FabIndia's Diwali Ad Faces Backlash On Social Media: Here's All About The Controversy

Fab India Diwali collection: The clothing brand Fabindia has come under fire for its recent Diwali ad. After massive outrage from different outfits on social media, the company has deleted its tweet which referred to their Diwali collection as 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz'. Many users threatened to boycott the brand.

Bharatiya Janta Party leader Tejasvi Surya expressed his disagreement with the ad and wrote, "This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out."

Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz.



This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out.



And brands like @FabindiaNews must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures. https://t.co/uCmEBpGqsc

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 18, 2021

Here's everything to know about the controversy: 

• After the advertisement for the Diwali collection of Fab India surfaced online, many social users said that the outfits did not represent Indians. They also called it 'cultural appropriation.'
• Author Shefali Vaidya also tweeted against the brand and said, "Wow @FabindiaNews great job at de-Hinduising Deepawali! Call it a ‘festival of love and light’, title the collection ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’, take Bindis off foreheads of models but expect Hindus to buy your overpriced, mass-produced products in the name of ‘homage to Indian culture’!"
• Other than the name of the campaign, social media users also raised objections to the models in the ad without a bindi.
• The campaign of 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' cannot be seen on the social media handle of the brand but as of October 18, it is present on FabIndia's official website.
• The brand has described the collection as, "The rustle of silk the gleam of zari, the sparkle of jewels the fragrance of flowers in hair, the sweetness of mithai and the happiness of homecoming."
• As Vogue Magazine featured the 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' collection, the brand said, "As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz by Fabindia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture."
• Social media users raised communal questions as to why there was no such campaign launched during Eid.
• In his tweet on Monday, Tejasvi Surya wrote brands like Fab India "must face the economic cost for such deliberate misadventures."