionate about an issue, we end up becoming overzealous and hence, tone deaf. My sincere apologies for that. The original post (however flawed) was put up to invite introspection and debate about how love, sensitivity and compassion, alongside expressions of art, beauty and fashion can create a net positive in the world. I invite everyone to democratically join this debate. Regards, Sabyasachi

A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on

But netizens were unforgiving, some even unfollowed the designer.

In the past, Sabyasachi had created a furore on social media by criticising women, especially the younger generation, for not wearing traditional Indian sarees and giving preference to western outfits. 

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