Sabyasachi is the latest name to be embroiled into a Twitter controversy .
The designer while speaking at a conference recently, had said,
“If you don’t know how to wear a saree, shame on you.” Soon after, the designer received severe backlash, with many criticising his statement for being ‘misogynistic’ and ‘regressive’.
Source Sabyasachi has now issued an open letter and has apologized to his fans for the distress caused by his words.
To begin, allow me to sincerely apologise for the words that I used while answering impromptu questions at a conference at Harvard. I am sorry that I used the word ‘shame’ in reference to some women’s inability to wear a sari. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the sari enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive – this was certainly not my intention. Let me provide some context for those of you who may not have listened to the speech I gave at Harvard. A woman had asked me to comment on the cultural taboo of young women wearing saris because, as she said, society tells them that it ‘makes them look older’. ‘What is your suggestion’, she asked, ‘for those young generations, to break that taboo and embrace the sari…’ Unbeknownst to many, this is a question I field often with friends and customers. The ubiquity of such sentiments in our culture, evidenced by the fact that this question was posed to me at Harvard, of all places, was hard-hitting and triggered an unfortunate series of reactions on my part. Sometimes, when you are that invested in your craft, you become hypersensitive to the negativity surrounding that which you love. #Sabyasachi #TheWorldOfSabyasachi
A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on Feb 13, 2018 at 9:44pm PST
He begins by sincerely apologizing for his words used at the Harvard Conference.
In his letter, he talks about the topic of gender inequality and pay gap for which his brand is being blamed.
Source His letter says that ‘Sabyasachi’ is a woman-oriented brand and he owes his complete success to them. Moreover, he also mentioned how men and women are treated equally at Sabyasachi.
Source The designer while interacting with students at Harvard India Conference criticized Indian women for not knowing how to drape a saree. He said,
“I think, if you tell me that you do not know how to wear a saree, I would say shame on you. It’s a part of your culture, (you) need stand up for it. The designer has issued an apology for his statement after receiving severe backlash on Twitter.
Source The designer concluded by clarifying that he respects women irrespective of the labels assigned to him.
You can read his entire letter here .
