Trust designer Rahul Mishra to always take the road less travelled, pick the most esoteric topic for his collection and bring it to life in a striking manner. We spoke to the designer about his new collection, just a couple of days before his Paris Haute Couture Week showcase- this will be the eleventh season, ever since his debut in 2019, and he shares that it's the same excitement every time.
Titled The Pale Blue Dot, the collection is inspired by astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot, that came from an image taken at Sagan's suggestion by Voyager 1 on 14 February, 1990. The image was captured when the spacecraft was departing the planetary neighborhood, it turned around for one last look at its home planet. The Earth appeared to be a tiny point of light in the picture.
"This thought has been on my mind for two years now, and it is only this season I am able to bring this to life," says Mishra.
The designer, who has been grieving the loss of his father, who he lost a few months ago due to lung ailments, was shillyshallying if he should be doing the show this time, but it was his team and wife Divya's support that kept him going. "I was in the middle of the deepest of darkness and it required a lot of courage to do what I was doing, " he exclaims.
{{/usCountry}}The designer, who has been grieving the loss of his father, who he lost a few months ago due to lung ailments, was shillyshallying if he should be doing the show this time, but it was his team and wife Divya's support that kept him going. "I was in the middle of the deepest of darkness and it required a lot of courage to do what I was doing, " he exclaims.
{{/usCountry}}Carl Sagan's profound words deeply impacted Mishra. The designer created a collection that shows how the world will look like after human beings leave the planet. Concrete buildings and scavengers have been a major influence in his designs this time.
Mishra also shared a sneak peek of his collection through Whatsapp's one-time-view feature. " Our planet is going through so much and it deeply concerns me. I feel we have been living in a gas chamber and one has to find immediate solution for glacier melting and global warming. My collection is an attempt to show how the cities will look like in the near future. How our bedrooms will be life if left unattended and let nature claim it."
Mishra will be presenting around 50 looks and all the garments are a work of art. One of his designs feature a meticulous embroidery of the Tree of Life amalgamating with the uterus.