Prime Minister Narendra Modi has managed to flaunt his fashion sense every time he steps out in public. But on Sunday, PM Modi stepped it up a notch by wearing his own name sewn repeatedly on a bandhgala suit while on ‘chai pe charcha’ with US President Barack Obama.
There’s no fine print in the manuals of how government heads should dress on formal occasions, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, already ahead of the curve in matters sartorial, appeared to push the boundaries when he wore a monogrammed pin striped suit with his name — Narendra Damodardas Modi — forming the stripes.
A layman’s suit may cost him anywhere close to Rs 50,000. But PM Narendra Modi’s customised suit comes with an exorbitant price tag! Reports say the suit may have costed about Rs 10 lakh, if not more!
According to this report, the fabric to make the suit reportedly is of Savile Row made by Holland & Sherry, who make the finest cloth in the world. The seven metres of fabric alone has been estimated to be about Rs 2,50,000. The intricate golden colour embroidery could have costed around 10,000 pounds, i.e. Rs 9,30,000!
A day after he wore the bandhgala, Twitteratti went crazy with the revelation that what looked like stripes on PM Modi’s suit, was actually his full name, NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI. Close-up photos showed the neat embroidery very clearly.
This is not the first time that a political leader has had his name woven on their wardrobe. In 2011, ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak had donned a similar suit. But PM Modi has always made news with his fashion sense with his half-sleeve kurtas that are now available at every store across India. His fashionable turbans, shawls and Nehru-jacket have inspired many.
But, this unique fashion by PM Modi did not go down well with many who took to Twitter to express their opinion.
Theorizing on narcissism followed. “Considering Narendra Modi forgets names, says ‘Mohanlal Gandhi’, it is not a bad idea that he has printed his name on his suit,” tweeted @Joydas.
Even Wall Street journal’s India Real Time blog and BBC News took note of the suit. Modi’s clothes have impressed Obama too. At the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee, Obama raised a toast to India and the PM, saying he wanted to wear a “Modi kurta”.
Designer of the suit Raakesh Agarvwal said the name was not embroidered but hand-woven. It requires a special jacquard technique, and the cost is anything between Rs 80,000 and Rs 5 lakh, depending on the fabric.
“This personalized textile is the in-thing … Burberry to Hermes, all are doing it,” said Agarvwal.