Sabyasachi Mukherjee, a renowned luxury designer from India, believes that his brand, Sabyasachi, represents a strong value proposition in the future of the luxury industry. 

In his interview with Bloomberg last week, Sabyasachi discussed today’s luxury industry as “failing” because of the appropriation of culture worldwide. He notes that a big selling point for luxury brands is often authenticity and culture, both of which are missing when brands appropriate other cultures.

He points to India as a country rich with craftsmanship and uniqueness in design. “When luxury becomes about craft, and handmade… India is going to become the biggest in the business.”

There are over 120 known weaving techniques in India. Each region, further, each family, has their own methods for crafting textiles or dying fabrics. The possibilities in Indian fashion are limitless. 

This diversity has occasionally been showcased front and center in international fashion houses. In March of 2023, Dior hosted their pre-fall 2023 fashion show in Mumbai. Their goal was spotlight the craftsmanship of Indian artisans. 

Though Dior received a huge round of applause from Vogue and other Western media sources, they faced significant backlash from many Indian creators and outlets. Dior failed to invite guests outside of Bollywood, notable names in Indian fashion (including Sabyasachi) were missing, and they only used a handful of Indian models. 

However, their biggest mistake of all was not recognizing the decades of Indian craftsmanship that Dior’s art directors had been utilizing without due credit. Without this recognition, the show felt performative, maybe commercial, at best. 

Sabyasachi also discussed the fall of the big Indian wedding with Bloomberg, recognizing the new generation’s hard work which has made them mindful of consumption. 

The brand’s wedding lenghas weigh up to 17 pounds and cost more than $6,800, but sales of the most prominent portion of Sabyasachi’s offerings are declining. 

Sabyasachi brought in approximately $60 million in revenue this past fiscal year. The company hopes to become a luxury brand at par with Chanel and Hermes, brands that are almost 300 times bigger than Sabyasachi. The plan for Sabyasachi is to expand price-points, offering “entry-level” bridal sarees, and to expand products, bringing perfumes, eyewear, and more jewelry to the table.