Last year, Ritu Beri came on board the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to promote Indian tribal crafts and culture, as the chief design consultant. (File photo)
Last week, Nagaland-based Chakhesang Women Welfare Society (CWWS) sued noted fashion designer Ritu Beri and the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), which operates under the Ministry Of Tribal Affairs, for infringement of GI tag pertaining to Naga shawls. The Civil suit, filed in the court of the district judge, in Phek, sought damages for “wrongful and illegal action for infringement of registered GI” during a showcase by Beri. This was in collaboration with TRIFED, at the Surajkund Crafts Mela, earlier this year.
On February 7, just before the pandemic had struck the country, Beri had organised a fashion show in association with TRIFED at the annual Surajkund Crafts Mela in Faridabad, Haryana, on the theme ‘Naturally North East: The NagaNarrative’, where the Chakhesang shawls were “allegedly misrepresented”. The collection mixed traditional garments and prints from Nagaland with mini-skirts, leather jackets and tailored western wear pieces. The shawls meant for men were allegedly worn by women, and vice versa – something that has been severely condemned by the CWWS.
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Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
