Rahul Mishra presents his collection at the ICW 2022

Growing up in India, we witness numerous instances of worshipping trees. This inherent part of our culture manifests in different ways during the harvest festivals spread in regions across our subcontinent.

Speaking about his collection, the designer said,’My grandmother would tie a hand spun cotton thread around a banyan tree, not far from our house. The memory of this routine, of the ladies of the house worshipping the tree to bless their Families are precious one. Basking in the golden sun, ’

The Tree of Life’ is a manifestation of nature’s abundance. At the break of the dawn, when the sun shines from the horizon, how every leaf transmutes to gold for a moment. It is that moment and the more vivid ones after that we articulate in this collection. Fields of poppies and a diverse wilderness taking over ancient architecture is rendered intricately in hand embroidered surfaces. ‘The Tree of Life’ renders our gratitude for nature’s wisdom.

Two and three dimensional embroideries articulate the first flush of nature emerging on the surface of a body, and life that grows from it. Intricately embellished surfaces articulate scenes from dense forests with ancient architectural remains and vegetation in modern day silhouettes. A fresh application for the brand, metallics add another dimension to our brand’s signature hand craft. True to the values of ‘Couture’ and traditional Indian techniques, the pieces feature fabrics that are handwoven at villages in India, embroidered with hand for over 10,000 human hours and sewn to perfection for clothing that is featherweight despite the intricate surfaces. A contemporary application using a multitude of traditional surface embellishment techniques from the Indian subcontinent, the collection aims to near art, just as it does fashion. It endeavours to cultivate a circular economy for craft communities in India. The core aim of the collection continues to focus on grass root empowerment and provide encouragement to the artisans that make the clothes. We seek to not just fuel further consumption but cater to the existing demand of a mindful customer. In the words of Nelson Henderson,

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”