Rahul Mishra showcases environmentally inspired collection at India Couture Week

Rahul Mishra presented an Impressionist-inspired menswear and womenswear collection titled ‘The Lotus Pond’, as a digital showcase as part of India Couture Week.

Mishra’s latest couture collection, inspired by Impressionist artists including Monet, used a nature theme to explore the relationship between humans and the environment and promote a more eco-friendly approach. Mishra’s showcase took place of day two (September 19) of the Fashion Design Council of India’s virtual edition of India Couture Week.

“The collection is inspired with the three Es- Environment, Employment and Empowerment and aims to look at luxury from the lens of participation and not just consumption,” the FDCI announced on Facebook, as it launched the showcase online.

The collection was presented through a film and lookbook, shot at the Tijara Fort-Palace, and features traditional wear garments including lehengas, sherwanis, and sarees. Intricately embroidered natural scenes of ponds and vegetation evoke Impressionist paintings and 3D butterflies and flowers add a touch of whimsy.

Mishra was also asked by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to present a couture film as part of Paris Couture Week, which will feature digital showcases this season.

“For PFW, the actual process of creating was challenging,” Mishra told Vogue India about his new couture collection.

“It was an ode to the artisans who worked on the collection in difficult times. In this collection we take a look at the other side of the pandemic. How the skies in Delhi became blue, how nature reclaims its own space. A lot of these ideas were playing in the back of my mind while working on ‘Butterfly People’ but I wasn’t able to execute them before."