 "Why are people hating on the Indian contingent’s uniform at the Paris 2024 Olympics?")
Renowned designer Tarun Tahiliani’s ikat-inspired uniforms for the Indian contingent, featuring men in kurta-pajamas and women in sarees adorned with the national flag’s colours, were expected to make a bold statement at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony. However, the reality was far from expectations for many.
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As Indian athletes sailed down the River Seine in the world’s fashion capital on Sunday, it all cheers and claps but it was the continent’s uniform that failed to impress people back home.
Far from the grand statement hoped for, the attire sparked a storm of criticism on social media, where it was branded as “uninspired”, “cheap”, and “tacky.”
But what exactly went wrong with the Indian contingent’s uniform? Let’s take a closer look
The criticism
From material choices to design, several factors contributed to the backlash.
Taking to X, blogger and columnist Dr Nandita Iyer remarked, “Hello Tarun Tahiliani! I have seen better sarees sold in Mumbai streets for Rs.200 than these ceremonial uniforms you’ve ‘designed’.” She further called it a combination of digital prints, cheap polyester fabric and the tricolour thrown together without any imagination.
Notably, this was the first time a fashion designer had been roped in to create official ceremonial attire for Team India. Tasva, a collaboration between Tahiliani and Aditya Birla Group, was contracted to design the contingent uniforms.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOthers shared similar sentiments as Iyer. Many even evoked India’s rich legacy in textiles and handloom while wondering why the team was presented in such a “shoddy” way at such an important global platform. Actor Tara Deshpande wrote: “They look absolutely awful. We have the greatest textile tradition in India. Who passed this design? Who budgeted for this?”
The male athletes wore a white kurta and Bundi jacket adorned with orange and green naksi work, celebrating the Indian tricolour. The jackets featured pockets with ‘India’ inscriptions and the Olympic logo. Female athletes donned ikat-inspired sarees in the tricolours of white, orange, and green, paired with sneakers for a blend of traditional aesthetics and modern functionality.
Ace shuttler Jwala Gutta criticised the uniforms calling them a “huge disappointment” and revealed that the female athletes “looked uncomfortable” as the blouse was a “bad fit”.
“First not all girls know how to wear a saree…why didn’t the designer use this common sense and make pre draped saree (which is in current trend). After not much of thinking. The garments which was made for the Indian contingent participating in Olympics this time has been a huge disappointment!! (Especially when the designer was announced I had huge expectations),” she wrote.
Further what also angered users was also the digital prints used in the uniform that were chosen over genuine ikat weaves.
“The sari fabric could have been tussar or chanderi. The border could have been genuine ikat or kutchi/phulkari hand embroidery. The colours should have been brighter. Anyone holding the brighter-hued Tricolour is bound to look washed out,” commented an X user.
It was Team Mongolia’s Seine-sensational gold-embroidered ensemble that made heads turn at the ceremony, further teams from Haiti (super arty), Czechia (splattered trench coats) and Sri Lanka (white silk) also scored big.
In contrast, Malayalam writer NS Madhavan found Indian athletes lacking. He commented, “At the world’s fashion capital, an Indian athlete looked like this - dull and ordinary. Tarun Tahiliani’s mix of plastic-sheet-like saree, printed ikat and unimaginative use of tricolour shut the window to the splendid world of Indian textiles.”
‘Not a couture show’
Following a wave of criticism, designer Tarun Tahiliani remains steadfast in his defence of the uniforms. In an interview with The Indian Express, he described the social media uproar as an “insane storm in a teacup”.
Explaining his design process in an interview with GQ India, Tahiliani shared, “My research revealed a trend where countries were integrating their national flags into their Olympic uniforms. Inspired by this, I crafted a design that prominently features the tricolour hues of saffron, white, and green, reflecting India’s national colours.”
He also noted that the current design was chosen after vetting committees reviewed multiple sketches and options.
Addressing the decision to use sarees for female athletes, Tahiliani told NDTV that feedback from the Olympic committee influenced this choice, as sarees “can flatter any body type”. He added, “This is what we Indians wear, and this is not meant to be a couture show.”
Further responding to criticism regarding the use of digital prints instead of Ikat weaves, Tahiliani explained that his team faced tight deadlines. “We had only three weeks to complete the task, and weaving handloom for 300 uniforms within that timeline was not feasible,” he said.
Designer Rina Dhaka, supporting Tahiliani’s approach, told The Times of India, “When we do productions on this scale, digital is used over weaves to give consistency and quality.” Fort her it was that badminton player PV Sindhu’s smile brought an added charm to the ensemble.
Paris 2024, flag bearer—one of the greatest honors of my life to hold our country's flag in front of millions ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4VPc9FFuIz
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) July 26, 2024
Tahiliani also upheld his choice of viscose fabric over cotton, citing Paris’s heat. “The choice of viscose over cotton was deliberate. Cotton would have crushed badly. We used viscose because it is a wood pulp fibre and lets you breathe. It is cooler than silk,” he explained to The Indian Express. He added, “We had to consider breathability because the athletes would be on a barge, in the heat, for up to five hours.”
In the end, Tahiliani said, “I stand by my design, it was appreciated a lot in Paris. Let people say what they want. Perhaps it is time to focus on what really matters and that’s sport. In the end, our athletes looked good, supported the tricolour, and were cohesive and cool. It’s not a wedding. It’s sport.”
With input from agencies
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