HEALING IN DYSTOPIA

WHEN we dialled couturier Rahul Mishra after his Paris Haute Couture Week show, the conversation opened with astonishment 'this collection is so the different from what you've presented in the past,' we told him.

- PRIYAMVADA RANA

His label's signature multi-coloured three-dimensional appliqué work that almost breathes life into his birds, butterflies, florals, dragonflies, bees and other wonders of nature was missing. Instead of bright blooms, the designer crafted black scavengers like ravens and crows that sat on sheer-black bodysuits. In another one, he showcased a model wearing a three-dimensional glitzy cityscape, almost sending warning signs to humanity of raising skyscrapers at the cost of the environment.

Yet another dress dazzles with silver round mirrors. Take a closer look and it's embellished with a cautionary message: 'objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

Each ensemble compelled one to pause and reflect on the future we are creating.

"The edit is about philosophy, death, hope, recuperation, and survival but how do you create it? You can easily put it in words and maybe paint it, but how to put it in a show? We started from zero as there was no reference point. The collection resonates with people on a contemplative rather than a brighter note," says Mishra.

Age of dystopia