{"id":30437,"date":"2014-06-07T15:35:20","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T19:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=30437"},"modified":"2014-06-07T16:34:37","modified_gmt":"2014-06-07T20:34:37","slug":"modi-kurta-style-trademarked-and-being-taken-to-britain-the-united-states-and-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=30437","title":{"rendered":"“Modi Kurta” the revised style Kurta Upper Garment worn by Indian Prime Minister Modi gains International Popularity."},"content":{"rendered":"

Narendra Modi: A Leader Who Is What He Wears<\/strong><\/p>\n

By VANESSA FRIEDMAN <\/strong><\/p>\n

Even by the standards of a world that has seen blogs devoted to Michelle Obama\u2019s dress sense, the pre-election makeovers of Fran\u00e7ois Hollande and Dilma Rousseff, and the canonization of Nelson Mandela\u2019s shirts, the image-craft of India\u2019s new prime minister, Narendra Modi \u2014 and its fashion fallout \u2014 has been something of a case study.<\/p>\n

\"pic<\/a>

pic by: PTI<\/p><\/div>\n

Indeed, even by the standards of India itself, where leaders have perhaps understood the use of clothing as a communication device better and longer than any of their international peers (see: Mohandas K. Gandhi\u2019s adoption of the dhoti, Jawaharlal Nehru\u2019s jacket, and Indira and Sonia Gandhi\u2019s saris, made from traditional Indian khadi), Mr. Modi stands out. Literally and strategically.
\n
\nAfter all, not only has he worn a unique garment so often that it is now officially named after him (the Modi Kurta, a revisionist version of the classic Indian tunic shirt with half-length sleeves), but the tailor who works with him to create said garment, Bipin Chauhan of the clothing chain Jade Blue, has trademarked the style and is taking it to Britain, the United States and Southeast Asia. It has its own Twitter hashtag (#ModiKurta), and there is an e-commerce site devoted to getting the Modi look (modimania.com) \u2014 begun because, the mission statement says, Mr. Modi \u201chas become a brand not only in India but across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

It all speaks to Mr. Modi\u2019s success in associating his personal style with his political platform, to the benefit of both. Objectively speaking, the Modi Kurta itself does not exactly represent an extraordinary aesthetic advance; rather it symbolizes a set of values. And therein lies its allure.<\/p>\n

According to Priya Tanna, the editor of Vogue India, \u201cnever before has there been such a strong convergence between what a politician in India stands for and his clothing.\u201d At least not in recent memory, and at least not one that is obvious to the general public (not just snarky image obsessives) and openly acknowledged by the creator.<\/p>\n

\"pic<\/a>

pic by: pardaphash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Ms. Tanna can tick it off on two hands. One: Mr. Modi\u2019s choice of a kurta underscores a cultural image that is \u201c100 percent India.\u201d Two: it is democratic \u2014 anyone can dress in the same way. Three: it supports local industry. Four: it differentiates him from his political rival, Rahul Gandhi, who favored simple white shirts to counter his family\u2019s status as members of India\u2019s elite, and who also came from the tradition of westernized Oxbridge dress. Five: this in turn underscored Mr. Modi\u2019s humble beginnings (he was the son of a tea seller), as he does not need to pretend to be humble; he can embody upward mobility.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more.<\/p>\n

Six: the fact that Mr. Modi\u2019s kurta is always crisp and neat, and often colorful (he has appeared in orange, chartreuse and light blue, among other colors) provides a clear contrast to what India Today called \u201cthe era of unkempt, paan-chewing (politicians) with pot bellies, crumpled dhotis and discolored kurtas.\u201d Hence it suggests a clear embrace of professionalism and business.<\/p>\n

Seven: the fact that Mr. Modi\u2019s kurtas are made from materials that include organic cottons and silks, combined with his unabashed fondness for nice watches (he has a Movado) and sunglasses (Bulgari), is the sort of aspirational dressing that mirrors the vision he has for his country and its industries. And eight: this is further highlighted by the story of his tailor, who began by sewing outside garment shops, and now has a chain of stores and has become something of a celebrity thanks to his famous client (who, by the by, approved the trademarking of the Modi Kurta).<\/p>\n

For anyone who thinks this may be reading too much into it, note that the Modi look began to develop only when Mr. Modi moved from his job as a pracharak (a kind of political operative or activist, with its strictly controlled uniform) with the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the late 1980s \u2014 the same time he began visiting Mr. Chauhan for his kurtas. The latter famously proclaimed, \u201cModi had once told me he cannot compromise on three things: his eyes, his voice and his clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ModiKurta2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This kind of admitted image-making often sits uncomfortably with modern pundits, especially in Western countries where there is some sense of hypocritical inappropriateness attached to appearing to have overly planned your clothing choice (see: Nicolas Sarkozy, a.k.a. President Bling-Bling). It creates an obvious attack point \u2014 and indeed, the rival Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was quoted as sniping that Mr. Modi \u201cchanges 500 kurtas a day\u201d during the campaign.<\/p>\n

\"ModiKurta2IE\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But Mr. Modi has been consistently unapologetic about his sartorial tactics, going so far as to boast at a rally in Gorakhpur this year that he had a \u201c56-inch\u201d chest. The upside \u2014 the creation of a visual shorthand for a belief system that is widely recognized and, judging by the numbers who have begun to dress like him, approved \u2014 is worth the risk.<\/p>\n

The question now is whether his style and message will change since he has assumed power; at his swearing-in, for example, Mr. Modi swapped his short-sleeve kurta for a full-sleeved button-cuffed version, sparking debate in the Twittersphere over whether the more-formal look was a positive sign or not. Either way, the sheer fact of the conversation means he has firmly established the idea that his clothing has meaning worth parsing. Which, whether or not Mr. Modi will, as Ms. Tanna believes, create more fads \u00e0 la Sonia Gandhi and her cotton saris (which became a \u201ccool\u201d work look for many women), is perhaps the real trend worth watching. (courtesy: NYTimes.com)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Narendra Modi: A Leader Who Is What He Wears By VANESSA FRIEDMAN Even by the standards of a world that has seen blogs devoted to Michelle Obama\u2019s dress sense, the pre-election makeovers of Fran\u00e7ois Hollande and Dilma Rousseff, and the canonization of Nelson Mandela\u2019s shirts, the image-craft of India\u2019s new prime minister, Narendra Modi \u2014 …<\/p>\n

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