FOR OVER a decade, Mumbai-based Gaurav Gupta has wowed fashion weeks with designs that reflected a sense of infinity and rhythm, along with an aesthetic that is futuristic in nature. From changing the face of the sari forever by creating the world’s first ever Artificial Intelligence-inspired sari-gown last year, to being recognised as the ‘future by couture’ by Alta Roma Alta Moda (the mother of all fashion weeks in Italy), the avant-garde designer is one of the strongest voices in Indian fashion and couture. In Chennai for a fashion showcase, the 37-year-old will launch his collection Crystal Myth that has pieces ranging from demi-couture to bridal wear.
Curious about the very suggestive name of the collection, we ask Gaurav what Crystal Myth is all about. “It is an ode to the miracle within each of us,” he says adding that the line is from where desire spirals and ambition races to embrace it all. “The lust, the need, the cascading, the rising — there’s no shying away.” he says. The 100-piece collection is almost kaleidoscopic with a crystalline structure. A graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the UK, Gaurav has dressed A-listers like Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Nicole Scherzinger, Julie Berman and Skylar Grey. With Moondust being his last collection in 2017, Gaurav’s Crystal Myth uses crystals that adds a shine to the garment, which he believes is also a projection of one’s inner self.
“The flow of the fabric, innovative silhouettes with the crystals reveal a mapping akin to the alignment of stars, making the design crystalline,” explains the designer, who runs his atelier and factory in New Delhi. As a designer, Gaurav has always taken on three-dimensional embroideries, anti-fit silhouettes and volume play to create signature looks that are hard to place, but are reminiscent of something that is futuristic or beyond this time period. Crystal Myth’s silhouettes too draw parallels to that style, by taking inspiration from the shape of a prism, so the gown is designed in such a way that a woman wearing it will seem taller, and more powerful; owing to the length of the gown. “It’s curvilinear in form,” he says, “This multi-dimensional construction adds a whole new vibe to sophisticated couture.” Colours in the collection are strongly drawn by nature — especially the five elements (fire, earth, water, metal and wood). “You can see hazel greens, twilight greys, cloud greys, twilight blues, sand pinks, river greys, lava reds, skylight blues and blush beiges,” says Gaurav. While three dimensional structuring is what the designer does, he has used indigenous boning and sculpting techniques with digital floral prints developed in-house.
Ask him about the stance of fashion now in 2018, and he says that fashion is constantly evolving. “The old is being renewed and upgraded to today’s taste and style. But now with the involvement of technology, the future of fashion looks tremendously exciting and promising.”
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From today. At Evoluzione.