Sabyasachi x H&M controversy: Sabyasachi Mukherjee, an Indian designer known for his quintessential and aesthetic designs of Indian wear, will now be on the list of collaborations with H&M, a Swedish fashion brand where the latter has already collaborated with brands like Versace, Madonna and Karl Lagerfeld. Their brand new collaboration called Wanderlust was out of stock within the minutes of the launch last week.

Sabyasachi x H&M: What is the fuss all about?

The collaboration has not met everyone’s expectations. Social media left no stone unturned to troll and create memes to call out Sabyasachi and H&M. H&M was recently called out for labour exploitation and environmental degradation. Also, fast-fashion culture is rapidly promoted by this fashion outlet. The clothes online were simple yet the netzines were not satisfied as they were too costly and no one expected such prices. This issue also led to popular cancel culture and boycotting the brand along with talking of sustainable fashion, cheap and low prices of products.

Why is Sabysachi being trolled for his latest collection with H&M?Have a Look at the Tweets:

Sabyasachi x H&M: Understanding The Issue

There is no particular side that can be justified in the issue. If we look at it from a strictly business perspective, the collaboration somewhere down the line makes sense. With pandemics and the crippling economy, it has undoubtedly become difficult to earn money. The fashion sector, too, has faced the brunt of this economic hit. Rather than cancelling it, this collaboration paved a way for several local karigars (artisans) and tailors to work and generate some revenue. However, Sabyasachi wanted to make this luxury brand democratic. Now that’s something that it clearly failed to do since the products vanished from various websites as soon as they were launched.

The millennials are fighting and raising their voice against fast fashion, cancelling the collaboration and calling them out. The attempt is appreciated but at whose expense are they doing it? Brands like Sabyasachi and others have never revealed their designer and craftsmen model so we do not know if such luxury brands are truly sustainable or have a fair trade practice. For an average citizen, such brands never stood for affordability and were never easy to purchase as they have always been too costly.

Sabyasachi x H&M: How Important is this Collaboration for Indian Designers like Sabyasachi?

Even though Sabyasachi is a well-established brand in India, making it for a wider audience has to be the next step. Going international is not easy and one needs a helping hand. Through such collaborations, Sabyasachi is making a mark and is paving the way to appeal to a wider audience base. Masaba Gupta, a designer, revealed in one of the interviews that she had not spent any money in marketing for over 10 years during the beginning of the company. Her small brand collaborated with brands like Nykaa, Ekaya to Game of Throne merchandise, which led to achieving great heights.

Strictly from a business perspective, going international with one of the most popular international brands can be considered as the first step towards reaching a wider audience base. Not only this, Sabyasachi and many other Indian designers get such chances to represent India and promote Indian brands.

Sabyasachi x H&M: Hot Takes!

  • Sustainable Fashion – A New Farce

Producing new clothes constantly is hazardous to the environment. Brands like H&M which empowers this should be blamed for this. But even smaller brands can be accused of green-washing the globe in the name of sustainability. These small Indie brands are not quite transparent with their supply chains, price points, wages and materials either. The materials that are used during packaging, dry-cleaning, delivering etc, are not safe for the environment. It is known that some fashion practices are bad for the environment.

The easiest way of consuming sustainable fashion is by buying fewer clothes and re-using them as long as it is possible. Sabyasachi in one of the interviews on sustainable fashion said that he managed to make this collection a sustainable one. To travel and Leisure India, he said, “The idea is to give people something for a lifetime. This is one of the reasons I wanted to do a sari because it’s the epitome of sustainability.”

  • The New Craze: Cancel Culture

The whole trend of cancelling or boycotting or avoiding a certain brand, will not take us anywhere. If brands cater to the woke choices or make their collaboration based on woke judgements, they will do that just to please their audience and won’t understand the intricacies and nuances of the issue. It will just become means to please the audience. These collaborations do not happen overnight. A person toils and works very hard only to wake up one day and see their work being cancelled?

The more the people talk about boycotting the more the products get in the limelight. These are the issues that should be talked about in a civil and democratic way and not by just cancelling a luxury designer. We should also keep in mind that the fashion industry in India is one of the highest employers. By cancelling them, we are making it difficult for artists and tailors to earn money.

Sabyasachi x H&M: What is Done is Done, What Can We do Now?

On 14th August, Sabyasachi took to Instagram to issue a formal apology. He received several backlashes and criticism on his new launch within just a few weeks of release. He wrote,” I know a lot of people are disappointed, and I profoundly apologise for it.” He also addressed other issues that were raised.

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At the end of the day, it all boils down to your comfort and affordability. It entirely depends on you whether you want to invest in something that lasts long and you’re able to maintain it or something quick, easy to wear and move on. We should ask rightful questions and questions that are important to the world. It is of paramount importance that we look into an issue carefully and ask valid questions like, what is the supply chain, design innovation, profit, cultural exchange and many others.

It is a long way to go on the road to success but we will make it there, one day!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of India.com. The writer is solely responsible for any claims arising out of the contents of this article.