India has always inspired the global fashion world, but 2025 took the relationship to a new, somewhat chaotic place.
This was the year high fashion brands dipped into Indian culture so often, and occasionally so carelessly. From Milan runways to Paris ateliers to glossy campaigns pretending a dupatta is suddenly Scandinavian scraf, luxury houses found themselves repeatedly called out for design lifting, cultural erasure and the usual brand-world amnesia when it came to giving credit.
Here is how the year unfolded: a fashion calendar that India definitely did not ask for.
Prada Discovers Kolhapuri Chappals
One of the biggest storms broke in June, when Prada unveiled sandals on the Milan runway that looked suspiciously like Kolhapuri chappals. The price tag? Over Rs 1.2 lakh. The acknowledgment of the craft's Indian origins? Non-existent.
Prada, but make it heritage. Photo: Prada
Indian artisans, fashion watchdogs and even government officials were quick to point out that the silhouette was unmistakably Kolhapuri, a craft with centuries of heritage behind it.
Social media roasted the brand for reducing an entire artisan community into a "Prada-but-make-it-heritage" accessory. After days of damage control, Prada acknowledged that its new sandal designs "are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage", in a letter to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce.
However Prada was still criticised for the delayed response and lack of direct benefit to local craftsmen.
The Louis Vuitton Auto-Rickshaw Bag
Just a month later, when the Prada conversation was beginning to settle, Louis Vuitton rolled out what may be the most talked-about accessory of the year: a Rs 35 lakh auto-rickshaw-shaped handbag.
Dreamt up under Pharrell Williams' direction for the Men's Spring/Summer 2026 collection, the bag was unveiled quietly at a private re-see event.
The auto-rickshaw-shaped handbag was sold for Rs 35 lakh. Photo: LV
Within hours, the bag had sparked memes online, headlines and a question: where is the line between homage and appropriation? Was this a charming nod to Indian street culture or simply an expensive gag without any cultural grounding?
Dior's Rs 1.6 Crore Mukaish Coat, Minus The Credit
Dior's moment arrived the same month, and this one struck a nerve.
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.
Mukaish is a traditional Indian embroidery that finds its roots in Lucknow. Photo: Dior
A Rs 1.6 crore overcoat from the runway, heavily embellished using mukaish work from Lucknow, went viral from the show but for all the wrong reasons.
The problem? Dior did not credit them. The brand did not mention the technique, its cultural origin or the artisans who made the coat possible.
Rapsodia Versus Anupamaa Dayal
The first quarter of the year had already thrown India into another appropriation battle. Delhi-based designer Anupamaa Dayal, known for her botanical motifs and spiritual symbolism, found her work allegedly copied by international fashion chain Rapsodia.
The issue began when a woman claiming to represent the Argentinian brand visited Dayal's studio in Mehrauli. Soon after, Dayal saw designs strikingly similar to hers appear on the brand's social media. Her attempts at communication were met with dismissals and requests for "proof" of ownership, laying bare how poorly independent designers are protected when copies appear in international markets.
Dayal sent a legal notice demanding a formal apology and stated publicly that the incident "shaken me, but it also reminded me of the relevance of my work." Her experience pushed the ongoing conversation about intellectual property in fashion into the spotlight again.
The Scandinavian Scarf
Before luxury houses stepped on toes, European influencers had quietly triggered their own appropriation saga. A simple Indian dupatta was rebranded online as the "Scandinavian scarf" - supposedly the latest aesthetic from the north. Fashion platforms followed suit, describing it as a minimalist European accessory.
Indians were quick to call it out. The phenomenon extended beyond the scarf: saree blouses marketed as "Ibiza summer tops", kurtis repackaged as "strappy sheer dresses" and dupattas repurposed for European moodboards with hashtags that conveniently forgot South Asian heritage. Humour and sarcasm flowed freely as Indians pointed out that the "new trend" had actually existed for hundreds of years.
Dolce & Gabbana And The Kashmiri Walnut Carving Controversy
In August 2025, Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda SS25 collection, presented at the Roman Forum in Italy, appeared to feature a bag with a design that combined a souvenir Trevi Fountain with a wooden jewelry box commonly found in South Asian households. This was of course without credit.
These boxes are traditionally crafted using Jandankari: a centuries-old walnut wood carving technique still practiced by hand, especially in Kashmir. Similar boxes are also made in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where the craft holds a GI tag, and in Pakistan.
Why 2025 Felt Like A Tipping Point
The year saw Indian consumers and designers far more vocal, organised and impatient with vague explanations from global luxury houses. It also became clear that high fashion often walks a fine line between inspiration and appropriation.
India's crafts are vast, sophisticated and deeply cultural. They come from communities whose livelihoods depend on fair recognition. And in an age when social media can trace a motif's origin faster than any brand, the fashion world may finally have to accept what India has always known: credit is not optional.