He swoops to conquer

It's Gaurav Gupta's year. His gravitydefying gowns have shown up at the Oscars, Grammys and Paris Couture Week. How toruna global empire from a Noida studio? Just burst out of your own seams, he says

-  Noor Anand Chawla

When you wear Gaurav Gupta's clothes, you get sex!" Gupta, 44, knows exactly what his designs do for chic international celebrities and picky Indian brides. "Our clothes are made on scientific principles and are very flattering everybody looks taller, leaner and sexier. They play up the fantasy angle. They make people want to give you love bites," he says.

People have given Gupta's work more than love bites. In the last year and a half, they've sent out a kiss of approval. More than 100 celebrities have worn Gupta's gravity-defying waves, curlicues and cinched designs. They've popped up on red carpets and concert stages; music videos and fashion show front rows; A-list weddings and parties.

Megan Thee Stallion wore his Fantasy Biomorphic Gown (slate-blue, body-hugging, a dramatic train flowing out like waves) to the Oscars in 2022. At this year's edition, NTR Jr wore a black sherwani bearing a fierce embroidered tiger. Cardi B showed up at the Grammys red carpet this year in an electric-blue gown that swept around her waist to suspend delicately around her shoulders and head like a gauzy hood. Beyoncé, who rarely repeats designers within a short span, wore his designs three times on her ongoing Renaissance tour. She's performed in a custom-made shimmering white bodysuit, and two gowns straight off Gupta's Paris runway. Jenna Ortega, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jennifer Hudson, Lizzo, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra have all been showing off his creations.

Gupta launched his eponymous label in 2005. His work draws as much from artists, designers, businessmen, social workers as Ancient Egypt, India, and Mesopotamia, and even meteors and mathematical principles. (His Paris Couture Week debut collection was called Shunya or zero.) "It's what made me stand apart in this industry and has helped me scale up." he admits. It's also why this moment in time is undoubtedly his.