From veshtis to hoodies: How Tamil Nadu’s election fashion got a Gen Z makeover
Tamil Nadu's political fashion has evolved significantly ahead of the 2026 Assembly Elections, with traditional attire giving way to modern styles influenced by Gen Z aesthetics. Leaders are embracing hoodies, custom T-shirts, and screenprinted garments featuring party symbols and leader portraits. This shift reflects broader changes driven by social media, fast fashion, and youth engagement in politics.
- ▪Political campaign attire in Tamil Nadu now includes hoodies, custom T-shirts, and accessories featuring party symbols and leader images.
- ▪Sales of party-branded clothing have surpassed those of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with increased demand for modern designs.
- ▪The Dravidian movement originally used black and red as symbolic colors, but later parties like DMK adopted white khadi to distance themselves from earlier ideologies.
- ▪Gen Z voters are influencing political campaigns through AI, holograms, and Instagram-focused events like bicycle rides.
- ▪Shopkeepers across Tamil Nadu report a surge in demand for branded clothing, including saris, shirts, mufflers, and towels in party colors and designs.
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It is not often that Tamil Nadu’s voters see a sitting Chief Minister in tailored trousers while addressing the public. Nor have chudidars traditionally been part of the campaign trail. Bright, eye-catching colours have become the new political uniform, and we even have reels teaching supporters how to replicate the look of the TVK chief.Who would have thought we would live in a world where a bridal house creates an ornate TVK blouse, complete with two squirrels rising from a fan of whistles? Chennai: Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami with BJP leader and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan during an election roadshow at the Mylapore constituency, ahead of the state Assembly elections, in Chennai district, Wednesday, March…
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