Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Fendi Navratri-Style Bag Sparks Debate Over Indian Craft Credit
Fendi made a very expensive handbag covered with colorful embroidery, beads and mirrors.
Many people thought it looked like bags seen in Indian markets during Navratri.
The bag costs several lakh rupees, although reports give different prices.
Business leaders Harsh Goenka and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw criticized Fendi for not clearly crediting Indian craft traditions.
Another report says Indian artisans at Chanakya in Mumbai helped make the bag.
However, Fendi’s product information reportedly lists the bag as made in Italy.
This means the reports disagree about where the bag was made.
The larger argument is about whether luxury brands should explain and credit the cultural sources of their designs.
Fendi’s Baguette 26424 bag features hand embroidery, beads and mirrors, with reports citing about 39,500 beads, 475 mirrors and more than 138 hours of work.
The bag has been reported at roughly ₹8.3 lakh to ₹9.5 lakh, or about $10,000, depending on the source.
Social media users compared the colorful design with bags and accessories associated with Gujarat’s Navratri markets.
Harsh Goenka and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw questioned whether Indian craftsmanship and cultural inspiration received adequate recognition.
Reports differ on production details: Fendi’s listing says the bag was made in Italy, while another account says it was handmade in Mumbai by Chanakya artisans.
- Who
- Fendi, Indian craft workers, Harsh Goenka, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and social-media users are central to the debate.
- What
- A heavily embellished Fendi handbag has prompted questions about Indian cultural inspiration, artisan credit and possible appropriation.
- When
- The controversy spread on social media after posts about the bag appeared; the bag is associated with Fendi’s Fall/Winter 2026–27 collection.
- Where
- The design was compared with festive-market styles from Gujarat; reports differ on whether production occurred in Italy or at Chanakya’s workshop in Mumbai.
- Why
- Critics say Fendi’s product description does not acknowledge India, Navratri or the artisans and traditions associated with the design.
Critics’ View
Collaboration and Fashion Context
Cultural appropriation
Critics’ View
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw called the episode cultural appropriation, while critics said Fendi repackaged Indian craft as luxury without adequate recognition.
Collaboration and Fashion Context
Others argued that the design could represent fashion inspiration or a shared decorative aesthetic rather than definitive cultural theft.
Artisan credit
Critics’ View
Critics said Fendi should identify the Indian traditions and artisans behind techniques such as mirror work, embroidery and beading.
Collaboration and Fashion Context
The account involving Chanakya says Indian artisans were commissioned and paid, distinguishing the bag from a design copied without Indian participation or compensation.
Responsibility for protecting craft
Critics’ View
Goenka and other users said international luxury brands should stop exploiting or colonizing Indian craft traditions and give proper credit.
Collaboration and Fashion Context
Other commenters said India also needs stronger global brands, better institutional support and possibly legal protections for traditional crafts and artisans.
- Product
- Fendi Baguette 26424: Multicolour Re Edition bag with embroidery and mirrors
- Reported price
- Approximately ₹8.3 lakh to ₹9.5 lakh; one report gives a figure of roughly $10,000
- Craft details
- About 39,500 beads, 475 mirrors and more than 138 hours of craftsmanship, according to cited product information
- Collection
- Fendi Fall/Winter 2026–27
- Cultural comparison
- Social-media users compared the bag with colorful mirror-and-bead accessories associated with Gujarat’s Navratri markets
- Credit concern
- Critics say the product description does not mention India, Navratri, Gujarat or Chanakya
- Production discrepancy
- One account says the bag was made by hand in Mumbai by Chanakya artisans, while Fendi’s listing reportedly says it was made in Italy
