'Work of absolute mediocrity': Designer Tarun Tahiliani gets slammed for 'embarrassing' Olympic outfits for India
Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton player and Arjuna awardee, said the outfits made for the Indian contingent have been a huge disappointment.
- Jul 28, 2024,
- Updated Jul 28, 2024 3:05 PM IST
A massive uproar has erupted over the Indian contingent's outfit for the Paris Olympics 2024 designed by famous designer Tarun Tahiliani. He designed sarees for the women's contingent, while traditional 'kata-pyjama' for the men. However, several personalities took to social media to express their disappointment at the quality of fabric and poor design for the Indian contingent.
Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton player and Arjuna awardee, said the garments made for the Indian contingent have been a huge disappointment. "First not all girls know how to wear a saree...why didn’t the designer use this common sense and make a pre-draped saree (which is in current trend). The girls looked uncomfortable the blouse was of a bad fit."
Gutta said the colour and the print were so opposite of beautiful Indian. There was an opportunity, she said, for the designer to display the art of India's culture through embroidery or hand paint. "It was a work of absolute mediocrity and looked shabby," she said, adding that she really hopes the sports family stops compromising on quality for sportspersons' looks on court and off court.
Jai Anant Dehadrai, a lawyer in the Supreme Court, said the Tarun Tahiliani-designed outfits were a "total embarrassment - even more shameful is the unabashed promotion of his own commercial logo on the uniforms". He said this was "unacceptable" and the "bureaucrats responsible should have invited traditional Indian designers and weavers to come up with the best of Indian textiles and design for our sportspersons - not this unimaginative, and tacky rubbish."
Dr Nandita Iyer, an author and health columnist, too blasted the designer, saying she had seen better sarees sold in Mumbai streets for Rs 200 than the ceremonial uniforms he had 'designed'. "Cheap polyester-like fabric, Ikat PRINT (!!!), tricolors thrown together with no imagination. Did you outsource it to an intern or come up with it in the last 3 minutes before the deadline? Such a disgrace to the rich weaving culture and history of India."
Iyer shared the "stunning ceremonial uniforms" of Mongolia, South Korea, Monaco, and Nigeria as an example. She said a plain off-white khadi saree or suit with blouses/jackets from the state's textile from which the athlete hails would have looked a million times more graceful.
Another social media user said that Tahiliani's outfit design was "crap and should have been disqualified for lacking any merit". The user said that participants in actual Olympic events have to meet such standards as time etc. "Tahiliani didn't meet even a kindergarten child's drawing standards!"
A massive uproar has erupted over the Indian contingent's outfit for the Paris Olympics 2024 designed by famous designer Tarun Tahiliani. He designed sarees for the women's contingent, while traditional 'kata-pyjama' for the men. However, several personalities took to social media to express their disappointment at the quality of fabric and poor design for the Indian contingent.
Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton player and Arjuna awardee, said the garments made for the Indian contingent have been a huge disappointment. "First not all girls know how to wear a saree...why didn’t the designer use this common sense and make a pre-draped saree (which is in current trend). The girls looked uncomfortable the blouse was of a bad fit."
Gutta said the colour and the print were so opposite of beautiful Indian. There was an opportunity, she said, for the designer to display the art of India's culture through embroidery or hand paint. "It was a work of absolute mediocrity and looked shabby," she said, adding that she really hopes the sports family stops compromising on quality for sportspersons' looks on court and off court.
Jai Anant Dehadrai, a lawyer in the Supreme Court, said the Tarun Tahiliani-designed outfits were a "total embarrassment - even more shameful is the unabashed promotion of his own commercial logo on the uniforms". He said this was "unacceptable" and the "bureaucrats responsible should have invited traditional Indian designers and weavers to come up with the best of Indian textiles and design for our sportspersons - not this unimaginative, and tacky rubbish."
Dr Nandita Iyer, an author and health columnist, too blasted the designer, saying she had seen better sarees sold in Mumbai streets for Rs 200 than the ceremonial uniforms he had 'designed'. "Cheap polyester-like fabric, Ikat PRINT (!!!), tricolors thrown together with no imagination. Did you outsource it to an intern or come up with it in the last 3 minutes before the deadline? Such a disgrace to the rich weaving culture and history of India."
Iyer shared the "stunning ceremonial uniforms" of Mongolia, South Korea, Monaco, and Nigeria as an example. She said a plain off-white khadi saree or suit with blouses/jackets from the state's textile from which the athlete hails would have looked a million times more graceful.
Another social media user said that Tahiliani's outfit design was "crap and should have been disqualified for lacking any merit". The user said that participants in actual Olympic events have to meet such standards as time etc. "Tahiliani didn't meet even a kindergarten child's drawing standards!"