Do you know how important is to use fashion to empower people’s roots? The history of CCO at the House of Anita Dongre will teach you a lot about heritage and women empowerment.
Anita Dongre
When talking about fashion, we often say it is an industry: the houses, the companies, the brands… Fashion is essential for a country economically speaking. But how can we see further to understand its history?
Closely related to culture, fashion is a way to reflect who you are. Not only that, the connection between fashion and culture is important to empowering the roots of a people and their history.
By the way, culture often influences fashion with changes done by the people that live in that specific location. As well said by Anita Dongre on the 5th Worldwide Talks: “I think, no other country in the world has the kind of craft legacy that India has. Handicraft is the second largest industry in India after agriculture and farming”.
Besides that, she considers it crucial to provide work to women artisans who work from their homes in rural villages. “For me, that also takes the whole idea of social sustainability so many steps ahead. If you can employ a woman in her village where she lives in a village, life is a more sustainable life.”
In this article, you will understand more about the cultural influence in fashion and how it can be helpful to enrich people’s roots. Keep reading!
Fashion & Culture
Culture manifests the identity and history of a people in arts, beliefs, and institutions that are passed down from generation to generation.
Clothing is way more than materials and fabrics. A piece of clothing can signify our identity and culture. As said in an article by Google and Arts Culture “it’s no surprise that over the centuries, communities have used clothing as a means to communicate status, celebrate important events, and show unity among many more things.”
Above all, cultural fashion is a source of pride. Expressing culture through fashion shows appreciation and protection to it. It also shows the beauty of different cultures. As an example, we have the traditional culture showing in fashion.
Traditional Culture in Fashion
Bringing traditional culture into fashion is a way to establish people’s roots in the industry. There is a history behind every thread of every fabric that influences fashion nowadays.
Fashion designers and brands often combine modern designs with the application of traditional elements and the essence of people’s ancestors. Classic fashion Is a way to express heritage by mixing it with the contemporary.
Culture is born in a specific place and the people who built the culture can pass it to others. It helps complement different traditions. With all the richness of the cultural heritage, we will talk about taking it to the world and exploring the fashion market.
Anita Dongre on Taking Cultural Heritage to the World
We had the pleasure to have Anita Dongre on the 5th edition of the Worldwide Talks, on September 9th. An example of cultural heritage to the world is her history in fashion. When Kate Middleton wore Anita’s dress a few years ago, it was a game-changer in her career, giving her a lot of international recognition.
Cultural Heritage protects the essence of a people. The values of a culture preserve and create a deep sense of unity. And when shared with the world, they can inspire other cultures as well.
Sharing cultures can create social relationships within a community. It is important to build a path to engage people to understand differences.
“And as a designer from India, you feel proud. I think it was a beautiful dress, and I think she looked gorgeous in it”, Anita shared in her panel on the 5th Worldwide Talks. Anita Dongre opened her heart. She said she definitely feels proud when Kate Middleton and Hillary Clinton and strong women like them wear her clothes.
The designer has a beautiful store in Soho. In addition, she says she is very proud of that store.
“I think we have a very large population of South Asians in the USA. So we have our wedding wear line there, and it’s been very well received. And yeah, I’m truly, truly happy with that store.”
To sum up, she relates her story of taking her culture to the world with a women empowerment speech, which she talks about in the panel.
Culture & The Age of Feminism
We can’t deny there are changes being done when talking about the culture of violence and silencing of women. On the other hand, it is important to see further from what we know. In fact, we can use the HindRise argument: A small portion of women in India are freed and can employ their free will and are permitted to carve out their lives the way they want.
Their research says that “there is a considerable division of the women in this nation who require optimistic support. In most Indian villages and semi-urban cities, women are still denied fundamental education and are never authorized to continue higher education despite amassing the understanding required.”
To clarify, Anita Dongre respects the determination of these women who come forward, learn and then continue doing what they do.
“Today, every woman is looking for economic independence, whether it’s a woman in a village, whether it’s a woman in New York City. I honestly see no difference in her desire to become economically independent.”
“Women in India – and I think women all over the world – are the same. We balance home, children and We balance work.”
Anita Dongre
As you can see, Anita explored this topic on her panel during the 5th edition of the Worldwide Talks, on September 9th.
With that in mind, let’s dive deeper into more insights she brought to the audience.
Anita Dongre & Cultural Heritage
Anita Dongre, CCO at House of Anita Dongre Limited, is a successful designer that embraces her culture in her collections. In the 5th Worldwide Talks, Anita shared that she is from a very traditional family in India and also that her mom inspired her.
“It was a large family, she had 6 children: 3 girls and 3 boys. She was very creative and at 15 I wanted to be a fashion designer.”
Moreover, Anita Dongre was the first woman in her family to ever take up a job and start a business. “When I graduated from fashion design school, I was only allowed to do so because it was a girl’s college. And I was told that it’s okay to learn sewing. Stitching was considered a good craft for a woman”, she says.
The designer started the business just as a supplier. Therefore, she didn’t have her own brand and just designed collections to supply to other stores.
“And then the fashion design industry in India still hadn’t emerged. It’s very new. There were no designers in India doing a ready-to-wear line. Everybody was focusing on the Bridal market, which is very popular and huge in India.”
In conclusion, Anita went against what everybody else was doing. She followed her path, creating a brand, which was highly popular and very well received.
