Rahul Mishra's feather-light collection flies high at ICW

'How beautiful the Taj Mahal would look if one could drape it in couture?'. This was the question in designer Rahul Mishra's mind when he set out to create his collection which was presented at the FDCI India Couture Week (ICW).
The line, titled 'Parizaad', featured fresh and ethereal designs and evoked the picture of a heavenly morning with birds taking flight at daybreak.
Rich in intricate vegetal motifs, patterns of mosaic, chevrons and spandrels, the hand-embroidered line was fresh, colourful and experimental.
Talking about his line, Rahul said he took inspiration from Islamic architecture which led him to do a lot of detailing and a play with colours.

"'Parizaad' means divine. We drew inspiration from clouds, trees, roses and butterflies. The time that has gone into this collection is because of how heavy the details are.
"One (garment) has taken about 2,000 human hours. And it is a lot of time. With the thread embroidery, the kaarigari is more on light-weight fabrics. I think the feel is very light," he said.

The collection started off with white dresses embellished with intricate silver, gold and mirror work, which transformed into shades of pale pink, teal, blue, followed by bright yellow garments with contrasting purple embroidery woven into them.
The range featured scallop capes to lehengas, angarakha kurtas to dupatta-silk churidars and cinched gowns to sarees in fabrics such as Banarasi cut work, organza, silk, wool, Chanderi and cotton.

"We wanted to do a feather-light collection. You'll find lots of colour in one dress. Possibly 10-15 shades put together. After doing a lot of black-and-white, I wanted a little colour in my collection," the designer told the reporters after the show.
The music, which was dominated with the temperamental tunes of the piano combined with the base of the cello, lent pace to the show.
Rahul stressed that the collection is entirely "handmade" and it is the result of a hard-work and passion.
"We try to push boundaries every time. Easy to push physical boundaries, but difficult with mental... We don't touch machines. We have an amazing team and talent."

He said this time he employed minimum 20-30 per cent more people than what he did last year.
"It's also in our mind how financially successful the line will be, but it also involves how many people can receive employment from it," he said.
"For me the idea of design is how to can you employ more people. If one lehenga gives employment to 15 people for a month then that makes the process even more beautiful."
One of the models added, "What I'm wearing is feather light. When I was walking, I felt like I was floating in the air and it was refreshing from the heavy clothes we tend to wear."

The 'showstopper' for Rahul's collection was his almost two-year-old daughter, Aarna, who made a brief appearance on the runway just before the show ended, cradled in her mother, Divya's arms.
"This is Aarna's first fashion show - she was the showstopper. This was the first time she saw the backstage. She has brought a lot of good luck and mental prosperity. Earlier we used to work for 12-12 hours. It has been a good change after she has arrived. She'll come with us to the Paris Fashion Week too. My show is on September 30. It's her birthday," he said.