I have a child-like curiosity: Rahul Mishra
In a freewheeling chat, Rahul Mishra talks about his deep connection with spirituality, Trikaldarshi Brahma, his Paris Couture Week ‘Cityscape’ and ‘Crow’ ensembles, why Bandhani is important as we revisit the present while keeping the “rear-view” mirrors open to pay homage to the past. By Asmitaa Aggarwal He did create a buzz with Gen Z favourite Jahnvi Kapoor getting out of a Nexa, with paparazzi following her, a group of photographers, an event she handles almost every day bravely, they follow her. The set was rear view mirrors, almost 50 of them lined in the show area, as the yesteryear beauty Parveen Bobbi iconic Raat Baki from Namal Halal played in the background. Cutwork jackets, patchwork denims were interesting, some Issey Miyake style, space suit sleeves, and in this mix was Mithun Chakravarthy iconic moves on “Jimmy Jimmy aa ja” and Sanjay Dutt’s rehearsed steps on “Tamma tamma Loke” as the background score. Rahul Mishra and his quiet but impactful wife Divya, presented their line AFEW, at the LFW X FDCI showcasing for the silver jubilee of India Fashion Week, with exaggerated shoulders, big bold flowers, in sequins of course, pants came covered with net. The eye grabbers were exaggerated waists a bit like Comme des Garçons but his interpretation of Bandhani was engaging, in above the knee dresses with exaggerated shoulders, sleeves and bows. The check coats, his continued love affair with flowers, padding and bulges, appliqued hens on jackets, with golden paws, as well as Matrix style black floor length coats explained his love for the unpredictable. “We discovered Henri Rousseau (French post-impressionist painter) work which is on display in this collection as well as the art of Pichwai, but my belief is when you want to create something new you have things which are old like Bandhani. It is like you are driving a fast car, but you have to keep looking at the rear-view mirror to see what you are leaving behind. Crafts become the idea and you create a new version of it,” he says. He took many cultural references from the Silk Route, the products are deeply rooted in traditional craftsmanship. AFEW used painterly old motifs which were found when the Silk Route started, then thrived. “Silk route was an exchange of art, culture and motifs; it was not just about trade. This collection looks at various ideas whether it is from Japan or the Kutch region,” says Rahul. So you have Tanchoi or what Rousseau has done, but in the collection, there is a simplification of all those ideas, few find their own relevance. “Something which is easy, but beautiful,” he explains, adding, “My mind I feel kind of works way too much in multiple directions. Stargazing late at night using my amazing telescope which is the most scientific portable telescope available. I keep wondering about life and cosmos, I also read the Gita, try to connect wit myself. I observe insects–amazing creatures. My mind is never quiet, I am always thinking, maybe I need meditation. I feel I have more ideas but less time,” he smiles. He admits he is sensitive about his surroundings, especially of news. “It lives rent free in my mind. Divya tells me sometimes thoughtlessness is needed, I am sometimes absent minded also. I’m dreaming and thinking. Thoughts entangle me. Maybe it’s not the best thing, but it is a big fuel for finding new ideas and perspective,” he explains. Fashion is quite personal for Rahul, it is about his fears, experiences, tales, dreams, and it comes as an inspiration, out of an observation. “I share my ideas with the team. The way the human mind works is amazing. I can see the person, who is creating an artwork, how it comes from collective thought and dream into an entire garment. I think trends are the most overused ideas. Humans try to discover patterns in almost everything. If it is constellation and trends are based on human emotions, trends are powerful things, but I don’t care about them. I feel like there can be micro trends. The globe is one–generation on Insta and is savvy with technology. People get influenced very easily with choices,” he confesses. He believes the addiction to social media is so deep, that we are making free choices we feel, but we aren’t. “When you look at today’s world nobody can escape –we are victims to ideas and losing cultural identity as trends are strong,” he adds. The magnificence of his creations for Paris Couture Week, can be seen in the way he has constructed a “Cityscape” ensemble, because how cities are now it’s not about how much time it took, but how big skyscrapers made him feel. “No one can escape trends, it’s impossible. The Crow ensemble is a thought I was living with for a long period of time. It was a trigger point for me. Cityscape, when I look around to see how we have made concrete jungles,” he explains. Crows are scavengers, it became his leitmotif after his father passed away, “you look at everything. You render the bird–it looks realistic and fits into my story telling. These hits and trials take lots of re- improvement–it is not linear, and takes a lot of time. It is an attempt to showcase artistry at its best,” he says. If you look at his Insta page, he tries to add a series of celebrities— from Priyanka Chopra and her daughter’s beautiful moments to singer Shreya Ghoshal whom he “finds amazing. We pay respect to all regions of the world; we fulfil all requests. Whether it is Liza from Thailand for her first performance, Queen Latifa for Grammy, Mindy Kaling, Fan Bing Bing or Poorna Jagannathan. This is not our focus. We are very humbled. All celebs are global — Indian or Chinese,” he adds. Rahul is also a man of collaborations–Tod’s was happening for a long time — it was a right fit. Italian and Indian handmade craftsmanship; it was sold out even after the pricing has gone three times