Sabyasachi Says Sorry for Saree Comment and We Are All Ears

Sabyasachi apologises for his ‘shame’ comment in an open letter.

Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee apologises in an open letter

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

If you have been living under a rock, then you may have just missed out on the storm stirred by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee with his comment on young Indian women’s saree wearing ability. Mr Mukherjee had criticised the younger generation for not knowing how to drape a saree.

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 to stand up for it.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Then came the media and the social media army, arm-in-arm to defend the freedom of choice of clothes for Indian women. Trolling the designer rampantly, and even name calling the designer while he remained silent.

However, Mukherjee has finally broken his silence and we are all ears. In an open letter, Sabyasachi apologised for the words that he had used at the international forum.

“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 saree. I truly regret that the way in which I tried to make a point about the saree, enabled it to be interpreted as misogynistic, patriarchal, and non-inclusive – this was certainly not my intention.

Sabyasachi in his open letter

Thanks, man!

He particularly highlighted the word ‘shame’ from his previous statement, implying that the comment unintentionally portrayed him as ‘misogynistic’, ‘patriarchal’, and ‘non-inclusive’. Well, yeah! It did. (Kya kaare?)

Sabyasachi explained the circumstance in which he shamed Indian woman. Apparently, when a woman had asked him to comment on the cultural taboo of young women wearing sarees, as the society tells them that it ‘makes them look older’, he blurted out this comment. (Still not cool, Mr Mukherjee.)

He is so invested in his craft and is so hypersensitive about something that he has been doing for the last 16 years, he vented out his pent-up frustration when this woman’s ageism and the saree question came up. That’s his defence, LADIES!

The letter touched upon a few things things like body shaming, attaching connotations of ‘Auntie Ji’, calling women who wear saree, sloppy and belittling them. He went on to say that many women, young and old, are scared to have an outing in a saree because it is shrouded in so many layers of taboo and controversy, often citing inability to correctly drape a saree as an exit point.

Excuse me! Since when do women feel scared if they can’t wear a saree properly? Women are quite comfortable with what they wear and how they wear it. Whether it’s a saree or jeans and t-shirt, they can carry it off with full swag.

Sabya also explained how he treats his employees (from pattern-makers, to seamstresses, to designers, to publicists, to IT consultants, department heads, store managers, and core of management) equally, and how most of them are women and at the top of his payroll. He or his brand doesn’t stand for gender inequality or patriarchy.

(Slow claps)

NICELY DONE!

Well, for those of you who are interested in Sabya’s apology, here is a copy of the full letter.

Open letter:

"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 sarees 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 saree…’

"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.

"Now I have worked with the sari for 16 years. During this time, I have had countless open dialogues in various forums pan-India with women of all age groups and income brackets about the constant barrage of negativity surrounding it. Yet another question of ageism and the saree at Harvard triggered a lot of pent-up frustration that I have accrued for that segment of our society which constantly expresses disdain for this piece of Indian heritage. It is this frustration that I unfortunately generalised to Indian women in response to the question, when I now see that I should have framed it as a call to stop shaming the saree, and whoever chooses to wear it. I am passionate about textiles and our heritage, and I am sorry that in the heat of that moment, I allowed this passion to be misplaced. I take full responsibility for this.

"On the topic of the saree, I ask you today: How many times have you or someone you know encountered this issue?

"Body shaming, attaching connotations of ‘Auntie Ji’, calling them sloppy; these are all ways that some men and women alike belittle the saree (and, more accurately, the wearer of the saree). These comments are laced with sarcasm and connotations of cultural repression and backwardness. Many women, young and old, are scared to have an outing in a saree because it is shrouded in so many layers of taboo and controversy, often citing inability to correctly drape a saree as an exit point.

"We are a celebrity-obsessed country, and yes, it does affect consumption patterns and social behavior at-large. Some consumers are being conditioned to believe that the saree ages women, and you will see the evidence of that clearly documented by so many social media trolls targeting celebrities online. Isn’t that shaming, or shall we call it cyber-bullying? Yet we are often complicit in this, which may even be welcomed by some to encourage more traffic to a website/blog.

"Let’s also talk about another subject that has arisen out of the fervent discussions occurring about me and my brand, and one that has always been a big topic on gender inequality and the patriarchy (which, according to some of you, I am ardently supporting): The pay gap. It is humiliating to have to defend yourself in public, but sometimes, a bitter medicine needs to be swallowed to drive home a hidden truth. I would like to bring to your notice that the majority of my staff at Sabyasachi Couture are women. From pattern makers, to seamstresses, to designers, to publicists, to IT consultants, department heads, store managers, and core of management; women comprise the top earners on my payroll – and it is not because they are women, but because they’ve earned it by their merit. And every Friday, men and women alike at Sabyasachi wear Indian clothing to celebrate our love for textiles, with zero enforcement.

"Mine is a women-oriented brand and I owe my complete success to them. I have always, and will continue to love and respect women irrespective of the labels recently assigned to me. It was in this spirit that I started my brand, and that is how it shall remain till the day we decide to shut its doors.

"I once again apologise for the distress caused by the words I used, but not for the intent, which often takes a back seat when slammed by controversy. My intent was to call out those women who proudly proclaim that they don’t wear sarees and simultaneously shame others who wear saris by saying it makes them look older, backward, or culturally repressed.

"My social media team takes extreme care that not single negative comments written by you is censored, so that the world can make their own judgments and have a transparent view of the brand. Tomorrow, you can shame me further on Twitter, make provocative headlines out of this letter, or choose to blacklist us as consumers. It is absolutely fair and understandable because it is your prerogative.

For us, for better or for worse, it will be business as usual".

- From Sabyasachi