Dior faces backlash over Mukaish embroidery piece after fashion vlogger highlights missing artisan credit

Jonathan Anderson made a bold entrance as Dior’s new creative director for both menswear and womenswear with his debut collection, unveiled in Paris on June 27. The show, one of the most talked-about events of the season, drew a star-studded front row that included Rihanna, Robert Pattinson, and Daniel Craig. But beyond the celebrity presence, it was a single coat that sparked intense discussion online and not just for its jaw-dropping $200,000 price tag but for what it represented.

Dior using Indian artisanal work on their coat

Fashion commentator Hanan Besovic, better known by his Instagram handle @ideservecouture, posted a video analyzing the coat. “Why is it a 200K dollar coat?” he asked, before offering deeper context. The coat, part of Anderson’s Dior debut, featured exquisite embroidery made using the traditional Indian technique of Mukaish, also known as Badla work. According to Besovic, it took 34 days and the labor of 12 Indian artisans to craft the embroidery that adorned the luxury garment.

What struck a nerve, however, was the complete absence of credit given to the Indian craftsmen responsible for the coat’s intricate detailing. This omission has reignited long-standing concerns about cultural appropriation in high fashion, especially following recent controversies — like Prada’s Kolhapuri-style sandals, presented at Milan Fashion Week without any acknowledgment of their Indian roots.

What is Mukaish work?

Mukaish embroidery dates back centuries and is believed to have originated in the Awadh region of Lucknow, India. Developed as an embellishment for royal attire, it involves the use of flattened metal threads traditionally gold or silver that are intricately inserted and twisted into fabrics like malmal (muslin) to form delicate floral or geometric motifs. According to MAP Academy, the embroidery includes two main forms: kamdani, which fills entire patterns, and fardi ka kaam, which features small, shimmering dots, the latter used to create the houndstooth effect on the Dior coat.

While the coat itself is a masterpiece, the lack of acknowledgment for the artisans behind it highlights a troubling blind spot in luxury fashion’s global storytelling.