Rahul Mishra’s India-Inspired Collection Is Giving Temple Weddings New Inspo

It has been more than six years since Rahul Mishra made his debut at the Paris Haute Couture Week. He was the first Indian designer to be a part of the coveted lineup. With craftsmanship at its core, the couturier has drawn inspiration from a wide range of topics that include nature, cosmos, climate change for his past shows. And just when we thought, Mishra would use nature, yet again, as a metaphor, he left us all pleasantly surprised with his latest offering Devi: The Eternal Muse. Calling this, his most beautiful work till date won’t be wrong.

The designer was inspired by the majestic Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, Tarakeshwara Temple in Karnataka and a stone sculpture of a dancer from the 12th century to create his designs that made the models look like Goddesses.

Taking inspiration from ancient motifs, including stone sculptures where drapery appears carved from a single piece of rock, Mishra translated these references into something distinctly modern through his signature embroidery. His designs looked more like wearable sculpture, blurring the boundary between fashion and art. The muted palette of stone greys, bronze, ivory, and gold reinforced the idea of ancient sculptures coming to life, allowing texture and craftsmanship to take precedence over spectacle.

“This is the most India-inspired collection I’ve ever done. There was no idea of covering the beauty of the body, it was all about celebrating it,” Mishra wrote in his press release.

The designer wanted his models to look like sculptures, and he succeeded in doing so. Arches of temples were created through fine embroidery work. The standout look was that of a model’s head that came flanked with sculpted faces finishing off with the same stonelike headdress the model wore.