Cherylann Mollan
BBC News, Mumbai
Team Shivan & Narresh
The fashion show by creators Shivan and Narresh presented the brand skiwear collection
A fashion show held last week in a picturesque city dressed in snow in cashmere administered by the Indians triggered a major controversy that is still simmering.
The show, of the good fashion brand Shivan & Narresh, took place last Friday in a ski resort in Gulmarg to display their skiwear collection. The label is the first large non -local brand to organize a fashion show in cashmere, a picturesque Himalayan region which has experienced decades of violence.
But this quickly aroused indignation among the inhabitants, politicians and religious leaders of the Muslim majority of cashmere after the fashion editor she published a video on social networks which showed certain models bearing underwear or bikinis. Residents were also angry with another video – shared by online magazine Lifestyle Asia – a party organized after the show, which showed that people were drinking alcohol outside.
Many were offended with the show that takes place in the sacred month of Ramadan – a time of fasting and prayer for Muslims – and accused the designers of “making fun of their faith” and of “ignoring culture and local feelings”. Some religious called the “obscene” spectacle and said it was like “sweet porn”.
Some others explained that indignation was born not only from religious conservatism, but also from the fear of the cultural imposition of “foreigners”. The cashmere has witnessed decades of armed separatistic insurgency against the Indian regime since the late 1980s.
The backlash has incited Elle India and Lifestyle Asia to delete their videos. Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja, the designers behind the label, also apologized, saying that their “only intention was to celebrate creativity” and that they did not intend to offend religious feelings.
Team Shivan & Narresh
The models have Sashay on the snow on a winter backdrop
Cashmere – known as the land of saints and Sufism (Islamic mysticism) – has a rich tradition of spirituality which influences many aspects of the life of peoples. The traditional outfit is modest, with inhabitants – men and women – often carrying the Pheran, a long and loose coat.
The row also moved from social media and a discussion on the program and after-faster caused a heckling in the assembly of Jammu-et-Cachemire.
The opposition criticized the government, accusing it of giving permission to the event despite its knowledge of local sensitivities. Meanwhile, the chief minister of Jammu-et-Cachemire, Omar Abdullah, moved his government from the event, claiming that he had been organized by private entities and asking local authorities to investigate the issue and submit a report.
“If the law has been raped, strict measures will be taken,” he said in the Assembly on Monday. Police have not yet given details on who organized the event and what laws, if necessary, were raped.
The fashion mark did not answer BBC questions on the show, including the authorizations it has obtained.
Getty images
The inhabitants of cashmere often wear a long coat called the Pheran
It is not surprising that Scenic Gulmarg – one of the rare ski destinations in India and a favorite of tourists – was the choice of the place of a show highlighting a ski collection.
The fashion journalist Shefalee Vasudev says that it is not uncommon for creators to want to organize fashion shows in exquisite places.
In fact, international designers like Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld are recalled as much for their creative and theatrical fashion shows as for their emblematic creations.
But the experiment leads to the risk of controversy and it is therefore important to be aware of the political and cultural sensitivities of a place, Ms. Vasudev told the BBC.
And this is particularly true in a place like cashmere, which has experienced wars and decades of armed conflicts.
India and Pakistan claim cashmere in their entirety but only control it by parts. Since the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the neighbors of nuclear weapons have fought two wars in the territory.
Thousands of people have been killed since the late 1980s when a separatist insurgency broke out against the Indian regime. Although the separatist movement has lost steam over the years, many residents continue to see the administration in Delhi with distrust.
These feelings have been deepened since 2019, when the federal government, led by the Hindu Nationalist Party Bharatiya Janata, stripped the region of its autonomy.
Some residents therefore told the BBC that they were not surprised by the reactions to the show.
“Everything at the cashmere is political; people see things through a political prism,” said Mir, a professor at a local university (he asked that his family name be refused to protect his identity). He adds that people are skeptical about major corporate events such as the fashion show and – even if they are organized by private actors – they believe that the government is trying to dilute their culture.
Arshid Ahmad, researcher, uses stronger words to express public anxiety. “The government is trying to dilute the spirit of resistance in the Kashmiris,” he said.
This is not the first time that an event organized by non-logs has launched a controversy in cashmere. In 2013, separatists and human rights activists in the region protested a program by the famous conductor Zubin Mehta. They said it was a government attempt to show the world that everything was going well in cashmere when people “suffered and died”.
Getty images
In 2007, Fendi and designer Karl Lagerfeld organized an emblematic fashion show on the large wall of China
Some of the recent apprehensions concerning culture and identity can also be linked to the increase in tourists in cashmere from other states of India. The federal government has often linked this tourism boom to the repeal of article 370, which has stripped the region of its autonomy.
We Fatima, 34, says that because of government messaging, people outside the cashmere now consider the region to be safer and more assimilated to India. “But it alleges that many tourists do not respect the culture of the region.
Last year, a video showing tourists drinking alcohol during a boat trip on the famous Lac Dal in Srinagar aroused the indignation of political and religious leaders, who called “non -Islamic and contrary to ethics” behavior.
In February, residents set up posters in Srinagar, asking tourists to “respect local culture and traditions” and “avoid alcohol and drug use”, but they were then lowered by the police.
In an editorial of The Voice of Fashion Magazine, Ms. Vasudev maintains that indignation must be examined from a critical objective. She asked if it would have been good that the show was held in another Indian city instead of cashmere, where Muslims would also observe Ramadan. And if it would have been acceptable to hold the show in cashmere if he only presented outfits perceived as modest.
She also emphasizes that cashmere houses the “wool of wool the most beautiful in the world; some of the most beautiful creations of Pashmina in hand and by hand and its craftsmen”.
“What cashmere creates and means cannot be reproduced anywhere. Shouldn’t a fashion show in Gulmarg then, with innovative 100% woolen clothes, be considered a regeneration of interest in untreated manners?” she asked.
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