ICW 2018: Designer Rahul Mishra on being inspired by Mughal architecture, nature

Designer Rahul Mishra said that his collection, displayed on day 4 of the India Couture Week was all about cross pollination and strengthening the relationship between what is man-made and nature.

“Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s all about cross pollination,” said Mishra.

His inspiration was primarily the 17th century Mughal architecture. During the press conference, Mishra mentioned how the relatively less known Asif’s Khan’s tomb featured some of the best examples of complex architectural details. His intention was to recreate the geometric patterns from the monument which were getting forgotten with time.

And what about seeing nature in all aspects of his design- right from the dresses to the sets?

“I think even the most beautiful monuments which rulers build, they always make a window so that they can get a natural view. So there is also a beautiful relationship between nature and what is man made. Through this show I wanted to see how I could establish a stronger relationship between the indoors and outdoors. So the first section had what represented a hexagonal window, and through that you were looking t peacocks, flowers and more,” explained Mishra.

Mishra’s colourful collection, Maraasim, combined past and present in a variety Mughal era architecture-inspired lehengas, sarees, floor-grazing jackets, anarkalis and capes embroidered with geometric and floral motifs. Corals, greens, whites, gold and blues make their presence felt in new avatars of zardozi lehengas embedded with Swarovski along with 3D embroideries.

It was a completely packed audience for Mishra, who is the first Indian designer to win the International Woolmark prize.

India Couture Week, presented by Hindustan Times and Sunil Sethi Design Alliance, will be on from July 25 to July 29, in Delhi.

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