Rahul Mishra brings a modern twist to Indian designs

One of the few Indian designers who is also known for his tailoring, you can find his label in London's Harvey Nichols and Paris's Collette.

"A national treasure," is how Suzy Menkes, renowned fashion critic, described designer Rahul Mishra just last week. For last three seasons this designer from Kanpur, a previous winner of the International Woolmark Prize has been showing at Paris Fashion Week. Rahul Mishra is all about the new modern Indian aesthetic. He draws from India's rich heritage of crafts and gives it a modern and very futuristic feel.
One of the few Indian designers who is also known for his tailoring, you can find his label in London's Harvey Nichols and Paris's Collette. Since he just presented his collection in London last weekend, Rahul could not show at the Amazon Indian Fashion Week.
However the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), were not going to let this treasure, forget his roots, and Mishra Spring/Summer collection was at an off-site installation on Sunday; the last day of India Fashion Week.
Designer Gaurav Jai Gupta curated this show, as Mishra only returned from Paris on Saturday night. This was all about Indian fashion celebrating its new wunderkind. With Pernia Qureshi, designer Tarun Tahilani, FDCI president Sunil Sethi and Tatler UK's fashion director Deep Kailey all there to congratulate the designer on his recent success. 
Called "Dot" the collection circled around the idea of being Fourth dimensional. Surface texture had a very exaggerated and architectural feel taking it beyond the three-dimensional.  Sporty silhouettes injected some fun, and you could that white tennis dress was top of mind. Shoulders have a rounded feel that came alive due to the engineered texturing. All handcrafted, Rahul skillfully combined couture elements into a pret collection.
The use of sheers added lightness to the powerfully sculpted ensembles. A play with geometry has become Mishra signature, and the "Dot" collection centered around this. A lesson in how Indian crafts can be manipulated to futuristic, artistic and completely international. It will be interesting to see how Mishra translates this collection into a commercial collection.