India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his well-documented fashion sense was a gift given to him by God, according to a new biography of the premier.

“God has gifted me the sense of mixing and matching colours,” Modi said, according to biographer Lance Price. “Since I’m God gifted I fit well in everything. I have no fashion designer but I’m happy to hear that I dress well.”

Price, a onetime adviser to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, takes an entire chapter to report on the ways Modi has built up his brand, and calls the newly elected Prime Minister a “fashion icon.”

The Indian leader regularly sports designer watches and glasses, and he has a pinstripe suit with his name woven into the design of the stripes. He changes his hand-made shirts multiple times a day to match the background of locations where he’s speaking publicly. And his preference for short-sleeve kurtas has been viewed as a symbol for his efforts to modernize the country.

[WSJ]

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