rom growing up in the
sleepy village of Malhausi,
85 kms off Kanpur, to
taking on the ramp at
the Lakme Fashion Week
where he made his debut in
2006, and ruling runways
internationally in London,
Dubai, Australia and Paris,
fashion designer Rahul
Mishra has had a whirlwind stint so
far. Little did the physics graduate
know that a programme at the National
Institute of Design would open a world
of opportunities undreamt of, leading
him to become the first non-European
designer to win a scholarship at the
Istituto Marangoni, Milan. He went
on to win the presitgious International
Woolmark Prize in 2014. Currently, his
team is working on Indian couture and
aiming to redefine the way bridal fashion
is perceived. The collection is an ode
to poetry and the celebration of nature.
He shares his design ethos and style
sensibility, among other things.How difficult was it to break the
‘small-town boy’ tag?
My strength is my origin, and I’m proud
of where I’m from. It was one of the best
times of my life because I could stay in
a very humble background with natural
beauty around me. I’ve realised that it
doesn’t matter whether you’re from;
what matters is how collective the vision
is, in terms of respecting people and
the environment.Which city is the fashion capital
of the world?
Paris is epicentre of global fashion;
it has been a prestigious platform for
talent from around the world. Indiahas its strengths and weaknesses; it
is challenging to create something
with traditional crafts with a universal
appeal. There is huge respect for Indian
craftsmanship and we need to bring
it to the forefront.How did life change after studying
in Milan?
My chance to win the scholarship gave
me my entire understanding of fashion.
Staying in Milan and observing fashion
was an education in itself, apart from the
rigorous training I received.How did it feel to win the
International Woolmark Prize?
It validated my work, internationally. ItPHOTOGRAPH: DINESH MADHAVANprovided an opportunity to make my
brand global in the real sense. It opened
many doors that we are now retailing
at top fashion stores across the globe. It
would be an understatement to say this
prize refined the brand Rahul Mishra.How do you conceptualise
a theme for a collection?
Inspiration can come from anywhere.
I get inspired from poetry, music, art—
I take a lot of inspiration from product
design, monuments, and architecture.
In a way it’s just about my state of mind;
the exposure that I get while designing
the collection as well as what actually
inspires me—and that is something that
gets translated into clothing.Tell us about one of your iconic
collections.
There have been many, but in recent
times, it is the Infinity collection where
we created hand-embroidered brush
strokes through pointillism. It was
incredibly challenging because we
had never done nor seen that kind of
embroidery before, where we could
actually create the impression of
a brush stroke.Designer Rahul Mishra shares his journey
from being a small-town boy to making
it big in Milan with Kayal ThanigasalamTHE MIDAS TOUCH
THERE IS A HUGE
RESPECT FOR INDIAN
CRAFTSMANSHIP, AND
WE NEED TO BRING IT
TO THE FOREFRONT
F
THE BIG STORY