Trust Lara Raj to bring a little India wherever she goes, and she did just that at her Paris Fashion Week debut. The KATSEYE member arrived at Loewe's show on October 2 alongside bandmate Megan Skiendiel, turning up in a sunshine-yellow dress styled with traditional Indian accessories, and it was her bold sindoor moment that soon had social media debating its cultural significance.
Lara Raj takes over Paris in desi-inspired look
For her Paris Fashion Week appearance, Lara opted for a bright canary-yellow halter mini dress from Loewe. The design played with the label’s signature unconventional approach to draping, with layers of gathered fabric and pronounced folds shaping the silhouette. A thick, sculptural knot at the neckline added another dramatic detail to the otherwise minimal dress.
But the accessories were what gave the look its unmistakably Indian identity. Lara paired the yellow dress with a statement bindi featuring ruby and white gemstones, connected to a gold maang tikka that framed her centre-parted hairstyle. She also wore stacks of gold anklets, or payals, on both feet, along with a nose pin and silver jhumkas.
The most noticeable detail, however, was the red sindoor running along the centre parting of her open hair. Rather than keeping the traditional element subtle, Lara made it a prominent part of her fashion-week styling, placing it alongside contemporary Western couture.
She kept the rest of her beauty look relatively understated. Glowing skin, defined eyes, soft blush and bold nude lips completed the ensemble, allowing the yellow Loewe dress and Indian jewellery to take centre stage.
Why did she wear sindoor?
Lara’s connection to Indian beauty and styling is not new. The singer, who is of Tamil origin, has frequently incorporated a bindi, "Om" necklace or some desi touch into her fashion choices, making it something of a signature element.
However, her decision to wear a prominent streak of red sindoor in Paris drew particular attention. Speaking to British Vogue, Lara revealed that her choice of red kumkum on her head was inspired by Bollywood icon Rekha.
The reference adds another layer to the look, especially given Rekha’s long association with traditional Indian styling, bold sindoor and jewellery-heavy appearances.
Indians divided over the bold move
While Lara’s look was widely noticed for bringing Indian elements to an international fashion platform, the sindoor became the most debated part of the appearance online.
In India, sindoor is traditionally associated with marriage and is commonly worn by married Hindu women, although its use and cultural significance vary across communities and occasions. Lara’s decision to use it as part of a fashion look prompted contrasting reactions across various social media platforms.
Some users questioned the use of sindoor purely as a fashion statement, with one Instagram comment reading, “First in my bloodline to see performative sindhoor.”
Others defended Lara’s styling and viewed it as an expression of her South Asian heritage. One comment said, “Sindoor is worn on so many occasions. It is also worn in many parts of our culture as an act of harbouring strength and emotional resilience.”
With a globally watched fashion week as the backdrop, Lara’s look has therefore become more than just another front-row appearance. Her yellow Loewe dress may have caught the cameras first, but it was the red line of sindoor that turned the ensemble into a larger conversation about fashion, identity and cultural symbolism.
