The uproar against Italian high-fashion brand Prada appropriating India's Kolhapuri chappals hasn't even died down that another high fashion brand is in the dock for a similar, err, offence. This time, it is Dior.
Jonathan Anderson, who has been appointed the sole creative director of womenswear and menswear at Christian Dior, showcased his debut collection for the luxury label in Paris on June 27, 2025. The show created a lot of buzz online, with celebrities such as Robert Pattinson, Rihanna, Daniel Craig and more in attendance.
Fashion commentator and content creator Hanan Besnovic, who runs the Instagram handle @ideservecouture, made a video of a particular gold and ivory coat with a houndstooth design.
He accompanied his post with the caption, "34 days to create a 200k Dior coat? Well here is a little more context to Dior's 200k coat!"
The Dior coat with mukaish embroidery. Photo: Getty Images
This intricately crafted coat stands out because of its use of mukaish work, a metal-strand embroidery technique from Lucknow.
Hanan Besnovic too pointed out in his video, "Why is it a 200k dollar coat? Well, there's a little more context to it. The coat is from the debut collection of Jonathan Anderson for Dior, but the procedure used to make this coat is not easy. First of all, the embroidery that you see on this coat is made by using the traditional mukaish technique. This is a traditional Indian hand embroidery technique."
He adds how mukaish embroidery is done, and also says that 12 embroiderers were required to make this coat, and that it took 34 days to create it.
Where's The Credit?
But what is absolutely appalling and unacceptable is the fact that Indian artisans have not been given their due credit for the exquisite craftsmanship that went behind creating this sartorial genius of an overcoat for Dior.
The Dior fiasco comes just days after Prada's much-hyped Kolhapuri row, wherein they conveniently skipped any mention of India. It was only after much outrage on social media that Prada finally acknowledged that their leather sandals were "inspired by the Indian handcrafted footwear from the Maharashtra and Karnataka region".
Now, as the dust cools down on Prada, Dior has raked up yet another credit storm. And not without reason. After all, mukaish is a well-known Lucknawi embroidery technique.
What Is Mukaish Embroidery?
Mukaish is a traditional Indian embroidery that finds its roots in Lucknow and involves the use of strands of metal. These strands are twisted into a pattern that forms a design that is the hallmark of craftsmanship.
The wires are used to create two distinct types of embroidery. These are kamdani - which features the entire pattern filled using badla work, and mukaish which is otherwise called 'fardi ka kaam', which employs metal wires being inserted and twisted into the fabric to create small dots of floral and geometric patterns.
While the gold mukaish dots are common, the houndstooth pattern on the Dior coat is not quite, and was meticulously created over 34 days.
Mukaish, a dying craft from Lucknow, is an age-old embroidery technique with very few artisans still practising it and crafting mukaish sarees and dupatta. It is mostly done to highlight chikankari work.
Over the years, Lucknow's chikankari has travelled far and wide across the globe, but mukaish remained confined to the city's narrow lanes. Till Dior picked it up and splayed it across a Paris runway, only to leave out any mention of the Indian craft.
Also Read | NDTV Exclusive: Prada Acknowledges Sandals Inspired By Indian Kolhapuri Footwear
Also Read: Maria Grazia Chiuri Takes Likely Final Bow As Dior Creative Director After Ethereal Rome Show
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