From Revelation to Rebirth
It isn’t the first time Rahul Mishra’s design show at Paris Haute Couture Week has turned the spotlight on his artisanal dexterity. A regular since 2020, he is another fashion czar to take India to the world stage through his visionary approach that straddles creativity and impact.
Mishra’s latest collection, The Pale Blue Dot, inspired by a spoken essay by Carl Sagan on the insignificance of Earth amid the vastness of the cosmos, is his statement about the insignificance of mortals who defile the earth. Eileen Fisher, a New York City-based designer’s Circular by Design program is about using renewable, regenerative, and recyclable fabrics.
Gabriela Hearst’s brand uses merino wool taken from her family’s sheep farm in Uruguay. Mishra, disturbed by the concrete jungles that modern cities have become, teleported himself to a future where abandoned metropolises are inhabited by the wild.
“I’ve had this idea since I watched Chernobyl a few years ago,” he shares. “It got me thinking of what new spaces like Mumbai, Gurugram or New York will eventually look like since they are slowly becoming unliveable.” His show, held in January, was a dystopic journey through abandoned urban settlements reclaimed by nature or birds becoming scavengers. Fashion tells a story to communicate the message.
The narrative shifts towards repair and renewal, reflecting Mishra’s belief in light at the end of the tunnel. The Tree of Life – an icon of rebirth, balance and harmony in Indian culture – is featured with the womb motif. “I trust nature will show us the way.
Perhaps, in time, we will embrace a humbler existence, and nature will begin to reclaim the concrete jungles,” he hopes. Ironically, UN data shows the fashion industry generates 10 per cent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and 20 per cent of global wastewater.
On the runway, geometric 3D designs on capes and gowns took centre stage–symbolising skyscrapers and urban settlements. The colour palette was dominated by black, grey, and flashes of gold – a departure from Mishra’s liberal use of vibrant shades. Exquisite hand embroidery–zardozi, aari or sequined embellishments depicted the resurgence of flora in the absence of humans.
Mirrors were liberally used in the collection as almost wearable art. The quote on one of the garments read, ‘Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.’ “The back of the garment bears visuals of the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower in a state of disrepair. It’s a mirror of a future that appears distant but is close enough,” he says.
Mishra’s use of materials like wood and metal transcend traditional boundaries of fabric and form. Its roots are personal. “For the last three years, I have been building a home in Uttarakhand where everything from the furniture to windows are fabricated on-site,” he admits. “There is a marked difference in terms of how three dimensionality flows through in this collection.”
The collection tested his studio’s ability, especially Mishra’s whose attention was divided between his father’s health and work. “I had almost given up on the idea of showing in Paris after my father’s passing.
But my sister and wife, Divya, reminded me my father would have wanted me to do this,” says Mishra. “I work with over 2,000 fashion workers. We had to look at a brighter side. I always say grief is an emotion that hollows you from the inside. But it is also an outcome of love, for which you pay one day,” he adds.
With his eponymous couture label and the prêt-à-porter brand AFEW, Rahul Mishra, the designer works to make people view luxury through the lens of participation and not just consumption.To put it in a nutshell: make the world a better place through fashion.