The deja vu on the red carpet
In an August 29 interview with NDTV, he shared his candid take on plagiarised couture after Urvashi faced online backlash for wearing a design strikingly similar to the iconic Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla saree, made famous by supermodel Gigi Hadid.
The fashion drama unfolded at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where Urvashi stepped out in an ivory chikankari-style saree paired with an intricate, heavy, gold-jewelled blouse. Fashion enthusiasts immediately recognised the design as a near-identical replica of the bespoke Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla creation Gigi Hadid wore in March 2023 during the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.
Gigi’s hand-embroidered original took about a year to craft, whereas Urvashi’s 2026 look—created by a different label (Mihir Designer Studio) — drew sharp criticism online and was dubbed a ‘gandi copy’ by fashion watchdogs.
‘Urvashi is wearing an exact copy of our garment’
When asked about the rising prevalence of low-cost replicas in Indian luxury fashion, Sandeep addressed the incident directly during the NDTV interview: “If you want to plagiarise and you want to copy, make a better version of what we are doing.”
Recalling his reaction to seeing Urvashi’s copied look online, he shared his surprise: “Just the other day I was seeing, there’s a lady called Urvashi Rautela, I think, who wore a copy of ours, of Gigi Hadid… and there was an influencer doing a whole post on how you can get an original Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla outfit made where Urvashi got it made.”
Beyond the replica itself, he expressed disappointment over how such knockoffs were normalised on social media: “Firstly, Urvashi is wearing an exact copy of our garment without a thought. Either she has no exposure, or she has too much exposure. And then, the person (influencer) is actually encouraging the copies to happen, which I find really… there has to be at least some difference, or do some… it should be a take of an artist themselves to do something else. Also, that’s called very easy fashion.”
Sandeep’s critique underscored a broader debate within the fashion industry regarding intellectual property, fast-fashion knockoffs, and red carpet authenticity. While celebrities often attempt to recreate viral sartorial moments, his statement served as a reminder that true craftsmanship cannot be easily duplicated.
