The good ol' ostrich leather seems to be a hot favourite among those accused of bank fraud.
New Delhi: Punjab National Bank scam accused, fugitive Nirav Modi, was recently spotted in London. Modi is wanted in Rs 13,000 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank in collusion with his uncle Mehul Choksi.
While his presence in Britain itself is a shocking revelation, it was Modi's ostrich leather jacket that hogged all the limelight. In a video released by UK-based newspaper, The Telegraph, the absconding diamantaire was seen sporting a highly expensive jacket made of ostrich skin. While the brand of the jacket still remains a mystery(Is it Gucci or Saint Laurent or neither?), there is a strong possibility the design house may never come forward since the netizens had a field day criticising the 'ugly' jacket.
That definitely is an overpriced ugly jacket for £10K. Mr Modi should visit Srinagar & I am sure our sunday flea market will have better options at affordable prices 🤐 https://t.co/G26oEkzzu1
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti)Also read: Rahul, remember your meeting with Nirav? Shehzad asks
The jacket reportedly costs Rs 9 Lakhs and is up there in the high-end leather hierarchy with alligator, python, and crocodile hides. Ostrich leather has a natural polka-dotesque pattern that makes it a go-to choice of leather for leading couture brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Saint Laurent etc.
However, it seems that ostrich leather is soon going to be infamous as the go-to sartorial choice for fraudsters. Before Nirav Modi's appearance in the button-down jacket, former aide of American president Donald Trump, Paul Manafort also made headlines for splurging on goodies made with...you guessed it...ostrich leather.
Also read: Will you buy these sneakers for Rs 60,000? Fashion house Gucci thinks so
Manafort was recently sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax and bank fraud. During his trial, it emerged that he once spent more than $400,000 in a single year on his own personal wardrobe that included “custom $15,000 jacket made from an ostrich,” a “$9,500 vest made from ostrich,” and a “$18,500 jacket made from python skin” from New York City luxury menswear store Alan Couture.
Behold. The $15,000 ostrich coat Manafort bought with an international wire transfer, according to a men’s clothier who testified today. Government exhibit pic.twitter.com/BjuQ39ZeJ0
— Kara Scannell (@KaraScannell)There's also a $9,500 ostrich vest from Alan Couture, from the invoices, but sadly no photo. Also an $18,500 python jacket, guessing it's this: pic.twitter.com/EsDZiUwBF7
— Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp)There was a time when a stereotypical attire of villains in movies was either a pinky finger ring or an eye patch or just statement gold jewellery. However, now an ostrich leather jacket may just be the ultimate epitome of playing a villain onscreen. Are you listening, Bollywood?
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