【聯合報╱By VANESSA FRIEDMAN╱陳世欽譯】
A Leader Who Is What He Wears
India’s leaders have perhaps understood the use of clothing as a communication device better and longer than any of their international peers. There is Mohandas K. Gandhi’s adoption of the dhoti, Jawaharlal Nehru’s jacket, and Indira and Sonia Gandhi’s saris, made from traditional Indian khadi . But among them, Narendra Modi stands out.
India’s new prime minister has worn a unique garment so often that it is now officially named after him: the Modi Kurta, a revisionist version of the classic Indian tunic shirt with half-length sleeves. The tailor behind it, Bipin Chauhan of the clothing chain Jade Blue, has trademarked the style and is taking it to Britain, the United States and Southeast Asia. It has its own Twitter hashtag (#ModiKurta), and there is an e-commerce site (modimania.
com) devoted to getting the Modi look — begun because, the mission statement says, Mr. Modi “has become a brand not only in India but across the world.” It all speaks to Mr. Modi’s success in associating his personal style with his political platform, to the benefit of both. The Modi Kurta does not represent an extraordinary aesthetic advance, but it symbolizes a set of values, and therein lies its allure.
“Never before has there been such a strong convergence between what a politician in India stands for and his clothing,” said Priya Tanna, the editor of Vogue India.
Mr. Modi’s choice of a kurta, she said, underscores a cultural image that is “100 percent India.” It is democratic — anyone can dress in the same way. It supports local industry. It underscores Mr. Modi’s humble beginnings (he was the son of a tea seller) .
The fact that Mr. Modi’s kurta is always crisp and neat, and often colorful (he has appeared in orange, chartreuse and light blue, among other colors) provides a clear contrast to what India Today called “the era of unkempt, paan-chewing (politicians) with pot bellies, crumpled dhotis and discolored kurtas.” It suggests a clear embrace of professionalism and business.
Mr. Modi’s kurtas are made from materials that include organic cottons and silks, and go with his unabashed fondness for nice watches (he has a Movado) and sunglasses (Bulgari). It is the sort of aspirational dressing that mirrors the vision he has for his country and its industries.
And this is further highlighted by the story of his tailor, who began by sewing outside garment shops, now has a chain of stores and has become something of a celebrity thanks to his famous client .
Mr. Chauhan has famously proclaimed, “Modi had once told me he cannot compromise on three things: his eyes, his voice and his clothes.”
This kind of admitted image- making creates an obvious attack point. T he rival Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, snip ed that Mr. Modi “changes 500 kurtas a day” during the campaign.
But the creation of a visual shorthand for a belief system that is widely recognized and approved, judging by the numbers who have begun to dress like him, looks to have been worth the risk. The question now that he is in power is whether his style and message will change .
At his swearing-in, for example, Mr. Modi swapped his shortsleeve kurta for a full-sleeved button-cuffed version. This spark ed debate on Twitter over whether the more-formal look was a positive sign .
The conversation means he has established the idea that his clothing has meaning worth parsing. Which, regardless of whether Mr. Modi creates more fads à la Sonia Gandhi and her cotton saris , is perhaps the trend most worth watching.
中譯
以穿著方式作為溝通工具，印度領導人對這件事的瞭解可能比其他國家領導人都要來得深刻，歷史也更悠久。甘地用纏腰布，尼赫魯用外罩，甘地夫人與國大黨現任領導人桑妮亞‧甘地則用以傳統印度土布裁製的莎麗服。然而遍數歷代領導人，最突出者非現任總理莫迪莫屬。
莫迪經常穿著的獨特服飾已被正式命名為莫迪庫塔。它是典型印度無袖長袍式襯衫的改良版，袖子長度減半。幕後的裁縫師是「藍玉」連鎖服飾的丘罕，不但已經為它取得商標，而且把它帶到英國、美國與東南亞。它擁有用於檢索特定主題的推特井字標籤（#ModiKurta）及專門用於瀏覽莫迪穿著模樣的電子商務網站（modimania. com）。網站聲稱，開辦的主因是莫迪「已經成為印度乃至全世界的品牌」。
這正足以說明莫迪已經成功地以個人風格融合其政見，而且讓二者皆能受益。莫迪庫塔並不代表特別的美學進步，卻象徵一套價值觀，而這也正是它的魅力所在。
「印度時尚」雜誌主編普莉雅‧譚納說：「從無任何印度政治人物以如此強烈的方式結合政治理念與個人穿著。」她說，莫迪選擇庫塔標舉一種「百分之百印度」的文化形象。它非常民主；任何人都可以如此穿著。它也有助於推廣在地產業。它凸顯莫迪的寒微出身。（他是茶販之子）
莫迪的庫塔始終顯得俐落而整齊，而且經常色彩鮮艷（他採用的顏色包括橘黃色、淡黃綠色與淡藍色），與「今日印度」雜誌所說，「嘴裡嚼食印度檳榔葉，整體外觀蓬亂、纏腰布起皺、庫塔褪色的舊時代大肚皮印度政客」形成強烈對比。它表達出對於專業與認真任事的執著。
莫迪的庫塔以包括有機棉及絲綢在內的材質裁製，同時搭配他偏愛的高級手錶（他有一支摩凡陀）及太陽眼鏡（寶格麗），他豪不遮掩自己對這些東西的喜愛。這種象徵追求成就的穿著方式反映他為印度及其產業勾勒的願景。
莫迪專屬裁縫師的經歷進一步凸顯這一切。丘罕最初在成衣店外工作，目前不僅已經擁有連鎖店面，且因莫迪之故也算成了名人。
丘罕曾經說：「莫迪對我說過，有三件事他絕不馬虎：他的眼睛、他的聲音，以及他的穿著。」
如此自承營造形象，讓莫迪的政敵抓到了攻訐的把柄。主要政敵社會黨領導人亞達夫中傷他的時候說，選戰期間，莫迪「一天換500次庫塔」。
然而為一種獲得廣泛認同的信仰體系創造視覺上的簡明表達方式，從許多人開始仿效他穿著的方式看來，似乎這個風險值得。
莫迪既已主政，現在的關鍵是他的風格與所欲傳達的訊息是否會改變。
例如，莫迪宣誓就職時，把短袖的庫塔換成長袖的有釦庫塔。人們在推特上熱烈議論這種看起來比較正式的穿著方式是不是一種正面符號。
這意味，他已經確立個人穿著背後的意義值得再三玩味的觀念。無論莫迪能否創造更多類似桑妮亞‧甘地及其棉質莎麗的流行，這可能是最值得觀察的趨勢。
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