Gaurav Gupta’s new couture collection is all about sexy separates

The fact that fashion can be architectured through an amalgam of geometric precision and artistry, is the crux– the method behind the madness, for Gaurav Gupta. The designer’s signature sculptural gowns and lehengas are genre-defining in the land of Indian couture for brides, wedding guests who want to take it up a notch, and for the fashion set wanting to make a statement during fashion week.

The Central Saint Martins alumni’s unmistakable couture sensibilities are paradoxical in nature– where new permutations and combinations can be discovered and interpreted in a multitude of ways, even being such an undeniably statement affair. And so his signatures have seen the Oscars’ red carpet on Meghan Thee Stallion, the Cannes red carpet on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as well as the go-to for fashion week goers. It is the kind of accessible space Gupta wants to take his couture. “Some people wear my architectural blouses with trousers to fashion week you know, and you can literally also wear it with a lehenga for your brother’s wedding,” muses the couturier.

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This new idea of versatility in couture is omnipresent in his new collection, ‘The Heiress of Dunes’– another vision of Gupta’s house codes that revolves around the time space continuum. Even with the abstraction of it all, the timing is right for him. One could consider that his international and home-grown growth is owed to his hands-on approach towards his work, placing importance in self-directing the story, fine-tuning the details, and realising designs for IRL brides. Speaking from his atelier, the designer juggles work alongside the conversation, giving intriguingly specific directions to his team all while answering pointed questions on call– a testament to the busy-body’s well-deserved success and the secret to what makes his couture relevant today. This couture collection speaks to a crowd that wants their clothing to take on a bold attitude, where the sexy element flirts with the sophistication that is part and parcel of Gupta’s high-octane outfits.

He shares his insights on riding this new wave of couture with his new youth-infused couture collection.

On the inspiration behind ‘Heiress of Dunes’

“When I started looking at the dunes and its changing shape with time, we started looking at pyramids and Egyptian references. Some of the embroidery intertwines together like snakes and ladders, DNA structures, so it has a connotation of time. Some of the ornamentation is literally architectural and mathematical. You’d see a particular cut and it would look like a pyramid. There’s also a crop of black, that depicts the blackness of time, with fluid shapes, amorphous shapes that come across in the construction of ruffles.”

“Our fabrics usually are lovely rich crepes, fine organzas, and georgettes. I always use fabrics as a canvas, as a base fabric, because we do so much of our indigenous techniques on it. Heavy fabrics still play a different role, where you focus on how it falls, how an organza would flounce, how a crepe would take a glass beading and metallic embroidery and how it’ll add weight to it to fall a certain way.”

On fashioning the new sexy

“The essence of the collection is young. I like the rebellious nature in it, with a sort of a gold cleopatra-ish look. And at the same time, there’s a sexy richness to it, that’s what the highlight is for me. I particularly like the separates where there’s a separate blouse with ruffles and a high slit skirt which for me is the new hybrid silhouettes. It is quite exciting.”

On making couture versatile

“That’s where it’s actually going. What I’m liking about it is like they’re all modern pieces, quite a few of them. They are architectural, even the simpler blouses, that’s like a ruffled blouse you can wear with a high waist trouser or a slit skirt… that for me is quite exciting. For me that’s the highlight. You know the spirit of the collection itself is the highlight. It is young and sexy.”

On originality versus consistency

“They’re all tall sculptural pieces and I know that people feel like you know sometimes we’re doing repetitive things but I think people need to realise that when you’re talking about originality, it’s almost as if some things are so new. When talking of sculpting when the language of a brand is so new in let’s say… when it’s historically new and I know I sound pompous… that’s where I think it’s really interesting- what I’d like to say is that… we don’t look at references outside. We look at our own references.”

On taking couture to the international red carpet

“Who doesn’t want to dress stars at the Oscars? And we had the perfect avant garde global red carpet brand representing India. They see that innovation and that it’s not just about fashion, it’s also about design. It’s like an explorative art form and that’s where I’ve been lucky to have collaborated with such artists like Meghan Thee Stallion, or Cardi B or Natasha Poonawalla, or Aishwarya Rai and Liza Koshi. These were not just garments which are just there, and have been picked up and worn, these are literally custom made collaborations. It’s a whole process with the celebrity stylists, where you go over who to dress, how to dress, for what, what colours, what style, what sketch– you know, there’s a whole process to it. It’s just been very rewarding both creatively and obviously as a brand to grow as well.”

On going seasonless

“We have multiple drops of collection in our store now. You’ll be seeing another collection from us very soon. You know our plans have changed. Gone are those days when we would do like two or three collections a year. I think now everyone is doing capsule collections, which are capsule concepts. For me ‘Heiress of Dunes’ is a concept and it’s a part of my larger couture offering for 2022. I’m always excited to come up with multiple concepts. It’s like we’re telling multiple stories in one year. And I think this new format is great! Social media has really helped as well to put it all forward.