Sabyasachi was slammed for "demeaning something as scared as the mangalsutra" (File photo)
Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is facing a huge backlash online over jewellery ads featuring same-sex and heterosexual couples wearing his Royal Bengal Mangalsutra collection.
The ads showcase the designer's "Intimate Fine Jewellery" collection and some photos show models in intimate apparel wearing a mangalsutra, which is a traditional necklace worn by women in India after their wedding.
The ad campaign did not go down well with a section of social media with several users accusing the designer of hurting sentiment and denigrating the mangalsutra.
"What are you exactly advertising? No one will wear this jewellery now coz you have shown the world that if I wear that jewellery I must be some cheapo! please take care of your campaigns (sic)," a user wrote in the comments section on Instagram.
"May be the person who is financing #Sabyasachi work -believes in nudity! Such filthy Ads depicts 'mazboori 'of its maker, nothing else. Shameful," another comment read.
The designer was also slammed for "demeaning" something as sacred as the mangalsutra".
The Kolkata-based designer did receive support from a section of the internet.
This is not the first time Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been trolled on social media.
In August, he had to put out an official statement after his collection launched online was fully "sold out" in India and global markets, and people complained that everything was beyond their reach.
"It's why I designed an extensive range, so everyone could get something. This would also mean giving unlimited access to our Bengal Tiger logo, something that we hold very close to us, it's almost sacred. A lot of marketing folks would consider this strategy harakiri for a luxury brand, but I believe that sustainable success never comes from the mind, always from the heart," Sabyasachi wrote.
Days ago, on October 19, Indian clothing brand Fabindia withdrew an advertisement for a clothing collection - called 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' - after senior BJP leaders accused it of 'defacing' Diwali by linking the festival to an Urdu term.