'Something incredible': Brentwood woman among 1,000 in sarees at Ascot
Skyler King
There were 1,000 women in sarees on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot - Credit: Kamal Magecha
A Brentwood woman was among 1,000 history makers attending Royal Ascot in sarees.
The women wore the traditional south Asian garment on June 16 to Ladies Day at the famous horse racing meet.
The event’s organiser, Dr Dipti Jain, titled the day Royal Ascot in Sarees and she began planning the event a year ago with her fellow NHS doctors, including King’s College London consultant Dr Rina Dutta.
Their goal was to share their cultural pride with the community and women came from all over the world including India, the USA and the Middle East.
Among the attendees was Malawi-native Kamal Magecha, from Brentwood.
“For me, wearing a saree is very traditional and something that I tend to do more on special occasions,” Kamal said.
“It’s amazing to wear them to an occasion where you don’t generally see anything like that. To be part of this group of 1,000 women wearing them to an event like this was something incredible.”
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For Kamal, the event was key in showcasing greater cultural diversity.
“It’s not just Western culture that has a sense of fashion,” Kamal said.
“Every single culture has its own fashion trends, and fashion items, that they would wear for weddings and celebrations.”
She added: “I don’t see any reason why we can’t turn up in our traditional dress,.
“And why it can’t be celebrated to say ‘that looks amazing. Maybe I wouldn’t personally wear it, but on you it’s stunning. How do you wear it?’
"Let’s learn more about each other.”
For the ladies in sarees, it was a day to honour their culture in hope of a better future.
Dr Dutta said they wanted to ensure the cloth is "celebrated not just by us, but by our children and all the generations to follow".
“Fashion trends ebb and flow, but the saree is timeless and elegant,” she added.
“We hope to promote diversity and inclusion, and make wearing cultural attire at public events a celebration of this.”
