Indian traditional clothing going global - a perspective

I found these mannequins in a fast fashion store in Germany. The dress (with the mango prints - erroneously named paisley after a Scottish town, but actually of Indian/Persion origins), the skirt (colorful, floral block prints that are an ancient art from tracing back to India), and the brown stone necklace (known as the rudkrash mala in India) are all long-known Indian cultural forms - I have had clothes with similar designs lying in my closet since my childhood. What we always found for cheap in India is now being sold in the western market for significantly higher prices and this makes me really sad for a few reasons.

First of all, I'm not against west adopting our ethnic and traditional designs if

(i) they source these designs and buy art directly from Indian vendors

(ii) give India or Indian art the credit for the said patterns

(iii) do not engage in appropriating what's religiously significant to us

None of these hold true today unfortunately. When Gucci rebranded the Indian kolhapuri chappal (the leather slippers coming from the town of Kolhapur in India), they conveniently erased its origins, marketing them as sheer innovation never seen before. When the Scandinavian scarf was popularized for its minimalism, the west conveniently forgot the decades of discrimination that Indians abroad underwent for not being 'normal' and instead wearing colorful, traditional clothes like salwars and sarees, making them feel inferior to the west. These clothes hold value to us, because despite over 200 years of colonialism and western imperialism, our culture has against all odds stood the test of time - and we preserve it with grace!

When fast fashion markets these clothes as new spring/summer looks - it comes at the cost of exploitation of the same cultures that it sources the materials and art from. I'm talking about Bangladeshi (much of our cultural tradition also transcends India to the entirety of South Asia) textile workers, the Chinese labour, etc. I'm not trying to gatekeep Indian cultural symbols - the most amazing thing that globalization gives us is the quick access to the beauty that other cultures present. I do wear my shirts, jeans, and western skirts - but I do not wear it under the belief that it is Indian, I accept that jeans is an American invention and I respect the comfort that it provides to my body. I guess - that is what I'm asking the west to do with our cultural symbols as well.

Now, to the last point, the 'necklace' that this mannequin wears is the Rudkraksh mala (or at least a mockery of it) that holds religious significance to Hindus - the dominant religion of India. It is supposed to be made with the fruits from a specific tropical tree definitely not found naturally in the 'first world' (minus maybe Australia). It is worn during meditation as rotating through the beads is said to improve focus. Of course - the hippes of the west have been wearing it perhaps without even realizing that you're supposed to chant prayers while carrying it. (People in India themselves don't wear it unless they're religious). Our religious symbolism becomes the west's fashion accessory, when again for years we have been mocked for wearing bindi (the red dot on our forehead) and sindoor (red powder on our hair part) because it's uncool.

I understand that this post could offend a lot of people here. Culturual appropriation is quite a hot, debatable topic and we can agree to disagree on the ethics behind it (even Indians themselves tend to disagree on it). Of course I am happy to read from other perspectives (especially from cultures that have seen their traditions being rebranded)

My post tries to serve two purposes -

1. To educate the curious that not everything you wear is just fashion, but its eons of cultural tradition for some of us - and it would be great if you could learn the origins of it while you flaunt how amazing our clothes look on you

2. Maybe be conscious of where you purchase ethnic wear - and perhaps buy them from Indian vendors rather than western fast fashion or even luxury brands owned by people who have absolutely no cultural connection to Indian textile art.

Edit - I may have been too specific asking to buy from 'Indian vendors' - not acknowledging the shared origins with the rest of South Asian/Arabic countries as well as Iran. We share a lot of culture together. So as an add on, I'd say it wouldn't matter as long as your purchase them from ANY culture that has cultural ties to the fabric styles.