How Gen Z Is Making Desi Fashion Cool Again

The other day I sported a bottu (bindi) with my T-shirt and jeans, and my early-‘90s-born cousin looked at me like I was nuts! “It doesn't match. It looks funny,” she commented. But when I showed her photos of Tyla, Lara and Rhea Raj, Avantika Vandanapu, and other South Asian women proudly flaunting their desi culture in Western outfits, she was surprised, and honestly, a little confused why such “younger women” were bringing back a style her generation did away with. 

I get where she was coming from. She grew up in an era when wearing a bottu and jewellery with every outfit felt more like an obligation than a fashionable expression. Choosing not to wear them was their version of rebellion. Pairing a kurti with jeans itself was a bold choice.

It wasn't that millennials were ashamed of looking desi; it was that they were tired of the expectations that came with it. The ‘sanskari’, good-girl archetype was a burden they were desperately trying to shrug off, and rejecting fashion rules felt like the first step in getting there.

Then comes Gen Z, a generation that has had it at least slightly easier, thanks to the millennials' rebellion. We grew up with more choices, more access to information, and more exposure to different cultures through social media. Thus, presenting our own culture on this stage feels like second nature.

The best part is, Gen Z is not turning the clock back to regressive expectations; we're instead making our cultural symbols like bottus, bangles, and naths (nose pins) more relatable to our current lifestyles, comfort zones, and global trends.

Gen Z is finally showing some love to desi fashion 

Whether it is sneakers embroidered with Devanagri writings or bag charms made of jhumkis, Gen Z is turning desi accessories into something creative and accessible. The appreciation for local, sustainable, and timeless fashion has pushed these traditions into a fresh, contemporary spotlight.

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Plakshi Jain, founder of Crochet by Plakshi, shared her take on this. “I see growing respect in youth for handmade work. They truly value an artist's time, efforts and skills. For them, wearing handmade is not about going backwards, but more about carrying forward their heritage with a touch of their own style,” she told SheThePeople. 

Plakshi's handmade parandis (traditional Punjabi hair accessory) made of crochet has been winning the internet. It is just another example of how Gen Z is making their cultural symbols relevant to the pace and aesthetics of today's trends.

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Another fashion symbol very close to South Asian culture is mehndi (henna), which Gen Z is embracing in new, expressive ways. They're more than just decoration on palms; they are motifs of identity, voice, and creativity, used to celebrate who we are on our own terms.

Salma Sulthana, a mehndi artist from Kochi, has turned this ancient body art into a space for activism and storytelling. "There’s always a certain comfort in knowing that what I’m doing is just adding onto something that’s been practised for centuries," she said, in an older chat with SheThePeople.

Salma added, "Compared to other kinds of art, henna’s pretty restrictive. You’ve only got your own body and a leaf paste that stains the second it’s applied. That makes it so exciting! In an art form that’s so limited, the creativity is almost forced to come out."

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Making space for what's truly ours

Desi Gen Z's appreciation for their culture is not limited to giving things a “Western” twist. It is also about re-making space for existing locally-crafted, environmentally-conscious, and economical pieces in their everyday style.

It's about diving into our aunt's jewellery boxes or our grandfather's collection of tote bags to find a no-fuss classic piece and wearing it with modern confidence.

Take koodai bags, for example. Almost every South Indian household has seen these sturdy, colourful, wire-woven staples lying around, often ignored outside their designated use for buying groceries from the neighbouring shop. Gen Z is reviving them as chic, functional accessories that blend tradition with contemporary flair.

Laya Krishnaraj, founder of Koodai Kadaii, expressed, “I see more South Asians choosing to return to their roots. Not out of nostalgia, but out of intention. There's a growing pride in carrying objects that hold history, touch, and time. Supporting local artisans and embracing heritage today feels like a way of remembering who we are, while moving forward.”

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Then there is Rahya Rai, a jewellery designer going viral for her jhumki bag charms. “I think due to social media, the current South Asian youth is aware of how fashion and design have been colonised through the West. Thus, they want to connect with their roots but through a modern twist,” she explained. 

Rai continued, “That's why I took bag charms, something already popular, and gave it a desi twist to help people flaunt their heritage.” Indeed, it’s time to ditch those same-old Labubus and teddy-shaped bag charms to make way for something that feels more personal and intentionally designed.

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Gen Z is done with lending their culture to ungrateful outsiders. We no longer want to see Prada Kolhapuri chappals or Tory Burch sheesha dresses. We want to reclaim what is ours - we want kantha-embroidered jackets made in West Bengal and silver jewellery made by Karnataka's Lambanis, or chikankari kurtis made in Lucknow and pashmina shawls made in Kashmir.

Gen-Z wants to give our support, appreciation, and loyalty where it truly matters, and push more ethical, historically-rooted, and community-led fashion. Because to us, our culture is not something to be ashamed of; it is something we identify closely with and want to honour with pride.

Views expressed by the author are their own.