Young South Asians are reinventing the dupatta and calling it #ScarfScience, #ChaatCore
If you still think a dupatta is just a cloth used only over a salwar suit, you have been living under a rock — it’s time to log into Instagram and catch up on what you have missed. Young South Asians aren't just wearing their culture on their sleeve — they are remixing it. By calling it #ScarfScience, #ChaatCore, fashion has come a long way from just crop tops and jeans, but one thing is clear — it’s not nostalgia, it’s reinvention.
Across the globe in cities like London, Toronto, Melbourne, and India, the new fashion language has taken a fluent move from pairing juttis to ripped jeans, lehenga blouse to miniskirts, and the bandhani scarf? It’s tied around the wrist, head, or waist — anywhere but the traditional shoulder.
Culture, With a Twist
Out with the overthinking overt styling, “heritage’’ is the new piece that is worn not only for festivals but now as part of everyday drip. Fashion is better when it resembles, spicy, chatpata, messy flavour of chaat. “Chaat-core” is a term coined by Gen Z to mix their love of fashion and chat into one outfit.
It is mostly seen with bindis next to bucket hats, lehenga skirts worn with hoodies, and mirror work vests layered over graphic tees. It’s not about fusion, or watered-down tradition — this is a styling intent which is not just aesthetic but playful. “Wearing a bandhni top with my cargos isn’t me trying to be ironic,” says Nihal Ghosh, a Mumbai-based fashion enthusiast who frequently styles desi fabrics with Y2K silhouettes. “It’s me saying I love this fabric, I grew up with it, and it looks cool on the street. Period.”
The occasional online backlash of “diluting” tradition does come up, but the take is simple: We’re not cosplaying our culture. We are the culture. We’re just doing it on our terms.
Fashion Without Filter
What sets this movement apart from the neatly boxed fashion is its unconventional outfit pairings — Fashion that’s hyper-local and globally relevant at the same time. A dupatta can be a shawl today, skirt tomorrow or tied around like a crop top, there are no wrong moves here only bolder ones.
A traditional salwar suit top might be styled with combat boots. A kalamkari wrap may sit comfortably next to cargo pants. There are no rules, and that’s the point. For years,
traditional wear was boxed
into occasions such as weddings, Diwali, Christmas, Gudi Padwa, Eid, or an office ethnic day.
But the youth of today are
not going to wait that long.
If a lehenga top works for brunch, why not? If a chikankari dupatta adds flair to a denim jacket, even better.
“The intention matters,” says Priya Chopra, a Stylist.
“It’s one thing when a Gen Z desi reclaims their nani’s sari and wears it with Doc Martens. It’s another when someone uses Indian prints or religious symbols without understanding their significance.” This wardrobe rebellion is not about aesthetics — it’s deeply personal. Many desis grow up being told their clothes were too Indian or not modern enough. But now they are reclaiming those very same pieces and wearing them on their terms — unapologetically.
Trad Meets Techwear
In the digital age of TikTok and outfit reels, this fashion mash-up is speaking volumes. It’s the visual storytelling that brings out the finest culture from us — Indian fashion has always had range. These outfits hint at a history that was a whisper of rebellion in itself. The Mughals didn’t just bring empire — they brought opulence, with jamawar shawls, silk angarkhas, and headpieces heavy with stories. The Maharajas of the princely states wore custom-made Cartier and Savile Row suits before it was cool, pairing them with velvet turbans and embroidered juttis.
Pairing heritage with hyper-modern elements has become a signature. This isn’t dressing up to make a point. It’s simply people wearing what feels like them, from Bollywood movies to Tinder dates between temple visits. This is not a return to roots — it’s proof the roots were always there, growing through whatever concrete culture tried to pour over them. “Thanks to platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, young people have visual references from all over the world. But instead of copying the West, they’re remixing Indian silhouettes into streetwear. They’re making heritage look hot again,” says Devika Menon, a freelance stylist.
Closet Rebellion
This style movement isn’t a trend — it’s a timeline. Young desis are creating their aesthetic archives, where memory and mood mix freely. One that stretches from family heirlooms to indie fashion pop-ups. “It’s subtle nods,
not full-on ethnic. A pair of temple earrings with a boiler suit. A Nath with a leather jacket. It’s chaotic but chic,” states Menon. The Dupatta can be turned into many things: A crop top, wrap skirt, belt and headscarf. Young South Asians aren’t discarding tradition. They’re draping and pinning it with safety pins.
