Goddess Lakshmi on Swim Suit (Bikini) at Sydney Fashion Show – Fashion Designer Lisa Burke

Goddess Lakshmi on Swim Suit – image of Goddess Lakshmi printed on the bikini. The designer who toyed with image of Goddess Lakshmi and the sentiments of Hindus is Australian Designer – Lisa Burke. Her label is called Lisa Blue Swimwear. This lack of respect for the oldest religion and lack of respect for the religious belief of more than a billion people was displayed at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) held in Sydney (Australia) from May 2-6.

Nothing is going to happen to Hindu tradition because some insensitive Lisa Burke wanted to expand her fashion business empire at the cost of one of the most widely worshipped murti in Hindu tradition.

But it causes a problem to millions of Hindus who have to interact with non-Hindus daily. The image of their deity on a Swim Suit sends out wrong signal to non-Hindus. They have to face embarrassing comments and situations. Not all people are Gandhiji to be tolerant and peaceful and neglect such insensitivity. Such disrespect might make a person or group violent – then it becomes a problem. We already have thousands of other issues to settle. Please do not create more issues.

So it would be wise if people like Lisa Burke would just Google or Bing or talk to some Hindu friends before using the wonderful murtis that are part of Hindu tradition. We know the murtis in Hinduism are so tempting for the fashion industry – but our ancient teachers and saints created a murti with a deep symbolism and universal truth – a symbolism that is universal and applicable in all ages. That is why these murtis survived in spite of repeated attacks, mutilation, misinformation…for more than 2000 years.

To Lisa Burke, we are upset and angry but we will not take the path of violence and neither will any Hindu issue a …... But an apology (at least for namesake) would be nice and immediately recalling all swimwear which showed Hindu Goddess Lakshmi would settle the issue quickly and peacefully.

About Goddess Lakshmi
In Hinduism, Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune, auspiciousness, fortune, power, luxury, beauty and fertility. Also known as Mahalakshmi, or Laxmi, she is the consort of Hindu God Vishnu. In Hindu religion, each deity also has a symbolic meaning. Thus the Wealth represented by Goddess Lakshmi is not limited to material wealth or money but also includes noble values, concentration power of the mind and the intellect, moral and ethical wealth which is needed to tread the path of realization.

Update - Lisa Blue Tenders Apology to Hindu Community

Statement from swimwear label Lisa Blue:Lisa Blue has been born out of a love of conservation, spirituality and a respect for all people. At no time would we ever have intended that the brand would cause offence. The use of images of Goddess Lakshmi was not in any way a measure of calculated risk taking, simply it was a desire to celebrate different cultures and share that through our brand.
We would like to offer an apology to anyone we may have offended and advise that the image of Goddess Lakshmi will not appear on any piece of Lisa Blue swimwear for the new season, with a halt put on all production of the new range and pieces shown on the runway from last week removed. This range will never be available for sale in any stockists or retail outlets anywhere in the world.
We apologise to the Hindu community and take this matter very seriously.