- Ralph Lauren faces backlash over zardozi-like embroidery showcased in its Spring Summer 2027 collection.
- Designer Prakhar Rao Singh Chandel called out the brand for not crediting Indian craftsmanship or artisans.
- Social media users demanded greater recognition for Indian crafts
American fashion house Ralph Lauren is facing backlash over "embellishments" that look a lot like India's zardozi. The luxury house unveiled its Spring Summer 2027 collection at the New York Fashion Week, and among many looks displayed on the runway, one particular look captured the attention. This comes a year after Prada, another global fashion behemoth, was embroiled in a controversy after launching footwear similar to Kolhapuri.
The evening-wear gown in a deep pink shade has been the centre of criticism for the lack of credit to Indian craftsmanship. The official Instagram handle of Ralph Lauren posted close-up shots of the embroidery and wrote, “Draped with shimmering silk-viscose and scattered with hand-applied embellishments, an eveningwear gown from #RalphLaurenSpring2027 makes a cinematic statement.”
The embroidery in question is zardozi, which originated in Persia at least 300 years ago and was popularised in India during the Mughal rule. The controversy began after fashion designer Prakhar Rao Singh Chandel shared an Instagram post, highlighting that zardozi has been registered in Lucknow and six surrounding districts since 2013, and nearly one lakh seventy-five thousand artisans work in that cluster. He also pointed out how the Instagram post shared by Ralph Lauren described the cloth without giving due credit to the art or the artisans.
Prakhar further criticised Ralph Lauren's comment on history and character in the original post, where the American designer stated he wanted each piece to feel as though it carries its own history and character. “Whose history? Whose character?” Prakhar questioned.
He further called out international brands for repeatedly taking inspiration from Indian craft without any credit and later issued apologies. “We already know how this goes, because we watched it last year. Prada showed Kolhapuri-style sandals in Milan in June 2025, and the show notes called them leather sandals. India was named two days after the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce wrote to their board. That is the tactic. Say nothing, take the applause, and produce the credit only once somebody forces you to. Name it when you use it. Not when you get caught,” he wrote.
Many users flooded the comment section calling out the luxury fashion house. “It's funny because Indians are never the first choice in the hiring process for the luxury industry, and yet we are the most cosplayed,” one of them wrote.
“WE. NEED. TO. GET. GI. TAGS. FOR. OUR. CRAFTS,” another demanded.
“Honestly this year somehow the cultural appropriation is off the charts,” someone else commented.
“This thing is really not hard. If you take inspiration from somewhere, pay homage to that place. To that culture. That's integrity,” another added.
This is not the first time when Ralph Lauren has been involved in such controversies. In August 2026, Ralph Lauren faced intense online backlash after listing a pre-draped saree on its e-commerce platform as the "Botanical Embellished Draped Overlay Maxi Dress", and in March 2026, their models were seen wearing bell-shaped earrings resembling Indian jhumkas, which the brand labelled as “authentic vintage accessories".
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