Rahul Mishra returned to Mumbai to point out his co-ed fall AFEW line because the finale of Lakmé Style Week, a testomony to his standing in Indian trend. Within the 11 years since he scooped up the Woolmark Prize, his ethically pushed enterprise has grown to assist round 1,500 staff, with the crown jewel being his Delhi embroidery atelier, whose artisans craft Mishra’s maximalist fusions of conventional Indian imagery, pure symbolism, and flamboyance.
Couture is Mishra’s extravagant playground; AFEW—an acronym for Air, Hearth, Earth, and Water—represents his “easy-to-wear” line. Although barely extra understated and pragmatic, it doesn’t stray a lot from his penchant for daring ornamental gestures. This assortment was no exception. Named the Silk Route, it was a medley of cultural and visible influences, tied by Mishra’s aptitude for creative sprint.
All through historical past, India has been a crossroads of commerce routes connecting the West and the Far East; numerous crafts and textile methods have intertwined in typically sudden methods. Gujarat’s Bandhani—the place tiny pinches of material are meticulously knotted earlier than being dyed, creating fantastically irregular patterns—bears a putting resemblance to Japan’s Shibori dyeing methodology. Equally, Scottish tartans share parallel geometries with Madras windowpane checks, whereas the plush foliage and bestiaries in Henri Rousseau’s work echo the intricacies of Indian miniature artwork. “The extra I have a look at craft, the extra I perceive that it’s a collaborative effort, the place artistic borders are porous. Artwork doesn’t know any border, and sweetness existed earlier than borders have been created,” Mishra mused—moderately well timed phrases in an age more and more fixated on boundaries and sovereignties.
He got down to “map this crossbreeding of influences,” shaping structured silhouettes via his eye for creative mélange. Reimagined Bandhani textiles, Madras-check wools, and floral prints have been juxtaposed in moderately weird compositions—inflexible capelets have been perched atop tailor-made pantsuits, half-moon crinolines flared from bustiers and pencil midi skirts, and butterfly wings and fluttering petals billowed from shirts tucked into voluminous balloon skirts. One gown featured a 3D assemblage of inverted tetrahedrons, a motif that was additionally crafted right into a trailing stole draped over high-waisted trousers. A sequined rooster appeared as an appliqué on a black pantsuit—was it an emblem of self-importance or a nod to rural nostalgia? Truly, it was merely a “why not?” second. “I’m a visible wanderer,” Mishra remarked. Certainly.
