Ralph Lauren debuted their Spring 2027 collection in New York on September 9, ahead of New York Fashion Week. One of the ensembles was a heavily embellished, deep-pink gown that went viral online right away.
Images of the dress, including a close-up of the embroidery, were shared on Ralph Lauren's official Instagram account. The caption described the piece as, “Draped with shimmering silk-viscose and scattered with hand-applied embellishments, an eveningwear gown from #RalphLaurenSpring2027 makes a cinematic statement.” Nowhere in the post did the brand name the specific embroidery technique used.
Fashion lovers immediately called out the striking resemblance to zardozi, a centuries-old embroidery technique that flourished in India during the Mughal Empire after originating in Persia some 300 years ago. Since 2013, zardozi has had a registered Geographical Indication (GI) tag that covers Lucknow and six neighbouring districts. The cluster is home to an estimated 175,000 artisans.
Designer Prakhar Rao Singh Chandel was among the first to call out the brand directly, in an Instagram post of his own. He said, “Then the last slide of the same post quotes Ralph Lauren himself, saying he wanted each piece to feel as though it carries its own history and character. Whose history? Whose character? ‘Bead and metal-thread embroidery’ like this has a name where I live. Zardozi has been registered to Lucknow and six districts around it since 2013, and one lakh seventy five thousand artisans work in that cluster. It is a place before it is a decoration.”
This marks at least the third time in 2026 that Ralph Lauren has faced similar criticism. Earlier in the year, the brand was called out over earrings that resembled traditional Indian jhumkas, and again over a roughly $500 skirt widely compared to bandhani, the traditional Indian tie-dye technique — also released, critics noted, without any acknowledgment of its roots.
In 2025, Prada came under fire for displaying sandals that were almost exactly like the Kolhapuri chappals of Maharashtra. The fashion label didn't openly acknowledge the similarity until persistent online pressure was applied. Dior came under fire for using mukaish embroidery on an expensive coat without giving credit to the artists or the technique.
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