European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not only signed the “mother of all trade deals” with India, but her outfits are grabbing headlines too.
Von der Leyen, who is in New Delhi to attend the 16th India-EU summit on Tuesday, put in an appearance a day earlier when she joined India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders at the country's Republic Day parade.
For the occasion, she chose a gold and maroon sherwani, or long jacket, by designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, and paired it with crisp white trousers. Singh said the sherwani's brocade was crafted by the weavers of Varanasi, who are regarded as the custodians of the centuries-old weaving tradition.
Later on Monday, von der Leyen was spotted in a second Singh creation, a golden bandhgala or high-collared jacket.
On Tuesday, von der Leyen chose another bandhgala, this time in a shade of blue, by Indian designer Anamika Khanna. The jacket was accentuated with intricate lace embroidery around the chest, arms and hem. She once again paired her look with a pair of white trousers and heels.
Von der Leyen began her day at Hyderabad House where she and European Council President Antonio Costa met Modi. They then attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Yesterday, a big agreement was signed between the European Union and India,” Modi said. “This agreement will bring major opportunities for the 1.4 billion people of India and the millions of people in Europe.”
Von der Leyen wrote on X earlier that “Europe and India are making history”.
“We have concluded the mother of all deals. We have created a free trade zone of two billion people, with both sides set to benefit,” she said.
Modi and von der Leyen are expected to make a joint announcement and share details of the deal at the India-EU summit later on Tuesday.
