Belarusian designer created a fashionable dress for an Indian model. In India, they decided she just wrapped herself in a flag
A discussion has erupted in India around a dress created by Belarusian designer Darya Chermashentseva. The outfit, in the colors of the Indian tricolor, was worn by actress and model Urvashi Rautela. Some social media users believed that such use of national symbolism might contradict the rules for handling the national flag. Rautela herself insists: the dress does not copy the flag but is merely inspired by it.
Urvashi Rautela is an Indian actress, model, and beauty pageant winner. In 2015, she represented India at the Miss Universe pageant. On August 23, Rautela was on the jury for the Miss Universe India 2026 final in Jaipur. There, she appeared in the dress by the Belarusian designer.
As the Indian publication Dainik Bhaskar writes, the outfit was made in orange, white, and green colors, and a blue circular element, similar to the Ashoka Chakra – the wheel in the center of the Indian national flag – was placed on the belt. The dress had a long train that lay on the floor.
After photos appeared on social media, some users criticized the outfit. The fact is that strict rules for the use of the national flag apply in India. According to Indian legislation on the protection of national honor, the national flag cannot be used as part of clothing or uniform, nor can it be embroidered or printed on material for clothing. In addition, the flag must not be intentionally allowed to touch the ground or floor.
Therefore, critics drew attention not only to the similarity of the colors and the central element of the dress to the Indian tricolor but also to its long train, which touched the floor. At the same time, there are no reports that the Indian authorities have deemed the outfit a violation of the law.
Rautela responded by stating that the dress was intended as a declaration of love for her country.
"I carry my country with me not just as a nationality, but as a part of my identity," she explained. According to the actress, she wanted the outfit not just to show where she was from but also to convey what India means to her.
Rautela emphasized that the dress is not a copy of the national flag. According to her, when creating the outfit, the shades, proportions, and arrangement of colors were intentionally altered: the horizontal stripes of the flag became vertical, and the chakra transformed into a decorative element. Glitter and fringe were also used, and the orange and green colors, according to the actress, differ from the official shades of the Indian flag.
As Rautela revealed, the dress was created by Belarusian designer Darya Chermashentseva, who works under the brand DASHA Fashion Couture, based in Dubai and specializing in luxury women's clothing. A significant portion of the garments are handmade in the brand's own atelier. According to Rautela, work on the dress in the colors of the Indian tricolor took about three months.
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