Fashion
British Columbia Punjabi Brides Turn Into Disney Princesses
SARA HAROWITZ
A Sikh-Canadian couture shop in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, has combined the traditional with the whimsical in a new photo series that imagines Disney princesses as Punjabi brides.
‘Well Groomed’ sells high-end Punjabi outfits and bridal wear. Creative director Jasmine Kaur Nijjar, who is the marketing manager, thought it would be effective to showcase the company's product by adding a level of fairytale.
She explains:
Growing up, girls were told the stories of the beautiful princesses in the Disney movies and books. It's a part of a childhood and the memories that you shared while listening to stories. In Punjabi culture, weddings are looked at as the beginning of new book in your life, so clinging to childhood memories is an emotional process.
Transitioning into married life, a bride often chooses to emulate a princess because of those memories from her childhood. The connection / transition is truly beautiful on a deeper level.
It was important to show how Disney could translate into the traditional Punjabi aesthetic because of the differences between mainstream wedding styles and Punjabi weddings. Punjabi weddings are extremely extravagant and ornate and outfits are extremely bedazzled, whereas mainstream weddings are more simple, sleek, and polished. It was important to be able to marry the two styles and it was perfectly executed with the use of Disney!
The stunning images in "Once Upon A Dress" are featured in South Asian Bride Magazine's current issue.
According to the campaign's photographer Amrit Singh Grewal, Disney princesses are a common theme for weddings in the Lower Mainland. The response to the campaign has been extremely positive, he said.
"There was finally a look that Punjabi brides could aspire to that worked with their ethnicity," Amrit said. "And as a team, we were extremely proud to have been able to provide that joy to them."
[Courtesy: The Huffington Post. Edited for sikhchic.com]
January 17, 2015
Conversation about this article
1: H. Kaur (Canada), January 19, 2015, 12:59 AM.
I wonder how many of these princesses will later wish they hadn't spent so much when they do their 9-5 jobs and worry about how much it will cost for their kids' schooling. I wonder how many will be hoping their first child is a boy or that they have at least one to appease the older ones. I wonder how many have full choice in marrying who they wish to marry. In pictures, of course, anything is possible. Not too long ago, I read that Kate Middleton spends an enormous sum to maintain her look, over $100,000 British pounds a year. Most women don't earn that much, yet so many want to copy her styles.