October 11, 2018: Indian designer Rahul Mishra debuted at the Paris Fashion Week this year with a collection titled “Gossamer”, which means the thin threads a spider weaves when building his web.
The collection is a trip down the memory lane for the designer as childhood memories form the inspiration behind his entire collection.
He also calls this collection ‘homemade’ as it was all done by women back at his hometown in Lucknow, India.
The collection saw beautiful creations, some being embellished with Swarovski crystals.
“I wanted to take the craft of Chikankari and Daraz and elevate them to luxury fashion. Because memory is a luxury. The way we hold on to smells, colours and textures. Fashion, to me, is an expression of what makes me. As a nostalgist, I want to bring back the 1980s of living in a small village in a house with red cemented floor and white curtains,” said Mr. Mishra.
Remembering the pond, peacocks, flora and fauna from his childhood home, Mr. Mishra has mixed the whites with colourful pieces.
Blue hydrangeas have found their way in this collection with hand-embroidered organza petals in shades of blue that were appliquéd onto light fabrics and embellished with Swarovski crystals. The crystals were again used to recreate a semblance of dewdrops on organza.
The fine cotton and Jamdani used in the collection were woven in West Bengal, along with Maheshwari textiles in blue and white checks.
