Why do Shvetambara monks and nuns wear white robes?

The Shvetambara sect of Jainism is named for its practice of wearing simple white robes, with the name itself meaning "white-robed."12

While the exact origins of the division between the Shvetambara and the Digambara ("sky-clad") sects remain historically obscure, the use of clothing by Shvetambara ascetics is often associated with a historical concession to hardship. According to some traditional accounts, the practice of wearing white garments was permitted by the leader Sthulabhadra for monks remaining in the north during a period of severe famine, whereas the Digambara sect maintained the stricter, ancient practice of nudity to signify total nonpossession.23

Unlike Digambara monks, who interpret the vow of nonpossession as requiring the abandonment of all clothing, Shvetambara monks and nuns are permitted to retain a few essential possessions, including their robes, an alms bowl, a whisk broom, and a mukhavastrika (a cloth held over the mouth to protect small insects). Both sects share the fundamental Jain commitment to nonviolence and ascetic discipline, though they differ in their specific interpretations of monastic conduct and property.32