Sustainable and slow fashion are two widely used words to describe internationally renowned Indian fashion designer Rahul Mishra's creations. The 37-year-old, who hails from Kanpur, is often described by many from within and outside the industry as one of the most innovative, gifted and visionary savants in India.
Rahul, a regular at Paris Fashion Week and recipient of the coveted International Woolmark Prize, is a well-known supporter of Indian crafts and textiles. His eponymous brand, which retails out of Paris's Colette and London's Harvey Nichols, is known to have been established on strong ideals and values. Unlike a lot of other brands, who 'create' only to 'sell', Rahul's creations are meant not just for commercial purposes but also to sustain livelihoods and preserve India's traditional craftsmanship and its craftsmen and women.
The designer, who went global with his brand in the year 2014, is someone who doesn't forget his Indian roots. And even while Rahul's creations have the 'Indian element' visible overtly in his collections, at the same time, his ensembles are very modern and chic.
Rahul will be showcasing his 2017 couture collection titled 'Parizaad' at the upcoming FDCI India Couture Week 2017, which will be held from 24-30 July in New Delhi.
Parizaad, which in Persian means 'born of the divine', is a 'poetic confluence of yarn, colors, textile, ornamentally hand worked motifs, that draws from the vast reservoir of ancient science and architecture, lends newer dimensions to craft'.
Inspired from shades of Persian, Roman, Byzantine architecture, Rahuls' couture collection 2017, which will feature 40-45 looks, will be a comprehensive mix of 'beautifully hand crafted lehengas, kalidars and silhouettes, inspired from traditional Indian ensembles'. Describing what led him to this narrative, Rahul mentioned in a pre-event press release, "Studying the highly intricate use of geometric patterns, girikh or haft rangi etc to create uninterrupted patterns of tiles of flowers, and a mosaic of nature, emphasizing great design aesthetics from a time when human skills were divine and to create a modern language with Indian textiles and embroidery with a zen-like thinking and philosophy, has led me to this new narrative."
He also spoke about why the upcoming collection means so much to him. He mentioned in the release, "The mathematics of tessellation or passion of geometry and other elements of the structure and attention to detail and fusing it with embroidery to enhance the feel of luxury is what makes this collection special, preserving traditional techniques and craftsmanship."
While talking about the collection and the use of fabrics and color story in his collection, Rahul Mishra in an interview to News18.com said, "For this season we've focused on a lot of sheer fabrics to create a feather light feel. We've also developed some newer colors such as vibrant yellow and powder pink. There's a big play of multicolor embroidery with hints of gold."
When asked about the techniques used in his upcoming collection Parizaad, Rahul, a master at integrating traditional craft into contemporary context, said, "We have explored the use of mixed embroidery techniques such as resham, zardosi and aari, all intricately hand-embroidered to create perfect geometric patterns and delicate flowers. Tailoring is also quite predominant."
He added, "We're moving away from basic silhouettes to something that is more structured and traditional."
Intricate vegetal motifs, patterns of mosaic, chevrons and spandrels from the rich decorative vocabularies of an earlier era will dominate Rahul's upcoming line. The collection aims at setting new standards of visual expression, 'where abstraction and complex geometry create kaleidoscopic multiplicity and infinite patterns'.
Rahul Mishra will be presenting Parizaad on the fourth day of the upcoming FDCI India Couture Week 2017.
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