For decades, India’s bridal fashion industry thrived on intricate handwork, familial legacy, and a preference for flamboyance. But Anita Dongre, the Mumbai-based designer known for championing craftsmanship with a conscience, has carved out a distinctly different space – both at home and increasingly on the global stage. Without the bombast of couture weeks or splashy campaigns, Dongre has become a quiet constant on red carpets in New York, worn by everyone from climate activists to Hollywood insiders who favor elegance with cultural substance.

Dongre’s rise abroad hasn’t been the result of calculated global expansion, but rather a slow, deliberate drift toward relevance in elite fashion circles. She is neither trying to reinvent Indian fashion for the West, nor dilute it. Instead, her success lies in retaining the visual and artisanal vocabulary of Rajasthan’s handloom traditions – gotta patti, Banarasi brocades, and organic silks – while refining silhouettes and messaging for modern, international sensibilities.

From Bandra to the Met Gala

Dongre’s designs have been spotted on red carpets as far back as 2017, but the shift became more noticeable in recent years, particularly among a cohort of South Asian creatives, philanthropists, and first-generation Americans who sought formalwear that felt both rooted and editorial.

At last year’s Met Gala after-parties, two guests – both women of color in media – chose embroidered Dongre lehengas with tailored jackets instead of gowns. At the 2024 amfAR Gala in Cannes, one US-based philanthropist wore Dongre’s mint green silk co-ord set, paired with antique Indian jewelry and Louboutin heels. The look received praise for its restraint – demure, textural, but photogenic under the flash of press cameras.

Her appeal, insiders say, lies in the balance between statement and softness. Dongre’s color palette avoids the garish tones associated with tourist India. Instead, it leans on dusty rose, forest green, ecru, and slate blue – tones that translate well in both Indian and Western formal settings.

Ethical luxury, not costume

Dongre’s brand ethos also resonates in a fashion industry increasingly focused on sustainability and slow luxury. A vocal advocate for artisan empowerment, she works with over 2,000 rural women across India through her foundation, promoting sustainable livelihoods in textile-making villages. That model has made her a darling of eco-conscious celebrities and stylists, particularly those navigating identity politics in fashion.

There is also a rejection of what Dongre herself has called “costume dressing.” Her global clients often ask for lighter fabrics, restrained embroidery, and styling that feels more androgynous or tailored. One recent bride paired her Dongre lehenga with a menswear-style cropped blazer, and carried no dupatta.

Anita Dongre is not yet a household name in the US in the way Elie Saab or Oscar de la Renta might be, but she isn’t trying to be. Her New York flagship – opened in SoHo in 2017 – caters to a niche clientele: brides, stylists, and cultural intermediaries who understand the codes she’s working with. Most walk-ins don’t know the label. That, for Dongre, is the point.

In a fashion world increasingly fractured by trends and global narratives, her quiet rise signals a new kind of influence  not loud, not viral, but consistent. Like the finest hand embroidery, Dongre’s international presence is visible only when you look closely. And once you do, it’s unmistakable.