History meets fashion through the creative AI vision in this collection

Nikita Mhaisalkar, as a luxury prêt label, is known for celebrating culture through luxurious elegance. With her new collection titled Theodora, the designer is exploring the realm of Artificial Intelligence. The collection is opulent, a reflection of Theodora’s (was a Byzantine empress) world, where history meets fashion through the creative AI vision. It is a season-fluid collection, inspired by the majestic Byzantine era, celebrating the intricate details of the luminous art of this glorious period.

So, what is about Empress Theodora and the Byzantine era that captivated Nikita to choose them as the source of inspiration? The designer tells us that it is the sharp glamour alongside crisp silhouettes that were prominent and dominant during this period that drew her interest to explore the art and craft of this era. “The distinctive prints in their architectural motifs and tiles are extremely fascinating. The high shine they wore in their apparel and jewels remained my constant inspiration while designing this line,” she says.

Nikita shares that AI added an edge to the design process. “It was like two heads working on creating a piece of art. The possibilities of creation got larger with AI,” she recollects.

It was an age of rich cultural fusion. This aspect is reflected in her collection, especially through the use of modern technologies and fashion sensibilities. “The rich cultural attributes like high shine gold and jewels not only in ornaments but also in their attire became my influence and I incorporated the same in the designs,” she says.

The collection features a lot of semi-precious stones like turquoise and emeralds in the embroidery. The fine filigree used in architectural art drew her keen interest, which has resulted in the use of a lot of cutwork and fine gold wires.

“The use of pearls and stones is very prominent in the collection. I have drawn my prints from their rich tiles and walls. Beautiful and rich colours such as purple, overtone of aubergine and brick red are dominant in my collection,” she shares.

The collection includes oversized kimonos, trench summer coats, flowy maxis, sharply tailored corsets, kaftans, bodysuits, pant suits, cocktail saris and much more.

Price starts at Rs 22,500. Available online.

—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com