The Tamesis
Rahul Mishra kicked off the Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai, and his latest AFEW show was not as flashy as usual with embroidery, but more restrained. “This collection comes from a place of return: to handloom and cotton,” explains Mishra. Reuniting with Chanderi’s master weaver Hukum Kohli, he developed a Supima cotton-silk blend that feels incredibly light, soft, and delicate, approaching the elusive idea of ”weaving air.”
There’s also a hint of nostalgia. “This year marks the 20th anniversary of my debut as a student of NID Ahmedabad,” Mishra recalled, giving a nod to his 2006 Gen Next moment at Lakmé. Twenty years later, the same textile vocabulary reappears, only now more refined.
Cotton, a perennial standout in fashion, has been elevated to an almost philosophical status. Mishra sees it not just as a fabric but as a cultural constant that pervades life throughout the Indian subcontinent. From cradle to cremation, from the everyday loincloth to Mahatma Gandhi’s khadi, it is both solemn and effortless. Here, too, it gets a rather refined glow.
The silhouette balances structure and fluidity, architectural but never rigid. Saree-inspired drapes met corsets effortlessly, while Chanderi techniques walked the line between almost non-existent transparency and intricate textures. Even denim takes on a softer, more lyrical quality.
As for grooming, Mishra tends to be disciplined. The only decoration is in the form of dragonflies, embroidery or applique, flying over the clothes. The dragonfly is an unlikely ally in cotton growing, acting as an organic pesticide.
“It’s a constant dialogue between past and present, craftsmanship and innovation, matter and air,” says Mishra. In fact, this series, which he calls “Platinum,” reads like a pause, and he lets the work speak with concentration and ease.
