₹44,800 ‘bandhani’ skirt? Why Ralph Lauren is facing backlash by Indians
The issue was flagged by influencer Shefali Vaidya, who said that a real hand-done bandhani skirt in India costs less than ₹5,000.
- Apr 21, 2026,
- Updated Apr 21, 2026 3:58 PM IST
American fashion giant Ralph Lauren is facing the heat for one of its recent product launches. The fashion giant launched a printed bandhani wrap skirt for ₹44,800. The skirt features a wrap silhouette with a tie-up waist and flowy hem, described as being inspired by the traditional Bandhani tie-dye.
The issue was flagged by influencer Shefali Vaidya, who said that a real hand-done bandhani skirt in India costs less than ₹5,000.
Vaidya wrote, "But Ralph Lauren bastardizes Bandhani with a cheap printed cotton wrap skirt, a machine approximation of centuries of handwork, listed blandly and prices it at ₹44,800, with not a word about India, not a word about the artisans whose ancestors built this language of cloth. Real hand done bandhani skirts in Bharat cost less than 5000 Rs! Ralph Lauren stole the aesthetic and erased the ancestry, just like the British East India Company did! Absolutely shameful!"
Needless to say, the brand did not give proper credit to India as the country of origin. This was enough to rile up social media users, who accused the fashion house along with its global counterparts of appropriating Indian designs.
"Just because we don't 'patent' our crafts which are 100s of years old, it does not give anyone a free pass to plagiarise Indian Arts. I own at least 10 genuine handcrafted pieces from suits to sarees, none exceeding ₹15,000. This pocha like skirt doesn't deserve ₹500," a user wrote.
"And tie and dye bandhej is GI tagged. Shame on Ralph Lauren," a second user commented.
A third user said, "I have been 2 #Bandhni workshop. It's very hard, laborious, meticulous, and artistic work. It's outrageous to sell an INR 50 skirt that we get in cotton expo 2 sell INR44,000 First, it was #KholapuriChappal, now dis @RalphLauren please withdraw did n sell genuine hand-made with mention of artists."
A fourth user wrote, "This is sacrilege! Why Ralph Lauren, why?!Ralph Lauren, you have no shame! all of the western fashion houses have no shame! You all just rip off Indian fashion designs and rename it with cheap fake material with outrageous prices of $375!"
This, however, is not the first time that international brands have faced flak for appropriating Indian handicrafts. A month back, Ralph Lauren faced backlash over featuring Indian jhumkas in its Fall 2026 collection at the Paris Fashion Week.
In 2025, Prada faced backlash for showcasing sandals resembling the humble Kolhapuri chappals at a fashion show without acknowledgement. The credit came only after the brand faced criticism both online and offline.
American fashion giant Ralph Lauren is facing the heat for one of its recent product launches. The fashion giant launched a printed bandhani wrap skirt for ₹44,800. The skirt features a wrap silhouette with a tie-up waist and flowy hem, described as being inspired by the traditional Bandhani tie-dye.
The issue was flagged by influencer Shefali Vaidya, who said that a real hand-done bandhani skirt in India costs less than ₹5,000.
Vaidya wrote, "But Ralph Lauren bastardizes Bandhani with a cheap printed cotton wrap skirt, a machine approximation of centuries of handwork, listed blandly and prices it at ₹44,800, with not a word about India, not a word about the artisans whose ancestors built this language of cloth. Real hand done bandhani skirts in Bharat cost less than 5000 Rs! Ralph Lauren stole the aesthetic and erased the ancestry, just like the British East India Company did! Absolutely shameful!"
Needless to say, the brand did not give proper credit to India as the country of origin. This was enough to rile up social media users, who accused the fashion house along with its global counterparts of appropriating Indian designs.
"Just because we don't 'patent' our crafts which are 100s of years old, it does not give anyone a free pass to plagiarise Indian Arts. I own at least 10 genuine handcrafted pieces from suits to sarees, none exceeding ₹15,000. This pocha like skirt doesn't deserve ₹500," a user wrote.
"And tie and dye bandhej is GI tagged. Shame on Ralph Lauren," a second user commented.
A third user said, "I have been 2 #Bandhni workshop. It's very hard, laborious, meticulous, and artistic work. It's outrageous to sell an INR 50 skirt that we get in cotton expo 2 sell INR44,000 First, it was #KholapuriChappal, now dis @RalphLauren please withdraw did n sell genuine hand-made with mention of artists."
A fourth user wrote, "This is sacrilege! Why Ralph Lauren, why?!Ralph Lauren, you have no shame! all of the western fashion houses have no shame! You all just rip off Indian fashion designs and rename it with cheap fake material with outrageous prices of $375!"
This, however, is not the first time that international brands have faced flak for appropriating Indian handicrafts. A month back, Ralph Lauren faced backlash over featuring Indian jhumkas in its Fall 2026 collection at the Paris Fashion Week.
In 2025, Prada faced backlash for showcasing sandals resembling the humble Kolhapuri chappals at a fashion show without acknowledgement. The credit came only after the brand faced criticism both online and offline.