The “Tacky NRI Fashion” Debate is About More Than Style
Coachella just reignited it. But what if the backlash really isn’t about the clothes?
Coachella might have ended but the discourse hasn’t. Indians in India are accusing those in the diaspora of wearing cringe, “exoticized” fits that don’t represent Indian fashion today. One Reddit post declared, “NRI [non-resident Indian] fashion is honestly weird” — above a photo of Indian American influencers at Coachella. Meanwhile, the diaspora claims Indian influencers at Coachella are just trying to look American with their fashion. So who’s right and why aren’t the two groups seeing eye-to-eye?
The debate started much earlier than you think. We reported on it exactly four years ago, in April 2022, when Instagram account @dietsabya called a Netflix video of Bridgerton-inspired Indian outfits “absolutely terrible.” The account asked its then over 250,000 Instagram followers to discuss whether “NRIs really have no idea of Indian fashion. Even the most stylish NRI influencers wear super tacky Indian clothes. Something that Indians wore a decade back!” That one comment unleashed hell and fury as Indians collectively put the diaspora on the worst-dressed list.