Jewellery designer Sabyasachi is creating ripples yet again – this time for featuring glum models in his Autumn Winter ’21 Collection campaign.What caught the attention of online denizens was not the uncut and brilliant cut diamonds, opals, pearls, emeralds, aquamarine and coloured stones in 22k gold. Rather, it was the ‘constipated look’ of the models as if they were perpetually ‘in mourning’.
Only very few pointed out that women without makeup enhance the mesmerising effect of exquisite jewellery. One Instagram user though had the grace to point out: that somebody was at last representing the real world with real models. ‘‘The movie and modelling world has done extensive damage to women’s self-image and mental health, with thin and airbrushed models. Time to get real,’’ the user declared.
Most users were however less charitable, the general tenor being: "Perhaps I don’t understand fashion or “High Fashion”, at all. But when a woman wears jewellery, she looks happy, festive, jubilant… of course I am referring to normal like you & I. Why would anyone want to advertise their jewellery with such drab-looking models?"
But soon some supporters of the ad came out of the woodwork. One wrote, "The number of women I have seen troll these three models over their looks is sickeningly high. The ad is literally for Sabyasachi jewellery…so, I don't understand the obsession with their "lustreless skin". Just say you have an issue with models looking like average Indian women…"
Sabyasachi had recently been lampooned for his Royal Bengal Mangalsutra campaign, which featured heterosexual as well as same-sex couples, which some labelled as ‘obscene’ and ‘shameful,’ shrugging the campaign off as ‘a lingerie ad’.
