Valentino

In 2016, luxury fashion house Valentino launched a collection featuring elaborate beaded and mirrored gowns, retailing at approximately 2,000 each. The brand marketed these pieces by referencing "African" and "primitive" influences, despite the clear visual parallels to a distinct Indian craft. This collection was presented globally, with significant media attention on its aesthetic inspirations.

The craft at the heart of this appropriation is Abhla, also known as Mirror Work, originating from the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. This intricate embroidery technique involves attaching small pieces of mirror onto fabric using specific stitching methods, often combined with colorful threads and beads. Practiced predominantly by women in various communities, Abhla is deeply embedded in the cultural identity of Kutch, adorning traditional garments, home decor, and ceremonial items. It signifies prosperity, warding off evil, and enhancing beauty, with patterns and mirror shapes often carrying symbolic meanings passed down through generations.

The fashion community and cultural observers quickly identified the strong resemblance of Valentino's designs to Gujarati Abhla. Critics, including journalists and craft advocates, highlighted the brand's failure to acknowledge the Indian origins of the mirror work, instead attributing it to vague "African" and "primitive" sources. This omission sparked objections regarding cultural misrepresentation and lack of credit for the artisans whose traditional techniques were clearly being utilized. The public discourse questioned the ethics of high fashion profiting from global crafts without proper recognition or fair compensation to the originating communities.