“Earth may be alive: not as the ancients saw her-a sentient Goddess with a purpose and foresight-but alive like a tree. A tree that quietly exists, never moving except to sway in the wind, yet endlessly conversing with the sunlight and the soil. Using sunlight and water and nutrient minerals to grow and change. But all done so imperceptibly, that to me the old oak tree on the green is the same as it was when I was a child.”—James Lovelock
During a time when getting out of home, working became next to impossible, The Fashion Design Council of India and Mr.Sunil Sethi unparalleled enthusiasm made this season of India Couture Week a memory and a reminder to improve our present to save future. The digital version decoded couture in a very creative way, and used many platforms of social media to make the show reach to fashion connoisseur . Rahul Mishra, the maverick of handloom and very first Indian designer to showcase at the Paris Haute Couture Week champions slow fashion with traditional Indian crafts. His eponymous label finds its genesis in the ideas of sustainability that present fashion as a tool to create participation and empower the local craft community of India. His designs and sense of detailing makes every ensemble a story or a poem, which has helped to get handloom its long due on global designing arena tremendously as the late Franca Sozzani has praised him as “successfully highlighting the best and most peculiar features of his homeland.”
This season, Rahul Mishra draws inspiration from the words of James Lovelock. In a journey of self discovery he found that our connection with nature has become richer with meaning as we find ourselves in the middle of the pandemic. The conversation between the tree and its surroundings found greater intimacy in the past months, as human intervention reduced. The virginal lotus ponds with life sprouting in diverse forms, the psychedelia of the underwater-scape, replete with striking hues and textures, and the symphony of birds and butterflies inspire the craft behind “Lotus Pond”.
Lotus Pond collection symbolise hope and optimism for a better future.The brand’s purpose defines the process. The achingly slowed down process of hand-weaving and hand embroidery is evident and immaculate finish proves that many many man hours have been used to create this masterpiece. Have a look:
Link of Rahul Mishra Lotus Pond Collection: https://youtu.be/mtfALBF3eaE
This collection is one of the most significant collections for Rahul Mishra, an organic extension of their Paris Haute Couture collection, ‘Butterfly People’. Rahul Mishra counts his blessings and calls his team fortunate that they have been able to support eachother during this testing time. He reminisces that how he and his team was fortunate to stand by his “kaarigars” (hand embroiderers and tailors) through this storm and are committed to continue doing so. Rahul says ” It’s the very foundation of our brand values. We are a large family – that includes hundreds of people including local craftsmen and workers. Today, we collectively 3acknowledge the value of beauty. It gave us a deep sense of joy and nourishment to return to our studio.”
The design house that works on the philosophy of the 3 E’s – Environment, Employment and Empowerment, aims to look at luxury from the lens of participation and not just consumption. The collection is now available at RAHUL MISHRA flagship store at Delhi and Mumbai.
#ICW2020 #DecodingCouture
