Ivanka criticised for cultural appropriation on choice of clothing during India visit
Instead of wearing sari gown gifted to her by well known Indian designer she wore Tory Burch outfit
PHOTO: INDEPENDENT
Ivanka Trump, in her recent visit to India, has been accused of cultural appropriation after she wore clothes with Indian patterns created by western designers.
At the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, in the southern city of Hyderabad, the US President's daughter wore a £2,600 dress covered with oriental-style flowers by British label Erdem, along with two outfits by American designer Tory Burch, Independent reports.
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The patterns on the apparel were similar to those used in Indian embroidery, prompting criticism by some members of India's media.
A scathing article on the Daily O, an opinion website owned by the India Today Group, accused Ivanka Trump, who serves as an unpaid adviser to her father, of “superficial assimilation of culture”
A senior editor of Vogue India was similarly critical of Ivanka's dressing, arguing that the former businesswoman and fashion designer should have worn clothes made by designers in the country.
“If Ivanka’s clothes are to be an acknowledgement of an ancient and rich culture like ours, especially as she arrives as a dignitary, then the sartorial ‘tribute’ should be authentic in its intention,” Bandana Tewari told The New York Times.
"We would rather see her wear a hand-woven sari made in our country or a handmade gown made in her own country. But to hybridise the two, in an era of unfiltered diversity, is a superfluous nod to half-acceptance,” she said.
It had been rumoured that Ivanka would wear a sari gown given to her as a welcome gift by the well known Bollywood costume designer and fashion stylist, Neeta Lulla.
But instead she chose a Tory Burch outfit which Daily O described as a “floral gown that looked like a ‘me-too’ of a Kashmiri pheran”.
Ivanka also wore a red floral print dress by London-based, Bombay-born designer Saloni Lodha. She also appeared in a dress by the Indonesian designer Biyan Wanaatmadja to take a tour of the Golconda Fort in Telangana State and bid her farewells in a traditional kurta dress.
Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times chief fashion critic argued Ms Trump’s clothing choices shared parallels with orientalism – Edward Said’s famous theory which argues Western societies perceive and patronise Arab culture as exotic, backward, and uncivilised.
“The selections had echoes of orientalism and ornamentation - just as Ms Trump’s choice of a kimono-inspired dress, complete with obi belt, by the Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, did in Japan earlier this month,” she wrote. “And just as Melania Trump’s Gucci gown with faux Chinese embroidery did during the Trumps’ state visit to China.
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“Instead of wearing work by a designer that spoke to the nuances of the country (a tactic adopted often by Michelle Obama, for example), Ivanka opted, at least initially, for the most obvious: clothes by outsiders who dipped into their fantasy of India as opposed to its reality.”
However, the majority of Indian fashion critics were fairly positive about Ivanka's clothing choices and applauded her for shunning her usual ensemble for more reserved, traditional clothes.
"Dressed to the nines, the businesswoman impressed one and all with a lovely mix of dresses by western and Indian designers," wrote The Times of India.
At the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, in the southern city of Hyderabad, the US President's daughter wore a £2,600 dress covered with oriental-style flowers by British label Erdem, along with two outfits by American designer Tory Burch, Independent reports.
Thousands of Indian entrepreneurs hope to attend summit with Ivanka Trump
The patterns on the apparel were similar to those used in Indian embroidery, prompting criticism by some members of India's media.
A scathing article on the Daily O, an opinion website owned by the India Today Group, accused Ivanka Trump, who serves as an unpaid adviser to her father, of “superficial assimilation of culture”
A senior editor of Vogue India was similarly critical of Ivanka's dressing, arguing that the former businesswoman and fashion designer should have worn clothes made by designers in the country.
“If Ivanka’s clothes are to be an acknowledgement of an ancient and rich culture like ours, especially as she arrives as a dignitary, then the sartorial ‘tribute’ should be authentic in its intention,” Bandana Tewari told The New York Times.
"We would rather see her wear a hand-woven sari made in our country or a handmade gown made in her own country. But to hybridise the two, in an era of unfiltered diversity, is a superfluous nod to half-acceptance,” she said.
It had been rumoured that Ivanka would wear a sari gown given to her as a welcome gift by the well known Bollywood costume designer and fashion stylist, Neeta Lulla.
But instead she chose a Tory Burch outfit which Daily O described as a “floral gown that looked like a ‘me-too’ of a Kashmiri pheran”.
Ivanka also wore a red floral print dress by London-based, Bombay-born designer Saloni Lodha. She also appeared in a dress by the Indonesian designer Biyan Wanaatmadja to take a tour of the Golconda Fort in Telangana State and bid her farewells in a traditional kurta dress.
Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times chief fashion critic argued Ms Trump’s clothing choices shared parallels with orientalism – Edward Said’s famous theory which argues Western societies perceive and patronise Arab culture as exotic, backward, and uncivilised.
“The selections had echoes of orientalism and ornamentation - just as Ms Trump’s choice of a kimono-inspired dress, complete with obi belt, by the Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, did in Japan earlier this month,” she wrote. “And just as Melania Trump’s Gucci gown with faux Chinese embroidery did during the Trumps’ state visit to China.
Ivanka Trump urges India to boost women in workplace
“Instead of wearing work by a designer that spoke to the nuances of the country (a tactic adopted often by Michelle Obama, for example), Ivanka opted, at least initially, for the most obvious: clothes by outsiders who dipped into their fantasy of India as opposed to its reality.”
However, the majority of Indian fashion critics were fairly positive about Ivanka's clothing choices and applauded her for shunning her usual ensemble for more reserved, traditional clothes.
"Dressed to the nines, the businesswoman impressed one and all with a lovely mix of dresses by western and Indian designers," wrote The Times of India.