Ralph Lauren unveiled their Spring 2027 collection at the New York Fashion Week this week. Among the many looks displayed on the runway, one was an evening-wear deep pink embroidered gown, and it is now being criticised for failing to give due credit to Indian craftsmanship.
Ralph Lauren criticised for not crediting Indian craft
He also pointed out how the Instagram post shared by Ralph Lauren eloquently describes the cloth, but the handwork gets only one word — embellishments. India was named two days after the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce wrote to their board. That is the tactic. Say nothing, take the applause, produce the credit only once somebody forces you to. Name it when you use it. Not when you get caught. This is not the first time Ralph Lauren has been involved in controversy over the theft of Indian craftsmanship. Hindustan Times (HT City) and South Asian fashion watchdogs heavily covered the wave of criticism accusing the brand of cultural erasure.
Prakhar Rao Singh Chandel, a fashion designer, highlighted in an Instagram post that zardozi has been registered in Lucknow and six surrounding districts since 2013, and one lakh seventy-five thousand artisans work in that cluster. Prada showed Kolhapuri-style sandals in Milan in June 2025, and the show notes called them leather sandals. Because we watched it last year, calling out international brands for repeatedly stealing Indian craft and never giving due credit, only to later apologise when caught, he added, “We already know how this goes,.
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” priced at €198.
