I cannot understand why luxury fashion houses have collectively decided to recreate the DU girl aesthetic. Did I miss the Vogue article on “memsahib couture”?
Ralph Lauren’s daylight theft of the traditional Bandhani print is a perfect example of caucasity. My college culture is not your costume, Ralph! And if it is, do so tastefully like Imtiaz Ali. There is nothing worse than a lack of aesthetic for a DU girl.
Ask any college girl in Delhi and the one thing they will never stand for is the audacity of it all.
Sure, fashion colonisation is not new. From the Scandi scarf, cough, dupatta to the latest Ibiza fashion aka beaded embroidery, rebranding Indian aesthetics to fit Western palates is a common malpractice. But it seems that as Mr Trump returned to power so did the caucasity to disregard the sentiments of “others.”
Like thieves outside a dargah or a temple, Prada took off with the staple kohlapuris, selling them instead as “leather sandals.” Dior, too, kidnapped the wonderful but itchy mukaish embroidery from Lucknow to the Fall 2025 Couture Week in Paris.
Brands continue to dub these poorly-carried-out fashion heists as creative or avant-garde. But in reality, they have merely been rifling through our backyards, our mothers’ closets, and old hand-me-downs for inspiration and “novelty.” You’d think that a brand with the best minds in fashion, plus money, would create something new. But alas…
Also read: Indian influencers reclaim desi aesthetics at Coachella—jhumkas, dupattas to mehendi
Cultural appropriation for spring? Groundbreaking
For a country that is swarmed with stereotypes about jugaad, petty theft and scams, India does seem to be the victim of theft more often than not. Traditional lehengas (long skirts) with a tank top and jhumkas and kohlapuris is a carefully curated and nurtured sub-culture which was born on the campuses of Delhi University.
From the late 1990s onwards, amid protests, elections, and fests, DU girls wore the same uniform—first an identifier then an identity. Even the most uber-rich South Delhi girls haggled for their Rs 150 jhumkas.
Now that the DU girl-cosplay is available for thousands of dollars, it’s unnerving and offensive to say the least. We would never pay that much, plus, Sarojini Market will have cheaper options.
Also read: Prada learnt its lesson. Where are ‘humara culture’ Indians on Ralph Lauren’s jhumka?
The Devil wears Prada kohlapuris
What is truly confounding about this bastardisation of the Bandhani into a printed tie-dye is the price tag—Rs 44,800. Those who can will still buy this atrocity simply because it has the luxury fashion stamp, even if better prints are available for one per cent of the price.
But Ralph Lauren’s fatal flaw isn’t its inability to acknowledge inspiration or credit, but the fact that they haven’t even stolen it correctly.
Like the British, who robbed the world for spice but still ate bland food, Ralph Lauren, too, stole the aesthetic only to whitewash it. Prada flaunted its plain boring leather sandals, but forgot about the leather embossing that makes kohlapuris a resident staple. Same goes for the jhumkas at Paris Fashion Week, not only were they flimsy, but Instamart and Blinkit have better options available.
I beg you, dear couturiers: If you want to steal DU girl fashion, please do it properly. Don’t do us the disservice of diluting our heritage. And as a DU girl, I have just one thing to say: Kamala Nagar has better options.
PS: Miranda Priestly would never.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)