Making couture out of thin air

Rahul Mishra asks a lot of questions Perhaps itrsquos the influence of his sixyearold daughter Aarnarsquos curiosity thatrsquos 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 askMishra 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 mannermdashby drawing on his own memories of Aarnarsquos search for answers The idea birthed in Santorini and has ballooned since thenIn fashion a muse is an individual reduced to a name face an idea and inspiration ldquoI rarely ever turn to a human muse when I design instead itrsquos a hauntingly beautiful concept that becomes my inspirationrdquo says Mishra over a call from Delhi He also found inspiration this time around in Monetrsquos 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 early19th century French Impressionist painters It all came together with Mishrarsquos fablelike tone setting the sartorial story in the nature of five elements air water earth fire and space skyAlso Read Couture show with surprise ending A weddingDuring the opening section Chhabb Studio filled the ldquoblack boxrdquo 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 wideleg sequined trousers and 3D handembroidered cape with bougainvillea blossoms and clusters of cave houses stayed veiled Mishra bridged the gap between his art and Indiarsquos craft in an authentic wayFrom 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 appliqueacuted surface textures that created the figurative big picture in silk threads the maze of whitewashed cubiform almost Legolike homes with uneven staircases the narrow streets swelling with bougainvillea shrubs all spoke of stitches of wonder ldquoWe failed many times while making this collectionrdquo Mishra shares ldquoCombining different elements of rigid landmass with the fluidity of water and sensory skies into a collection of 21 pieces was a challengerdquo 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 allIndian 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 Indiarsquos international face Radhika Nair ldquoThe pandemic has left the industryrsquos 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 itrsquos not about escapism Itrsquos about hope and resilience with clothes providing solace a sense of optimismrdquo