Gaurav Gupta Makes a Case for Temple Jewellery on Paris Runway

With his new collection The Divine Androgyne at Paris Haute Couture Week, designer Gaurav Gupta meant to not only decorate the body but also map consciousness and movement onto it through his craft, time and architecture. The couturier wanted his garments to feel alive and he did manage to achieve it. Gaurav Gupta added another layer of meaning to his collection by binding the sculptural and flowy garments with deeper mythic and artistic context by incorporating traditional temple jewellery- a moment of pride for Indian jewellers to see the traditional temple jewellery design on the world map.

Temple jewellery traces its roots to South India’s Chola dynasty, where gold ornaments were crafted to adorn temple deities. It was later adopted by Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers. These designs feature gods, goddesses, lotus motifs, and sacred geometry, designed to reflect divine beauty and protection. Over time, temple jewellery evolved from ritual adornment into a timeless heirloom tradition, blending spirituality, craftsmanship, and cultural identity. Gupta decked up his model in elaborate temple neckpiece and bajuband. The designer also incorporated unique jewellery designs in his collection from nail jewels, to molten ear cuffs and mangtikkas.

Across the runway, black, white, and metallic hues from cosmic silvers and obsidian blacks to softer whites evoked an interstellar mood. Swirling metallic halos and orbit-like forms created a sense that these garments existed somewhere between fashion and cosmic ritual, rather than mere attire.

Little tapestries of embroidered clock faces and planetary motifs hinted at concepts like cyclical time and universal forces, enriching the clothes with more than visual interest, but conceptual resonance too. Gupta also incoprated Mogra, Indian jasmine, engineered into the architecture of his garments.

It was a bold, philosophically grounded artistic gesture that pushed the boundaries of what couture can articulate. It confronted viewers with layers of meaning while celebrating craftsmanship at its most ambitious- sculptural engineering, symbolic embroidery, and a theatrical sense of composition that felt both futuristic and timeless.