Fashion’s Embroidery Renaissance Is Stitching Fresh Life Into a Centuries-Old ArtForm

“Embroidery is to haute couture what fireworks are to Bastille Day,” said François Lesage, one of the world’s greatest embroiders and the man behind the Maison that created some of Cristobal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Yves Saint Laurent’s most renowned garments.

Lesage’s quote sums up embroidery’s relationship with fashion in full. With only a needle, thread, and the painstaking efforts of the human hand, the technique is intrinsic to the industry that holds craft at its core. And its results are uniquely awe-inspiring; Lesage’s band of artisans famously spent over 600 hours embroidering 250,000 sequins in 22 colors, 200,000 beads, and 270 yards of ribbon on Saint Laurent’s iconic 1988 Vincent Van Gogh-inspired Iris jacket, considered among the most expensive haute couture garments ever made.

Today, however, we see embroidery on more than bespoke runway creations. You’ll find slogan tees stitched with cursive and blue jeans with pockets full of beaded posies on your favorite online retailer and in the aisles at your local mall. The 2025 boho trend revival has also incited a spike in demand for artisanal needlework, from broderie anglaise blouses and peasant tops adorned with red-thread rosettes.