Gaurav Gupta’s Spring/Summer 2025 couture collection, Across The Flame, is a deeply private narrative of love, resilience, and transformation. Unveiled at Paris Couture Week, the collection draws inspiration from a near-fatal accident that profoundly shaped Mr. Gupta and his life partner, Navkirat Sodhi. This journey of healing, marked by astral projection and cosmic exploration, translates into a collection that embodies rebirth, strength, and the beauty found in vulnerability.
Eight months ago, Ms. Sodhi’s life changed forever when a candle accident left her with severe burns, battling for survival in the ICU for two and a half months. Mr. Gupta, trying to help, also suffered burns. It was a tough moment of their life, but Ms. Sodhi didn’t give up and underwent a transformative journey towards recovery. This experience sparked a creative vision for Mr. Gupta, drawing attention and discussion.
This season, Mr. Gupta continues his evolution of metal cast sculpting, introducing midnight blue breastplates, powerful symbols of armor and protection. The collection takes forward from his past collections for Paris Couture Week.
Speaking of the collection, the Twin Flame ensemble, a striking creation in ochre, stands as a visual metaphor for the flames that once engulfed the couple, reshaping them into something stronger.
In a bold deviation from traditional couture, denim makes its debut through the Bucket Corset and Distressed Bucket Jacket, embracing rebellion while defying expectations.
Another standout is the use of Banarasi brocade, woven with chants that once provided solace and strength to the designer and his partner.
Intricate handwork remains at the heart of the collection, with new embroidery techniques featuring raffia, micro pearls, and ghungroos (Indian tribal metallic bells that enhance acoustics).
Over 20,000 Preciosa crystals, known for their brilliance, elevate key pieces, while the color palette introduces ochre, twilight purple, and space blue, alongside Mr. Gupta’s signature blacks, ivories, and metallics.
Jewelry extends the narrative of resilience with celestial-inspired designs such as the Chakra Earring, Infinity Ear Cuff, and Bahu Mudra Ring. Collaborating with Object & Dawn, Mr. Gupta crafts sculptural headpieces and avant-garde jewelry that embody celestial symbolism and the fluid mysticism of the collection.
The artistry continues with René Caovilla heels, seamlessly complementing the couture ensembles.
About the collection, Mr. Gupta, reflected, “This collection is not just a showcase of couture for us, it is a deeply personal testament to the power of resilience, transformation, and the infinite light within all of us. Through the flames of adversity, we found not just survival, but a rebirth that redefines the boundaries of creation and love.”
Bringing the collection’s otherworldly vision to life, MAC’s lead makeup artist Marieke Thibaut incorporates celestial motifs, from a painted third-eye sun to Preciosa crystal-adorned faces. Hair, styled with Kérastase, reinforces themes of transcendence, completing the visual storytelling of resilience and rebirth.
As the flames probably once draped the couple, so does fabric in Across The Flame, but in more sinuous, beautiful ways. The collection is a testament to Mr. Gupta’s power in not only accepting, but converting the moment in positive, artistic tones.
Indeed, each couture piece tells a story of survival, reinvention, and artistic transcendence.
