Be inspired: Fashion designer Rahul Mishra’s ethereal Spring Haute Couture 2021 collection

Ruhi Gilder

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. — Alice Walker 

Rahul Mishra, a stalwart of the international fashion scene, presented his creation at the virtual Paris Haute Couture Week 2021 (From January 25 to 28); his second time at the event after his debut last year. 

His Spring 2021 Haute Couture collection ‘The Dawn’, celebrates the endurance of nature. The lockdown prompted a stunning realisation; humans may not have to save the planet, but themselves.  

Fungi is a representative of the marvels that the world is filled with, which becomes Mishra’s centrepiece. The mushroom forms a ring of magical colours, individually engineered through a unique pattern-making process.

Like always, all of Mishra’s pieces are hand embroidered using novel techniques, in order to devise mesmerising silhouettes. The ruffles of 3-D thread embroidery create a freeing effect, meant to shock and soothe. 

The designer’s 21-piece collection poses the question of immortality that reflects the core of the brand’s value for slow, sustainable and ethical fashion. These fungi serve as a reminder of our natural symbiotic relationship with nature. In the words of botanist, Nicholas P. Money, “Mushrooms are masterpieces of natural engineering, the most wondrous inventions in evolutionary history. Judged against the rest of life (so often, we do place ourselves against the rest of nature) humans can be considered as a recent and damaging afterthought.” 

The presentation film runs through images of a pristine white marble dump yard in the state of Rajasthan in India. Each piece of the collection is in stark contrast with the location, yet seems rooted in its surroundings. 

 Watch the entire film here.

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