Balancing Stakes

For red carpet darling and seasoned couturier Rahul Mishra, there is no way forward without taking everyone along

- NIDA NAEEM

In a world where mass layoffs and severe cost-cutting are not just normalised but also expected, Rahul Mishra is staunchly facing the opposite direction. His penchant for hand embroidery doesn't stem just from the aesthetic and cultural value of craft - he's always thinking of his artisans, first and foremost. Having previously only worked with handlooms, he began employing hand embroidery in his designs in 2012 after his entire vision changed upon understanding the power of hand embroidery, and the pace e of the process.

Hot off the heels of the double showcase of his 'We, The People' collection, first at Paris Haute Couture Week in July and more recently at India Couture Week, the designer says, "We're getting slower than ever before. What slowness does is that it enables us to employ more people through the process."

While this approach might seem counterintuitive to building a profitable business, Mishra makes it clear that there's no other way if we're to genuinely give crafts communities their due and take fashion in an ecologically responsible direction. The 2014 International Woolmark Prize winner admits that before the designs go into production, "My team and I have to do a lot of fast work to allow slowness to persist. The purpose follows the process."