Luxebook July 2022

heavy yet flamboyant, which can be teamed in various ways. One can style it up or tone it down — you can wear it as a lehenga, choli blouse or simply team it with a silk white shirt.We even have modern jackets that team well with palazzo pants and even this can be made completely Indian for a Sufi night. There is an ease in the shape of each garment, and some have inbuilt corsets, and the lehengas are huge in shape but still very light. And one key highlight is that all the lehengas have pockets making them functional and stylish at the same time. The silhouettes are long — so expect longer flowy jackets with wide pants. Shararas and divided pants are championed instead of lehengas which can be teamed up with a choli blouse. This season we are also bringing back capes — it will be like a comeback of the cape. There are also some gowns which are flouncy but they are interchangeable as well to suit an after-party. This collection is more sophisticated, there is a lot of layering added like scarves; we have some organza shirts over lehengas and corsets. The corsets are a big comeback for me along with a little bit of nightwear lingerie coming back into the blouses (wired and un-wired). I feel this collection is very versatile — there is a mix of modern construction but with lots of Indian embroideries and lots of surfaces that have been developed. We are also trying to revive some of the old techniques which have been forgotten in Rajasthan — the beaten lankan or the beaten mukeish for instance. Key trends and colours which will be in focus in haute couture? Our love for metallics will always be there in every collection. Although you can see metal in our collection, we have worked with gold, silver and gunmetal in some of the looks. We have done a lot of turquoise, which is our favourite colour over the years. In a Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna collection, you will always see a teal garment, but this year the addition of a little bit of fuchsia is exciting. I think the colour fuchsia is the colour of India and should be worn even for the cocktail and reception, not just the wedding day. How do you stay relevant in the ever-evolving world of fashion? You can stay relevant if you stay true to yourself. You should stick to your DNA and if that works there is no way you should change your style. Our biggest strength is that we stay true to our DNA, and people keep coming back to us because they know they can always find a beautiful, glamorous dress or a tuxedo that we specialise in. What are your plans for the near future from a business perspective? Do you plan to pivot to a younger audience? We are launching a new label RGRK which is going to be an online platform.Weare showcasingat theOctober LakmeFashionWeek.RGRK will have two different stores and two franchise stores. The quality will be there, but the prices will be lower. We are there for the younger generation but nobody knows pret like us, we have been in pret for the last 20 years. With the sudden influx of multinational brands in India, we took a step back because everything was available. But we feel there is still a market for a niche line with good silhouettes and good cuts which aren’t discarded after two uses and we are trying to bring our evening RGRK line back in October. Caught in the moment, Fittings from Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna’s Couture Collection 2022 Fibonacci A sketch from Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna’s Couture Collection 2022 Fibonacci 20| L U X E B O O K | J U LY 2 0 2 2 J U LY 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 21