The Indian fashion fraternity is watching the prestigious Paris Haute Couture Week, which starts on 23 January, with hope. Two leading designers, Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta, are set to participate. It could be that catalyst moment for the way Indian designers are viewed.
Mishra has been showcasing at the haute couture week for the past three years, while Gupta will be making his much-anticipated debut. Being invited to showcase in Paris is not a simple process you have to be approved by a board and there are strict protocols to follow.
For a long time, it seemed like a club only for European labels with participation from west Asia (Elie Saab and Maison Rabah Kayrouz are among the Arab designers who show regularly). Now, Indian designers making inroads, and it seems that things are changing.
Both Gupta and Mishra have distinctive styles yet both champion Indian crafts. For Mishra craft is the muse, and he has always put them at the centre of his work. His surface ornamentations are experimental yet firmly rooted in Indian traditions and skilfully infused with a global aesthetic. His flair for finish has opened the world's eye to talent in India.
Most of the decorative arts and embellishment, from beadwork and embroidery to crochet and leather braid work, accentuating the design on display at the Paris couture week are handcrafted in India. Design houses such as Christian Dior and Maison Valentino depend completely on Indian artisans to add flourish to their clothing and accessories. Yet for Indian labels to make a name for themselves and for Indian designers to gain their own following, they have to break into the tightknit world of couture in Paris. The fashion runways of Paris are still the ones that Indian designers have to walk on to truly shine.
Denne historien er fra January 20, 2023-utgaven av Mint Mumbai.
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Denne historien er fra January 20, 2023-utgaven av Mint Mumbai.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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