Luxury Cult

Pubs, malls and “cultural colonization”

Every time I see the video of those poor women being bashed up at the pub in Mangalore, I cringe and duck.  It plays over and over again on the Indian news channels, and each time I can feel the blows on my body.  And then Mr. Muthalik, the politician behind it, gloats and claims victory – his “moral police” are freed from jail and assorted Chief Ministers have supported his stance.  And that’s the part I just can’t get – how can beating up anyone, man or woman, be right?  In a civilized democracy we debate issues, don’t we, not punch up random women at will?

The issue at stake is that women drinking at a pub somehow soils the pristine "Indian culture", and this imposition of “foreign culture” should be stopped promptly, apparently for the good of the women themselves.  And in the midst of this hullaballo, other aspects of foreign culture are being aired and condemned: example, the Haryana Chief Minister thinks pubbing and malling are of a kind, and holding hands at the mall is another crime against Indian culture.

Which brings me to a question that I am often asked about luxury brands in the broader Asian context:  Isn’t the wide adoption of Western luxury brands in Asia a form of “cultural colonization” of the mind?  And my answer to that is two single syllable words: an emphatic “Yes” and a quizzical “So?”

Japan isn’t in kimonos anymore.  China isn’t in cheongsams.  (It isn’t in Mao suits either, the culturally appropriate dress until the 80’s.)  South Korean women aren’t in hanboks (except in its extremely popular TV soaps).  Everywhere in Asia, people have willingly doffed their traditional garbs and donned Western clothing.  And while they are at it, they have added a generous sprinkling of Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags and Hermes scarves.  (The list, of course, is broader, encompassing complete lifestyles, so add on Mercedes and Ferrari, Moet Chandon and Chivas Regal (ah, that Indian staple)…)

And what are Louis Vuitton bags, proudly going on for a century and a half, if not a piece of French culture?  (In fact, a French court ruled that Louis Vuitton’s Paris flagship store could stay open on Sundays as it promotes French culture.) And what are Hermes scarves – as also their beautifully handcrafted leather goods – with an undisturbed lineage of a couple of centuries, if not another piece of French tradition?  And what are Rolex watches, with a century worth of expertise, if not a demonstration of Swiss craftsmanship?  They are the Western equivalent of Benarasi saris, Kolhapuri chappals, Kashmiri shawls, and kundan and polki jewelery.  The only difference is that while our traditional crafts have remained in India with limited reach, low prices, and many in real danger of dying out as an art form, the Europeans have converted their traditional crafts into global luxury brands commanding jaw-dropping prices that people queue up to pay.  The families that own them have in the meantime become billion-dollar global conglomerates.

Is this “cultural colonization” of the mind a bad thing?  Or in other words, is going to a pub in Mangalore and sipping “Indian made foreign liquor” a culture crime?  Without getting into the arguments of freedom of choice and equality of opportunity (there is a bizarre suggestion that while Indian men can head off to the nearest madiralay, Indian women should be barred from pubs), I support the simple logic of pleasure – the pursuit of happiness, if you will – of enjoying a glass of wine with friends in an amiable setting.

And so it extends to luxury brands.  In this new flat world, who is to say what pleasures are allowed and what forbidden – the pleasure of a fine silk kurta is permissible, but the pleasure of an exquisitely tailored Canali jacket is not?  The pleasure of a baby-soft embroidered pashmina shawl is okay, but a butter-soft Bottega Veneta bag is not?

Does adopting an international dress code equal abandoning your own culture?  Take the Japanese: they may be dressed in Western clothes – and be the world’s largest consumers of Western luxury brands - but they remain quintessentially Japanese – food, drink, language, values, systems.  What’s more, they export their culture very successfully – try getting a table at Nobu anywhere in the world to get a taste of Japan’s soft power.

And that’s the huge opportunity staring India in the face: to do some “cultural colonization” of our own.  Heritage, which we have got in heaps, is a crucial element of luxury brands.  Every Banarasi sari, every embroidered pashmina shawl, every kundan earring is a luxury brand waiting to be created for a global market.  It ain’t easy – it demands flawless quality, a keen understanding of global consumer needs, and above all, extremely savvy marketing – aspects that we still have to learn to excel at.

But it would be a much more productive pursuit than bashing up women.