Fashion had more to do with Indian independence than what most people know.
Because the British did not let any Indians wear their own cloth the Indians
started to fight back. Cloth became a symbol for the struggle of India's
independence.
Women's fashion was only slightly affected during this period of time
whereas the men's clothing entirely changed. Men had to wear items such as
shirts and trousers which were unheard of in India before the British came
along.
Most clothing was made out of materials such as silk and cotton. These
materials however were not made in India but in England as the men were
forbidden to wear any form of Indian clothing. The English did this to make
sure that the people they were in control were defined as "English".
Traditional "office" clothing was also introduced to India , this included
the suit and tie which was greatly unpopular especially as it didn't at all
suit the Indian climate (very hot) so it was extremely uncomfortable to
wear.
Although the English brought "western" clothing to India , not all were
willing to wear it. Gandhi was a man who would not let the British pick out
his wardrobe he gathered many groups to rally against the English (because
of the clothing). Mahatma Gandhi tried to revolutionize by
boycotting (along with
others) against western clothing.
Although English
fashion was changing in India , Indian fashion also started to become very
popular in England! Much of the customary Indian clothing was taking over
England , however unlike in India the English didn't especially mind, since
they were making a profit out of this process.
After reading this,
you will realize what a big impact fashion had on colonization in India .
Many wars were fought just for everyday materials such as cotton. This was
because Indians wanted to preserve their traditional fashion and did not
want their style to change into that of the western world. Many people
(including Gandhi) risked their lives just to get back their traditional
fashion. The Indians did not just dislike the western fashion because it was
very inappropriate for India (although that was a major reason too) but also
because it wasn't Indian. Fashion had so much to do with colonial India and
without it much of the words in a history book would not be there.
