Urvashi Rautela's Cannes copycat moment just got called out by the original designer

Designer Sandeep Khosla - one half of the luxury fashion label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla - has addressed Urvashi Rautela's Cannes copycat moment, where she wore a replica of Gigi Hadid's iconic saree.Urvashi Rautela wore a copied version of Gigi Hadid's iconic NMACC opening saree. Photos: Getty (left), Instagram/abujanisandeepkhosla (right)Remember Gigi Hadid’s saree moment in Mumbai? Yup, when she wore an ivory-and-gold regal drape by designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla at the NMACC inauguration.The chikankari saree, accented with a heavy golden border and paired with a South Indian jewellery-inspired sculpted gold blouse, lives rent-free in every Indian fashion enthusiast’s mind. Gigi Hadid in a saree for NMACC opening in April 2023. (Photo: Instagram/abujanisandeepkhosla) That was way back in 2023. Cut to May 2026, and it was back in the spotlight - courtesy of Urvashi Rautela. For an outing at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year, she turned up wearing a replica of that very iconic drape. That saree she took to the French Riviera wasn’t from the shelves of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, but a copy instead. Urvashi Rautela in a Gigi Hadid-inspired saree at Cannes 2026. (Photo: Getty Images) Rautela wearing a copied version of such an iconic outfit barely surprised anyone. In fact, so many people on the internet defended her decision to recreate the look. Now months later, designer Sandeep Khosla has addressed the fashion plagiarism moment.What designer Sandeep Khosla said During an interview with NDTV, legendary designer Sandeep Khosla - one half of the luxury fashion label Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla - was asked about his views on plagiarism in Indian luxury fashion, particularly the practice of copying designer creations, reproducing them using faster techniques, and selling them at lower prices. Khosla instantly recalled Rautela’s Hadid-saree rip-off moment.“If you want to plagiarise and you want to copy, make a better version of what we are doing. 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,” Khosla said. "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,” he added.Gigi Hadid’s saree by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, a hand-embroidered creation took nearly a year to create. Urvashi Rautela got it recreated by Mihir Designer Studio for a Cannes appearance.- EndsPublished By: Medha ChawlaPublished On: Aug 31, 2026 13:32 IST