Top News

Hours before his Mumbai couture showcase, designer Gaurav Gupta is surprisingly calm. While most designers spend the final hours before a runway presentation battling nerves, Gupta says he becomes "more Zen" as the countdown begins. The celebrated couturier, whose latest presentation Light Song explored the relationship between solar and lunar energies, spoke to us, about the philosophy behind the collection, taking Indian couture to the global stage, celebrity collaborations , the comparisons with Rahul Mishra's work, and why he believes fashion is much bigger than clothes.


'The closer a show gets, the calmer I become'
Despite staging one of the biggest couture presentations of the season, Gupta says panic isn't part of his process anymore. "I'm blank. I think I'm just doing things. I get into this soldier mode by now. I have like a half-an-hour-to-half-an-hour schedule to cover so many things. I'm actually quite Zen. The closer a show or a big thing is, I become more and more Zen. I'm a mix of hectic and Zen."




'We don't try to make a magnum opus. We just create'
Every Gaurav Gupta show is mounted on an ambitious scale, but the designer insists grandeur is never the objective. "We just do what we do, and then it becomes what it becomes. Our atelier has always had such a unique point of view, and I think that authenticity is what people resonate with — the authenticity of creativity or the authenticity of a creative voice," he says.


He believes the spectacle exists to elevate the narrative rather than overshadow the garments. "For me, it's actually the concept and the storytelling which take centre stage. People discover the clothes and details later in stores or on social media. The storytelling is grander than anything else because it highlights the construction and the mood of what we're trying to say," he adds.


'Light Song is a love story between the sun and the moon'
For his latest collection, Gupta turned to cosmology and spirituality, ideas that have long shaped his creative vocabulary. "We've come up with certain pillars of the brand, which are cosmology, fantasy, mythology, spirituality and surrealism. They're all parts of me and parts of the brand," he mentions.


Explaining the concept behind Light Song, he says, "We asked ourselves, where does light come from? So we went to the sun, and the solar took us to the lunar. We wrote this beautiful story of how all of us are a balance of solar and lunar energies. The collection is called Light Song. It's a love song between Sol, the solar god, and Luna, the lunar goddess," he explains.




'The bigger picture is building a confident Indian global brand'
Even as his designs are worn by international stars and stocked at leading luxury retailers, Gupta says he's still chasing a much larger dream. "The bigger picture is making a confident Indian global brand. Since Paris happened for us four years ago, and with so many global celebrity sightings, we're now opening our own Paris atelier where we can do couture appointments. It'll be our first international address. The bigger picture is creating a sustained global brand with flagship stores across multiple cities, multiple product categories and multiple experiences — creating a whole lifestyle of fantasy and mythology," he elaborates.


'Celebrity dressing is always a creative collaboration'
From Beyoncé and Lady Gaga to Cardi B, Kylie Minogue and Maluma, Gupta's creations have found fans across the world. Yet, he says he never approaches celebrity dressing as a status symbol. "I don't see an artist as being big or small. I see artists for who they are. Every project is a collaboration." He recalls one such moment with Beyoncé. "Beyoncé wasn't just wearing a gown. She was wearing a neon green sari gown from us at the Atlanta Renaissance Tour. That became a Beyoncé day in Atlanta because of that outing. Everything is a deeper collaborative conversation and not just an outing."


'I don't get nervous. I think I only make myself nervous'
Asked whether working with global icons ever intimidates him, Gupta laughs. "I don't think people make me nervous. I think I can only make myself nervous."


While there isn't one dream collaborator, his wishlist continues to grow. "I'd love to collaborate with so many dancers, musicians, actors and directors. It could be Björk, Matthew Barney, so many global brands. We haven't worked with Zendaya till now, but I'm sure it'll happen at some point. I might even do a movie someday. I'm very fluid and I don't have any limitations or boxes."


'Happy accidents happen in fashion'
Responding to recent online comparisons between elements of his work and Rahul Mishra's collection, Gupta chooses not to dwell on the debate. "Nobody can own inspiration. Everybody has their own interpretations. Sometimes these happy accidents happen in fashion and in art. It's entertaining for people for a few days. It's fine. It's not a big deal."


He adds, "Everybody is interpreting a particular inspiration in their own unique way and techniques. To a raw audience it might look similar, but they're actually very different."