Why Indian fashion designers are conspicuously absent from the Met Gala 2024 event

The Chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the creator of the immensely popular Papa Don't Preach, Shubhika Sharma, discuss the concerns of the Indian fashion community regarding their underrepresentation at the Met 2024.Celebrities from India, such as Priyanka Chopra, Isha Ambani, Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt, have been raising the nation's prominence internationally over the past several years. But with all of the feathered dreams and sequined masterpieces, our rich fashion history is mainly missing.Designer Ridhi Mehra claims that due to persistent misconceptions that Indian fashion is only associated with traditional or ethnic dress, India's presence at the Met Gala has been restricted, despite a few celebrities donning traditional Indian clothing or accessories. Mehra stated, "Even though Indian fashion is immensely inventive and varied, changing these misconceptions on a global level may take some time and focused work from both designers and industry stakeholders.

"The essay by Susan Sontag served as the inspiration for the 2019 theme Camp: Notes on Fashion, which appeared perfect for designer Manish Arora's exuberant designs. His distinctive look, which is renowned for its opulence and vivacity, wonderfully encapsulated the spirit of "camp." Not to be outdone, Arora dressed Australian actor Keiynan Lonsdale in a stunning gown that flowed from a neon green full-sleeved bodice and was embellished with 1,500 hand-embroidered butterflies in his typical colorful colors. The final flourish? That year, Arora's famous circus outfit was even on show at the Costume Institute exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is a real high point for any designer.We saw socialite Natasha Poonawalla dressed in a custom gold sari by designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee for 2022's In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. This was a historic first for a sari's one and only Met Gala debut. However, Naomi Campbell did dress in an uncommon vintage Chanel outfit inspired by saris for the 2023 Karl Lagerfeld tribute.