A force to reckon with in the fashion industry, the subversive and whimsical Gaurav Gupta divulges all there is to know about his upcoming collection.
Gaurav Gupta’s world of fantasy and mythology is made reality with yarns of fabric. Indias youngest couturier has changed the landscape of Indian couture dramatically as he reinvents silhouettes to create “new traditional” styles. This NIFT and Central Saint Martin’s College graduate is known for his trademark flights of fantasy in fashion.
Your design phenomenon reflects your state of mind, which currently is?
Currently my head space is more serene and yet progressive. But I’m a bit more spiritual within this, even though it’s in my own fantasy and enchanted space.
You are India’s youngest couturier and have been awarded the ‘Future of Couture’ award at the Rome Fashion Week, does the mantle of the responsibility weigh heavy on you?
For me it’s never enough, I have a lot of ambition but it feels really humbling and feels really good to know that people view me this way. I still have a long way to go and a lot to achieve in my life. I don’t like repetition and monotony bores me. For me if everyone is wearing the same thing it’s so boring, and when I came back to India I couldn’t do what was already being or had been done in Indian wear. It made no sense. I feel sometimes it’s almost as if I was a pioneer in global contemporary Indian couture. I like unusual shapes and I like things which are beautiful.
Dramatic style, statement silhouettes and one of a kind creations reflect Gaurav Gupta couture philosophy. What inspires you and makes you tick?
I know I have a strong signature style, but I try and explore within that and create things that are not run of the mill. I don’t like looking at references or doing things that have already been done. I’m always up for something new, I love a challenge but everything has to be beautiful. My inspiration is in shape and form, in abstraction and nature, architect there’s no such thing as a one point inspiration. It’s a constant process, we live in a time with everything around us and everything fills our heads; it is the curiosity of what is to come in the future that is really inspiring.
In less then a decade your label is the preferred choice of women who flaunt personal style. What are the qualities they embody?
We have a big range of clothes now.. we are a label that is younger in thought but we are still very sophisticated in our appeal. Gaurav Gupta is for a younger mindset, but there a lot of women now who wear our sari gowns or couture, and they are very comfortable in it. It’s a misconception that my clothes are designed only for fabulous bodies, with a few modest changes they suit everyone. I believe there is a Gaurav Gupta side to everybody, and that’s the fun explorative person I design for.
You evoke the fantasy land of the forest for Silt and Cipher. What can we expect from your 2015 couture collection?
One can expect extremely new silhouettes for Indian wear, which for me is Indian but for the world at large it means gowns. The sari is explored and taken to new ethereal nights, the fantasy silhouette is very sophisticated and crosses almost a costume-drama style, but in a wearable forma. One can expect just really beautiful couture along with new techniques of cutting fabric, and some surreal embroidery. For gowns we have moved away from our fishtail style to a lot of volume and a cinched waist.
Colours of the forest from skylight to nightfall will include tone on tone and monochrome, are you evoking the magic and drama of the wild.
Our colour palette is very subtle and sophisticated. There is a lot of grey which I have fallen in love with and an anti-oxidant look. For Indian wear there is absolutely no colour at all, it’s cream, ecru, ivory and champagne tones. Then the other lineup is a series of dark deep colours like wine and green.
Describe your set.
It’s a surprise. I will say there is always a play on light, but it has been treated completely differently.
