KOZHIKODE: Even as protests gather momentum, especially in Kerala, against Tata-owned fashion retailer Zudio, accused of indirect business ties with Israel, there has been an unexpected twist. Amid slogans of dissent and placards condemning alleged complicity in a humanitarian crisis, Zudio’s outlets are experiencing record-breaking footfall and sales, revealing a fascinating and deeply human paradox between public outrage and private consumption.
At the heart of the controversy lies the accusation that Tata Group, through its multiple ventures including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata Advanced Systems, maintains defence, technology and surveillance partnerships with Israel, a country currently under international scrutiny for its role in the Gaza conflict.
In Kerala, the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, has taken the lead in mobilizing people. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Abdul Wahid, State President of SIO, said, “Israel's actions are a clear violation of international law and human conscience. Even humanitarian aid ships like the Madleen, led by activists such as Greta Thunberg, are being seized. Supporting companies linked to Israel is akin to funding this violence.”
SIO has launched a multi-tiered protest strategy: street demonstrations, social media campaigns, awareness drives in colleges, and alliances with international pro-human rights organizations. Their slogan, “Bloodstains on New Clothes”, now widely shared across Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), directly targets Zudio's rising sales as symbolic of consumer apathy.
“We’re not just boycotting a brand,” says Muhammed Shafaque, Kozhikode District President of SIO. “We are boycotting silence. Every rupee spent must reflect conscience. Placards bearing statements like “Zudio Supports Genocide” and “Our Silence Funds the Bombing” have become common sights at protests in cities like Kozhikode, Kochi, Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram."
Yet, on the other hand, Zudio stores tell a completely different story. Sales have not dropped—they have soared. From Kochi’s Oberon Mall to Kozhikode’s Hilite Mall, shoppers, especially Gen Z and young working-class women, are flooding the aisles.
“I understand the moral debate,” says Ritu Nair, 27, a freelance stylist from Kozhikode. “But I can't afford high-end brands. Zudio gives me trendy clothes within my budget. I want to support humanity, but I also need clothes I can wear to work.”
This view resonates with many middle-class Indians, who see the boycott as either impractical or selectively enforced. Meanwhile, social media influencers and vloggers are launching counter-narratives using hashtags like #ZudioStyleForAll and #FashionWithoutBorders, arguing that fashion should remain apolitical and accessible.
Adding complexity to the discourse is Arif Hussain Theruvath, an ex-Muslim activist and critic of the boycott movement. In a conversation with TNIE, he dissected the campaign’s motivations. “This is not a desi invention. It’s inspired by the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement. But what is often hidden is the selective outrage,” Arif argued. “Where was this energy for Yemen or Sudan? Or for the Hindu minorities in Pakistan? It’s not universal morality—it’s religious sentiment.”
He went on to challenge the idea of ‘genocide’ being selectively applied and criticised what he described as “anti-Semitism disguised as humanitarianism.” According to him, the public surge towards Zudio stores represents a form of grassroots rebuttal.
“The people didn’t wait for the right wing to respond. They saw through the double standards and supported Zudio on their own. That’s how we democratize response to religious extremism—without enabling political polarization.”
Arif also pointed to the irony of targeting Tata, a conglomerate deeply embedded in India’s infrastructure—from software to aviation, and even the passport system (TCS manages the backend). “It’s a convenient target, but an unrealistic boycott,” he added.
During the Eid shopping spree, Zudio outlets launched massive festival offers—a move seen by some as capitalising on timing, and by others as an innocent seasonal sale. Either way, it led to a sales boom, with some stores running out of stock of popular designs. A staff member at Zudio’s Kozhikode outlet, requesting anonymity, confirmed the spike. “We’ve had one of the highest footfalls in the past six months. Even with the protests happening outside some stores, the shopping never stopped.”
SIO has declared to intensify its campaign, especially in universities and youth spaces. Their next step includes collaborative digital campaigns with international activists, and they also observed global protest events on June 12, including a humanitarian march from Egypt to the Rafah border, where doctors and peace advocates from 31 countries are participating.
Yet, the consumer wave shows no sign of withdrawing. In malls and shopping streets across Kerala, customers are consciously or subconsciously choosing affordability, aesthetics, and access—often in tension with the idealism of international justice. As one customer put it while leaving a Zudio store near Indoor Stadium in Kozhikode, “I understand the bigger picture, but right now, I need a kurti that fits. Maybe that’s selfish. Or maybe that’s just life.”
Top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have strongly condemned the boycott campaign against Tata-owned Zudio. Former BJP state chief K Surendran described the Tata group as a "pillar of India’s economic strength" and criticised the protestors as extremists with divisive intentions. Sharing a video of himself shopping at a Zudio store, he wrote, “Those calling for a boycott of Tata over its alleged support for Israel are not just targeting a company—they’re targeting the very fabric of India. Today it’s Zudio, tomorrow it will be India itself. This wave of extremism must be firmly resisted.”