When Western Fashion Borrows South Asian Traditions: The Problem of Cultural Appropriation
From slicked-back hairstyles to boho accessories and what’s often labeled “ethnic chic,” Western fashion has a long history of borrowing from cultures it once dismissed. Today, South Asian fashion is particularly in the spotlight, but its creators are rarely acknowledged.
How South Asian Designs Are Repackaged
In recent years, cultural appropriation of South Asian clothing has become rampant. For example, in 2023, Christian Dior hosted a show in Mumbai featuring Indian patterns and crafts, but few artisans behind the pieces received recognition. That same year, Anthropologie marketed embroidered kurtis as “boho wear.”
Fast-fashion companies like Shein, Zara, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and Boohoo quickly followed, selling kurtis, lehenga-style skirts, jewelry, and teeps (face stickers) as trendy Western items. Zara even introduced “modernized lungis”, presenting centuries-old garments as new inventions.
By 2024, luxury labels like Gucci and Louis Vuitton ran campaigns with South Asian-inspired embroidery and nose rings. However, all credit went to in-house designers for “creative reinterpretation.” In 2025, brands such as Reformation, Oh Polly, and H&M released blouse-skirt-scarf sets mimicking lehengas, calling them Western “festival wear.” Social media influencers promoted “Scandinavian scarves,” which many South Asians immediately recognized as an orna/dupatta. Even everyday items like churis, balas, and baju became labeled as “Y2K trends,” often with pastel filters, high price tags, and praise directed at Western designers.
Corporate Profit vs. Cultural Respect
These trends aren’t random. Western brands often prioritize profit over cultural sensitivity, reducing centuries-old traditions to aesthetic trends suitable for corporate branding.
The lingering colonial mindset assumes Western reinterpretation is superior. Renaming lehengas as “co-ord festival sets” or lungis as “draped skirts” reflects a historic pattern of taking, renaming, and monetizing cultural creations.
Complicating Factors: When the Community Joins In
The situation becomes more complex when South Asians themselves buy, repost, or wear these Westernized versions. Social media pressure encourages conformity to trends, but celebrating Westernized clothing instead of traditional originals reinforces the idea that cultural value depends on Western approval.
Beyond Fashion: Identity and Heritage
Each traditional design represents centuries of craftsmanship, symbolism, and community history. Treating heritage as a seasonal trend risks erasing its meaning. When corporations and influencers rebrand our culture for profit, they reduce it to consumable aesthetics rather than living traditions.
Ultimately, South Asian fashion is not a trend—it’s a vibrant cultural legacy. Yet without recognition and respect, the world continues to treat it like a disposable commodity.
