The Most Stylish Thing You Can Wear This Season Is The Naga Shawl

For Zaben Murry, shawls weren't always a wardrobe staple. “I wasn’t much of a shawl shopper initially—I wanted modern clothes,” the jewellery designer from Dimapur admits. “Now, I feel more invested in buying traditional clothes and have a small collection of shawls.”

Come winters, or when he is travelling to colder parts of Nagaland—such as his native village, Wokha—you will often spot Murry with a shawl draped over a leather jacket or with a shirt and overlay. “I wear shawls for warmth, but they also add a traditional look to more modern clothes. A shawl looks fabulous with formalwear, much better than it does with casuals,” says Murry, recalling how, during the Hornbill Festival 2024 where he had a stall, his yellow and black shawl—featuring Naga-inspired contemporary motifs—paired with a black shirt and Prada necktie, earned him compliments all evening.

SHAWL, KINTEM; KURTA, JAYANTI REDDYAnubhav Sood

Shawls are ubiquitous on occasions like the Hornbill Festival, one of Nagaland’s most popular cultural festivals, hosted annually between December 1 and 10. Clothes are inherently codes for identity, but few are as iconic as Naga shawls, which serve also as conduits of lived experience and collective values. “Naga shawls are still very much a part of life and identity in Nagaland,” says Sentila T Yanger, a Padma Shri-recipient textile specialist, conservationist and entrepreneur.

There’s more to these shawls than their roles as ceremonial attire. The colour palette is consistently striking—red and indigo, black and white—with punctuations of geometry and motifs drawn from nature. In a community known for its fashion-forward sensibilities, shawls take on a multi-functional quality, serving style with hoodies and jackets, shorts sets and denim. No one seems to appreciate this chameleonic quality of Naga shawls more than men of the community themselves, as they find fresh ways to reinvent the drape for conferences, music festivals, Sunday brunches and soirées.

Zaben Murry, teaming his black and yellow shawl with a black shirt and a Prada necktieAnubhav Sood

EVERY MAJOR TRIBE OF NAGALAND HAS ITS OWN distinctive designs, colours and motifs, as do other ethnic groups that make up the larger Naga community. Every shawl is traditionally designated to be worn by men and women according to gender, tribe, socioeconomic status and achievements. Take, for instance, the Tsüngkotepsü, a traditional warrior shawl from the Ao Naga community, once bestowed upon men as a symbol of their high standing. Wearing the Chipikwü or Elicüra shawls—known by many names and distinguished by their elephants, mithun (bison), flora-fauna and cosmic motifs—is traditionally a privilege that has to be earned. Part of the repertoire of Chakhesang shawls, which are Nagaland’s only GI-tagged textiles, the Elicüra remains a mark of great honour and deeply coveted.

The stories and symbolism woven into these shawls make these drapes akin to generational treasures. While Murry, who belongs to the Lotha tribe, slowly builds his collection, he particularly cherishes one shawl that comes from his grandparents. “I don’t wear it as the shawl is old, but I have preserved it as an heirloom,” he says.

Shawls also evoke personal memories for culinary content creator and entrepreneur Athan Zimik, whose love for them began in childhood, sparked by his grandmother wrapping him in an old shawl. That particular shawl remains in memory, but another family heirloom that Zimik has in his possession is almost a hundred years old—a Raivat Kachon (worn by leaders in the Tangkhul Naga community) his grandfather received in 1932 on the day of his coronation ceremony as tribal chief. “I’ve never had to repair it. I wear it on special occasions,” he says.

Zimik wears shawls regularly, especially on ceremonial occasions or events when he is representing his community. Since 2012, he has also been collecting vintage shawls, and the collection has come to 72. “I’ve always been proud of my identity, and for me, textiles are a cultural heritage that bridges our past and present,” Zimik says.

Athan Zimik in his grandfather's ceremonial Raivat KachonAnubhav Sood

IT IS PERHAPS MATERIALS THAT HAVE PLAYED a bigger role in the evolution of shawls, with the rise of acrylic and mill-made textiles as well as synthetic yarns and dyes. “However, the tradition of handwoven cottons has never died out,” adds Yanger. “Small groups and rural communities have kept it alive, and now there’s a renewed, discerning interest in reviving these practices.”

Conflating tradition with contemporaneity is what drives Moala Longchar, founder of Kintem. Founded in 2023, Kintem is a contemporary Naga textiles label, offering mekhalas, shawls and accessories.“ We've been developing designs that appeal to a broader audience, all while respecting cultural integrity,” says Longchar, who honed her craft knowledge and entrepreneurial skills working with her mother, an entrepreneur whose Dimapur-based weaving unit specialises in producing community textiles from mufflers and stoles to shawls, especially for the Ao Naga tribe.

While rooted in the textiles she grew up watching her mother weave, Longchar brings fresh colour-ways to her designs, reinvents traditional motifs and patterns and incorporates non-synthetic yarns like cotton and eri silk. Shawls are among Kintem’s most popular offerings, with designs like the LORA—a deep red shawl with black stripes—consistently selling out over seasons. She is also working to reintroduce cotton and natural dyes, such as the indigo-dyed Osak shawl.

The enduring appeal of Naga shawls among the community notwithstanding, the big potential for entrepreneurs and artisans lies in new markets. In recent years, exhibitions and social media have broadened the reach of local makers. Longchar notes that Kintem’s shawls find takers among men across Indian cities.

For inspiration, turn to Amitabh Bachchan, who has worn Naga shawls since his younger years, draping it over white kurta pyjamas. Or, take your cues from Naga men and wear it with a leather jacket. Your outfit will sing.

Anubhav Sood

Ways of Draping

Offsetting formalities

In a community known for its fashionforward sensibilities, the Naga shawl can serve style with hoodies and jackets, shorts sets and denim. Then again, on the flipside, according to Zaben Murry, “a shawl looks fabulous with formalwear, much better than it does with casuals.”

Trysts with tailoring

Sentila T Yanger notes their adaptation into waistcoats that allows men to integrate the textiles into their tailored wardrobe while making “an identity statement”. Naga guitarist Zayie Zacchaeus often wears such waistcoats during performances, pairing them with wide-legged trousers and Japanese-inspired ensembles that recall Yohji Yamamoto.

Photography By: Anubhav Sood

Styled by: Palak Valecha

Model: Satvik Rai (Agency: Inega)

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