Rahul Mishra talked to Tatler ahead of Paris Couture Week about Zendaya’s ‘relatively simpler’ sari, and how heritage and sustainability are part of a designer’s responsibility
Rahul Mishra considers himself to be a persuasive storyteller, seeing his words as having a similar effect to a religious leader’s sermon. “If I get goosebumps looking at a flower, everyone else better get goosebumps too after I finish describing its beauty,” the New Delhi-based designer says of inspiring his team. “If I cry, they too have to cry with me.”
Mishra sees his work as more than a job: he believes he has a duty to convey beauty, translate its inspiration, and ultimately share his vision. “It’s what I do and I’m fully hands-on about it. If I can successfully convince those who haven’t seen its beauty [that it’s beautiful],” the designer says, referring to that same flower, “then they’ll feel inspired and contribute better. And everybody—from the craftsmen to the office boy—contributes and gives feedback.”
Tatler spoke to the designer by video call at his home in New Delhi after a hugely successful Paris Couture Week in January, where he debuted his spring-summer 2023 collection, Cosmos. A busy few months dressing celebrities for major events followed, and when we spoke, he was about to start work on his fall-winter 2023 couture collection entitled, We the People.
In 2020, Mishra became the first Indian designer to show at Paris Couture Week. His couture collections since then have wowed both fashion insiders and the general public; in particular his fall 2022 collection, Tree of Life, and the recent Cosmos. He doesn’t take these opportunities for granted and does everything in his power to make the most of the time he has to mesmerise his audiences. “When you showcase something for ten minutes, those are your ten minutes, and you want people to forget about everything, appreciate what you do, and get lost in your work.” He likens the experience of viewing a fashion show at Paris Couture Week to “worshipping at the temple of couture”; he frequently makes similar spiritual allusions in describing his creative approach.
The designer has certainly been making a mark more strongly in recent years: notable examples of this recognition include American actor Zendaya wearing a midnight blue sari at the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in April in Mumbai; Bjork’s voluminous stage costume for her Australian concert in March this year; and the dramatic black and gold piece donned by Michelle Yeoh on Vogue China’s October 2022 cover. In 2021, his couture pieces appeared on more than 20 magazine covers in mainland China alone.
His surreal, otherworldly, tactile creations, which “are made with a lot of love and soul”, are imbued with a dreamy quality. Their visual impact elicits wonder and awe, and reflects the power of the collaboration needed to realise Mishra’s vision. For the designer, it’s all about visualising dreams. “You dream, you think about the concept that’s very close to your heart, you then spread this message and eventually everyone starts believing it and comes together to create it. The embroiderer, the tailor, everyone should be a part of it—it’s a collective dream.”