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Professional Ethnic Wear

Ethnic Wear for the Office.

Indian professional dress — the kurta and bandhgala in the workplace, done correctly.

Indian ethnic wear in the professional context has gone from the exception to a mainstream choice across many of India's professional environments. The technology sector has led this shift: ethnic wear Fridays have become ethnic wear every day in many Bengaluru and Chennai offices. But even in more conservative professional environments — law, finance, medicine — the well-dressed Indian professional who chooses ethnic wear is making a considered and increasingly respected choice. The difference between ethnic wear that reads as professional and ethnic wear that reads as casual is, as always, in the quality, the fit, and the degree to which the garment has been deliberately chosen for the context.

Photograph to follow

What works in a professional context — the garments and the standards

The bandhgala in fine suiting cloth is the most unambiguously professional Indian ethnic garment. In charcoal, navy or black worsted, worn over a fine churidar or formal trouser, it reads as professionally formal in any Indian office. The kurta, depending on the cloth and the context, ranges from smart-casual to semi-formal. A fine handloom cotton or Chanderi kurta is appropriate in most professional environments as smart-casual; a silk kurta reads as semi-formal; neither is appropriate as a substitute for formal business dress in the most conservative environments.

The Nehru jacket functions as the Indian equivalent of the smart-casual blazer — worn over a plain shirt or over a fine kurta, it elevates casual dress to smart-casual and smart-casual dress to semi-formal. In the right cloth (fine silk or a textured cotton), the Nehru jacket is one of the most versatile pieces for the professional who wants to maintain an Indian aesthetic while covering the full range from casual Friday to client meeting.

Quality signals in professional ethnic wear — what your colleagues notice

In professional ethnic wear, the quality signals are the same as in professional Western wear: fit, cloth quality, and condition. A kurta that is too wide, too long, or wrongly sized reads as casual regardless of its fabric. A fine handloom cotton kurta that fits correctly reads as as considered as a business shirt. The cloth should be clean, pressed, and in good condition — ethnic wear that is wrinkled or faded reads as less professional than Western wear in the same condition, because ethnic wear's professional acceptability is still established partly through the quality of individual examples seen in professional environments.

Commission your ethnic wear.

Sherwanis, bandhgalas, kurtas and more — made bespoke at 4 Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai. Mon–Sat, 11am–9pm. First consultation free.

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