WEAVING STORIES

For designer Gaurav Jai Gupta, textiles are the window to the soul

- PRATIKSHA ACHARYA

Last season at Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI, all eyes were on Sustainable Fashion Day, for it boasted a rotary of some of the best circular designers in the country. While most of them lived up to our expectations, many would agree that Gaurav Jai Gupta's Akaaro stole the show that fine day. His collection 'Moonrise' was created from waste yarns that the designer had collected over the years from his previously made collections. Giving a new lease of life to the scraps and creating something truly spectacular out of them comes naturally to Gupta, who has been at it for the last fifteen years, and he credits that to consistency: “My design language has remained consistent since my college days. While the collections have evolved, the crux of it has always remained the same,” says Jai Gupta.

Launched in 2009, Jai Gupta’s Akaaro completes fifteen years in the fashion industry this year, and the designer continues to amaze with his in-depth understanding of textiles and fabric manipulation. In a chat with Grazia, the designer dished out what truly inspires a collection, his love for Indian textiles, and the changing landscape of the fashion industry.

THE INSPIRATION