Archive · 30 Jul 2026
India Couture Week Runs Amid Gen Z NEET Protest
India Couture Week is a big fashion show in Delhi where designers show fancy wedding clothes.
It started on July 23, 2024, at the Taj Palace Hotel.
At the same time, students were protesting outside the city because they were upset about a leaked exam paper called NEET.
Journalists had to go back and forth between the fashion show and the protest.
Some designers talked about the protests on social media, but most of the shows stayed the same.
The protests used creative outfits made from newspapers and cotton to show their anger.
The whole thing shows that while fashion is about dreams and fancy clothes, people outside are fighting for real changes.
It reminds us that India has both a glamorous side and a side that wants to fix problems.
India Couture Week began 23 July 2024 in central Delhi, featuring over ten designers showcasing bridal couture.
The event ran concurrently with Gen Z protests over the NEET paper leak, with journalists moving between the runway and protest site at Jantar Mantar.
Some designers, such as Masaba Gupta, Rimzim Dadu, and Tarun Tahiliani, publicly acknowledged the protests, but most shows proceeded without political themes.
Protesters used creative protest outfits, like a tuxedo jacket made from cotton and newspapers, to express dissent.
The contrast highlighted a divide between India's fashion industry’s escapist focus and the country’s political activism.
- Who
- Designers, journalists, Gen Z protesters
- What
- India Couture Week and protests over the NEET paper leak
- When
- 23 July 2024
- Where
- Delhi, Taj Palace Hotel and Jantar Mantar
- Why
- Showcase couture while students demanded government accountability
- Event
- India Couture Week
- Start date
- 23 July 2024
- Location
- Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi
- Protest focus
- NEET paper leak
- Designers acknowledging protests
- Masaba Gupta, Rimzim Dadu, Tarun Tahiliani