Someone tell Sabyasachi that 'overdressed' women are not wounded

Famous for there intricate work, idiosyncratic designs and distinctive choice of colour palettes, Sabyasachi Mukherjee is one of the priciest brands in the fashion industry and has been a go-to for many celebrities and fashion icons.

However, the luxury label is in the news this time for all the wrong reasons.

Opening with a quote from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Sabyasacyhi posted a picture on Instagram inviting a lot of criticism:

He stated that women '“overdressed, caked with make-up and armored with jewellery are most likely wounded” implying that beneath all the extravagance and eclecticism, there's a lot of pain and trauma that women are concealing.

While the intention of the post might not have been to put women down, it definitely came across as shaming women for dressing how they please:

Sabyasachi received a lot of backlash on social media for his blanket statement, as women make it it a point to tell the designer that sometimes women "overdress" simply because they want to. Period.

His statement also makes one ponder: "Isn't this every one of your brides?"

The design house issued an apology on Sunday:

The apology introduces us to a different perspective highlighting the crude and insensitive behavior of some towards the fashion choices of others: "We, as a society, often get extremely judgmental about peoples’ clothing choices, calling them ‘overdressed’ or ‘tacky’ or ‘inappropriate’. We fail to understand that maybe some are using these as coping mechanisms to put on a brave front to make up for the lack of a support system."

Opening up about his own battle with depression, the designer touched upon the various coping mechanisms individuals adopt to express and heal.

"I have coped with crippling depression as a teenager for 7 years. I found my coping mechanism through radical clothing choices.I was sneered at and bullied, but it helped me find my way again."

Acknowledging his irresponsible choice of words the designer apologised, whilst clarifying the intent behind it. Of showing empathy, kindness, and care.

We appreciate Sabyasachi stepping up and apologising and hope that brands will be cognizant of the social responsibility that lies upon them because at the end of the day, the impact outweighs the intent. And who decides what is overdressed anyway? What does it even mean to be overdressed?

To all the women out there, dress HOWEVER you want to. Opt for those bright yellows, screaming reds, electric blues, subtle pinks. We're here for it!