Jesal Sharma For centuries, the West has taken from India, whether it was our resources, knowledge systems, clothing, aesthetics, or philosophies, and then presented them as their own discoveries. Colonial rule may have ended, but the habit of cultural appropriation dressed up as innovation continues even today. Sometimes it is subtle, sometimes it is blatant, and sometimes it is so absurd that it becomes insulting. A dupatta we have worn for hundreds of years suddenly becomes a Scandinavian scarf. A lehenga, soaked in centuries of craftsmanship, gets marketed as Ibiza festival couture. Even a simple kurta, elegant and timeless, is sold as boho chic or old money aesthetic. It would be amusing if it were not so painfully disrespectful.
“Scandinavian Scarf”
Scandinavian Scarf Dress. (2025b). STREET NINE FASHIONS. https://street9.com/products/scandinavian-scarf-dress-drs000010540?srsltid=AfmBOooUAUBPa3WLe8-uocA5DVicwJw_Rod3fb7U1TYmsUATlNKweOd4
Aishwarya Rai (a Bollywood actress) wearing a chunni/dupatta with a dress during the 2000s.
juie. (2025, April 4). 🐚. Pinterest. https://in.pinterest.com/pin/21603273206876244/
Because beneath each of these reinventions lies erasure. Western brands remove the very cultures that created these items. They profit from Indian traditions while pretending India had nothing to do with them. It is the same pattern we have witnessed with Ayurveda being reintroduced as holistic wellness, yoga being reduced to a fitness routine stripped of its spiritual depth, and turmeric milk, or haldi doodh, being sold globally as the golden latte. Even kajal, something Indian children wear from infancy, has been rebranded as smudge proof gel liner. Suddenly, everyday Indian traditions become trendy innovations simply because they have been endorsed by the West.
This issue extends far beyond fashion. It is cultural, political, and psychological. It comes from a colonial mindset that treats something as valuable only once the West approves of it. When Indian artisans spend months hand-embroidering a lehenga but a Western designer receives the credit for a machine-made copy, it becomes economic exploitation. The global fashion, wellness, and lifestyle industries continue to earn billions from Indian ideas, while the people safeguarding these traditions, rural craftspeople and local weavers, earn only a fraction of what they deserve.
What frustrates Indians today is not only the theft but the rebranding and erasure. The way our culture is detached from its history and repackaged with an exotic European gloss. Our embroidery becomes folk art revival. Our jhumkas become statement retro drops. Our ghagras become heritage skirts. Even our nose rings are sold as bohemian chic facial accessories. The message is clear. They want our culture, but they do not want us.
Yet this constant appropriation also reveals something important. India has always been a creator of beauty, philosophy, and innovation. Our traditions have survived invasions, colonisation, and globalisation, and still the world cannot stop borrowing from us. That is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of immense cultural strength.
So what can we do? We reclaim. We educate. We stop feeling embarrassed about our own aesthetics. We credit our artisans. We support Indian designers who respect tradition instead of imitating Western styles for validation. We speak openly about how global industries have depended on Indian knowledge for centuries. And we remind the world that Indian culture does not need Western approval, renaming, or rebranding.
India is not boho. India is not old money. India is not folk chic.
India is India. Ancient, diverse, complex, and extraordinary.
And if the world insists on taking from us, the least we can do is take back our narrative.
