Draping over a corseted bodice of this red dress and cascading down two flowing sleeves and an enormous train are 87 yards of burgundy silk dupion fabric, each meticulously embroidered with detailed flower motifs, starburst patterns, and portraits of animals and humans.
All About the Royal Dress
The dress itself is a wonder; at a total weight of 14 lbs 15 oz (6.8 kg), this regal gown is worthy of a queen, finished with 1-1.5 billion stitches and hundreds of beads and sparkles that catch the eye on the chest and back of the dress.
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380 Artists and Their Elegant Work
But perhaps the most astounding aspect of the dress is the hands that assisted in constructing it. Following British artist Kirstie Macleod’s idea in 2009, 380 people, predominantly women and girls but including men, boys, and non-binary artists from 51 nations, spent 14 years designing and sewing their artwork onto the work, creating the Red Dress, the largest collaborative embroidered work in the world.
Record-Breaking Dress of the 2026 Edition of Guinness World Records
And as part of our 2026 edition of Guinness World Records, we sat down with this record-breaking dress, the embroiderers’ stories, and the story behind this stunning piece of art to find out more about the amazing people who are transforming their love of fashion into life-changing experiences.
Who is Kristie?
Born into a clan of knitters and craftsmen, Kirstie had been a working artist for 20 years when she made a journey to southern India, and she spent hours sewing one jacket with a group of Karnatakan Lambani women. Even though she was unable to speak to the woman with a language, the two of them grew tight over the act of creating a garment together, and she was struck by the notion that art could make permanent bonds.
“I’m over the moon,” she said, posting on Instagram a photo of her new copy of the Guinness World Records book. “And of course, thank you so much to all the embroiderers, the 380 embroiderers from the 51 countries who have assisted in creating the Red Dress and making her what she is today.”
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