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The sari enters its global era
Avanti Nagrath for sabyasachi at New York Fashion Week

The sari enters its global era

From international runways to the red carpet, the sari is moving beyond traditional occasionwear and finding a place in the global fashion wardrobe.

Words by Haiqa Siddiqui

The Sari Has Been Here Before

The sari’s international runway appearances are hardly new. In 1935, Elsa Schiaparelli drew inspiration from the saris worn by Princess Karam of Kapurthala, translating their fluid drape into European eveningwear. Two decades later, Christian Dior explored a similar sensibility with his Soirée de Lahore gown, while John Galliano returned to the sari’s language of draping for Dior’s Spring/Summer 2003 collection. Many have followed since.

The sari has long offered fashion a compelling design vocabulary: fluidity, movement and a silhouette shaped by the relationship between fabric and body. And designers in India are constantly experimenting with it, reimaging it for the Indian and diaspora communities — Tarun Tahiliani with his corseted drapes, Amit Aggarwal with his avant-garde silhouettes and 431-88 with their popular sari-dresses 

What feels different now is how Indian designers are taking those elements further. At Paris Couture Week Spring 2026, Gaurav Gupta reimagined the sari as a sculptural gown in a canary-yellow look, retaining the pallu as a defining element, but also making it relevant for global shoppers. Rahul Mishra’s Fall 2026 couture collection, ‘Devi’, took another route, drawing from saris seen on temple sculptures, and turning them into modern looks — much like the one rapper Cardi B wore to the show. Today, the sari’s influence is no longer confined to the occasional runway reference or cultural homage; its construction and visual language are becoming part of a wider conversation about how fashion is made and worn.

A Place on the Guest List

The red carpet has helped make that shift visible. In 2022, Natasha Poonawalla’s gold Sabyasachi sari, paired with a sculptural Schiaparelli metal corset, brought the sari to one of the world’s most watched red carpets, the Met Gala. Many have worn saris there since — Isha Ambani, Alia Bhatt, Princess Gauravi Kumari, and even Naomi Campbell in an archival salmon-pink, sari-inspired silhouette from Chanel.

Perhaps that is how a garment becomes global: not by shedding the history that made it distinctive, but by acquiring new meanings beyond it. The sari can remain deeply rooted in South Asian traditions while finding a place in wardrobes, on runways and in cultural contexts far removed from its own. Its next chapter is already taking shape, in the hands of designers who understand that its greatest asset may be its capacity for reinvention. And perhaps, that’s the secret to its global appeal.

On stage, Beyoncé took the sari into an entirely different arena, wearing Gaurav Gupta’s neon-green Athena sari gown during the Renaissance World Tour. The significance was not simply that Beyoncé wore a sari, but that the garment could hold its own in a global pop spectacle, reaching an audience far beyond the cultural context in which it originated. 

Much like the kimono or this year’s popular mandarin-collar jacket, the sari is finding possibilities beyond its original cultural setting. Its global future need not depend on everyone adopting the six-yard drape in its traditional form. The influence can travel through a wrap, a fold, a trail of fabric or a silhouette shaped around the body rather than prescribed in advance — but done with due respect for its origin. 

You could argue that brocade, the rich and ornate textile often woven with gold or silver threads, has something of a reputation problem. The textile rose to prominence under Mughal patronage from the 16th century onwards, showcasing a weaving tradition that dates back centuries to the temple town of Varanasi in North India, which also lends the fabric the name ‘Benarasi’.

Long associated with the kind of grandeur usually reserved for Indian weddings, festive celebrations, and the occasional royal portrait, it’s hardly ever been thought of as the kind of thing you’d casually thrown on for lunch. Recently, however, brocade has been finding its way into wardrobes that aren’t so interested in ceremonial dressing.

International runways have caught on to this too, with Spring/Summer 2027 presentations at Ralph Lauren and Dries Van Noten showcasing patterned jacquards, while Parisian provocateurs Matières Fécales collaborated with Varanasi-based textile house Tilfi on a collection that brought Indian weaving traditions into avante-garde territory. Indian designers, of course, have been making this case for years—from Benarasi trench coats and brocade pantsuits to relaxed separates that pair as easily with denim as they do with silk, a growing number of Indian labels have been challenging the idea that preserving a textile’s heritage means sticking to traditional silhouettes. These brands prove that even a weave with centuries of history behind it can have something new to say.

The Sari Has Been Here Before

Gaurav Gupta

The sari’s international runway appearances are hardly new. In 1935, Elsa Schiaparelli drew inspiration from the saris worn by Princess Karam of Kapurthala, translating their fluid drape into European eveningwear. Two decades later, Christian Dior explored a similar sensibility with his Soirée de Lahore gown, while John Galliano returned to the sari’s language of draping for Dior’s Spring/Summer 2003 collection. Many have followed since.

Matierefecales

Natasha Poonawalla

A Place on the Guest List

NGV, Melbourne

The red carpet has helped make that shift visible. In 2022, Natasha Poonawalla’s gold Sabyasachi sari, paired with a sculptural Schiaparelli metal corset, brought the sari to one of the world’s most watched red carpets, the Met Gala. Many have worn saris there since — Isha Ambani, Alia Bhatt, Princess Gauravi Kumari, and even Naomi Campbell in an archival salmon-pink, sari-inspired silhouette from Chanel.

Schiaprelli Archives

Rahul Mishra

Perhaps that is how a garment becomes global: not by shedding the history that made it distinctive, but by acquiring new meanings beyond it. The sari can remain deeply rooted in South Asian traditions while finding a place in wardrobes, on runways and in cultural contexts far removed from its own. Its next chapter is already taking shape, in the hands of designers who understand that its greatest asset may be its capacity for reinvention. And perhaps, that’s the secret to its global appeal.

Much like the kimono or this year’s popular mandarin-collar jacket, the sari is finding possibilities beyond its original cultural setting. Its global future need not depend on everyone adopting the six-yard drape in its traditional form. The influence can travel through a wrap, a fold, a trail of fabric or a silhouette shaped around the body rather than prescribed in advance — but done with due respect for its origin.

On stage, Beyoncé took the sari into an entirely different arena, wearing Gaurav Gupta’s neon-green Athena sari gown during the Renaissance World Tour. The significance was not simply that Beyoncé wore a sari, but that the garment could hold its own in a global pop spectacle, reaching an audience far beyond the cultural context in which it originated.

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