Sabyasachi faces fresh scrutiny over brooch saree design

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, India's most bankable couturier — the man behind Deepika Padukone's, Anushka Sharma's, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas's wedding trousseaus — has spent the better part of a decade oscillating between global acclaim and social-media pile-ons. The latest round centres on an old, familiar fault line in fashion: where does inspiration end and imitation begin?

Sabyasachi faces fresh copying allegations over a saree design

The current wave of scrutiny traces back to a post from Ila Anoop, a Dehradun-based designer and former Indian Air Force pilot who runs her own independent label. Anoop observed back in July that a saree from Sabyasachi's latest collection bore a striking resemblance to a design she had put out back in 2017.

In her post, she described the moment in personal terms — noting that his work had once inspired and guided her own, which made seeing it echoed back this way sting all the more.

Anoop left a comment on the label's page back in July, not accusing the brand of copying her designs but simply showing her appreciation for the wider acceptance of this design.

However, Anoop claims her comment was hidden. Recently, writer-journalist Ranjit Rodricks highlighted the issue in a post.

The reaction split down predictable lines: some users called the alleged silencing shameful and demanded accountability from a designer of his stature; others pushed back, arguing that two similar sarees don't automatically prove copying in a craft built on shared traditional motifs, and that Anoop's framing was more "inspiration" than smoking gun.

Sabyasachi's label over the years has weathered controversy on several other fronts:

• The Mangalsutra ad (2021) - His "Royal Bengal Mangalsutra" jewellery campaign, which featured models in intimate and semi-clad poses, drew accusations of being "obscene" and disrespectful to Hindu marriage traditions. Facing a legal notice and a 24-hour ultimatum from a state minister, Sabyasachi withdrew the campaign, saying he was "deeply saddened" it had caused offense.

• The H&M collection backlash (2021) - Beyond the copying allegations, his "Wanderlust" collaboration with H&M was mocked for pricing (a plain printed saree at nearly ₹10,000 drew comparisons to garments "grandmothers already owned"), for a website crash on launch day, and for critics who called the tie-up hypocritical given his brand's stated commitment to slow, artisan-led fashion.

• "Overdressed women" post (2019) - An Instagram post suggesting that women who appear "overdressed" and "caked with makeup" are silently suffering was read by many as judgmental and reductive; he later apologised, saying the message was misunderstood.

• Harvard remarks (2018) - Telling an audience of Indian students that not knowing how to drape a saree was something to be ashamed of drew accusations of gatekeeping and cultural elitism, even as it won him applause in the room.

Sabyasachi hasn't formally addressed Ila Anoop's claims yet.

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