Making couture out of thin air

Pics courtesy/Hormis Antony Tharakan

Rahul Mishra asks a lot of questions. Perhaps it's the influence of his six-year-old daughter, Aarna's curiosity that's rubbing off. On a family summer holiday on the Greek island of Santorini in 2019, Rahul and wife Divya attempted to offer Aarna some answers, and in turn ended up asking themselves some questions they had forgotten to ask.

Mishra approached The Shape of Air, Fall 2021 collection digitally showcased as part of the Paris Haute Couture Week calendar on July 7, in a similar manner - by drawing on his own memories of Aarna's search for answers. The idea birthed in Santorini and has ballooned since then.

In fashion, a muse is an individual reduced to a name, face, an idea, and inspiration. "I rarely ever turn to a human muse when I design; instead, it's a hauntingly beautiful concept that becomes my inspiration," says Mishra over a call from Delhi. He also found inspiration this time around in Monet's quote to Danish journalist Herman Bang in 1895 about the impossible challenge of painting on canvas the beauty of swirling air, and maybe even a faint throwback to his 2017 show based on early-19th century French Impressionist painters. It all came together with Mishra's fable-like tone, setting the sartorial story in the nature of five elements; air, water, earth, fire and space (sky).

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During the opening section, Chhabb Studio filled the "black box" stage with jingles of wind chimes, played up by tenebrous lighting by Davinder Wadhwa of MSS World. The sound and lights felt like a dissonant assault, as model Riya Sharma stood frozen against the revolving wind chime installation by Ruchi Bakshi Sharma and Sanjeev Sharma, slowly appearing to be flung around by its force. Here, Mishra reflected artistically on the form and his own perception of air; a model enveloped in gauzy cloud of fabric skin under which an ensemble of wide-leg sequined trousers and 3D hand-embroidered cape with bougainvillea blossoms and clusters of cave houses stayed veiled. Mishra bridged the gap between his art and India's craft in an authentic way.

From there on, it was a deep dive into Santorini island; the dappling waves of the Aegean Sea as the sun kissed its edges, the soft clumps of clouds hanging over a blue sky, and the red and orange glow of the windswept cliffs staring directly at the island. But it was the tiny specks of arduous hand embroidery and appliquéd surface textures that created the figurative big picture in silk threads; the maze of whitewashed, cubiform, almost Lego-like homes with uneven staircases, the narrow streets swelling with bougainvillea shrubs, all spoke of stitches of wonder. "We failed many times while making this collection," Mishra shares. "Combining different elements of rigid landmass with the fluidity of water and sensory skies into a collection of 21 pieces was a challenge."

Mishra chose to not travel to Paris for this showcase. For him, it was important to present this collection from India, one that is entirely made in India. The couturier shot his collection video at a Noida studio with an all-Indian cast, collaborating with indigenous clean makeup brand, asa beauty, styling and direction by Nikhil D, and modelled by Avanti Nagrath, Elizabeth Mech, Nandini Malwade, Ngusanou Seyie, Riya Sharma and headlined by India's international face Radhika Nair. "The pandemic has left the industry's technicians and artists without work for months. There is more reason then, to celebrate India. The Shape of Air might be inspired by a memory from an overseas trip, but it's not about escapism. It's about hope and resilience, with clothes providing solace, a sense of optimism."