The stylish “Nehru jacket” popularised by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s has been listed among the top global political fashion statements.
Nehru’s attire has found place in the list that includes the track suit of Cuba’s communist leader Fidel Castro’s and former Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s safari suit, according to the Time magazine.
“The Nehru jacket is a descendant of the northern Indian achkan, a closed-neck, coat like garment usually considered court dress for Indian nobility. Indeed, it was when the jacket was marketed to Western audiences that it took the ‘Nehru’ title, the charismatic Prime Minister having popularised its style in public appearances during his tenure in the government,” according to the magazine.
Nehru wasn’t the only prominent figure associated with it; the minimalist aesthetic of the jacket inspired the likes of the Beatles (who wore the style at their Shea Stadium performance) as well as Sammy Davis Jr, who claimed to own more than 200 of the jackets, according to the publication. Similarly, the report said, Mao Zedong also started a fashion trend.
Labelled in China as the “Zhongshan suit” after Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, Mao brought the four-pocketed tunic back into style during his 30-year reign, earning it the nickname “Mao suit.”