SUBLIME INTERVENTION

Ahead of Paris Couture Week, Rahul Mishra explains to Tatler how heritage, craft, employment and sustainability are a designer's responsibility

- Aaina Bhargava

Rahul Mishra considers himself to be a persuasive storyteller, seeing his words as having a similar effect to a religious leader’s sermon. “If I get goosebumps looking at a flower, everyone else better get goosebumps too after I finish describing its beauty,” the New Delhi-based designer says of inspiring his team. “If I cry, they too have to cry with me.”

Mishra sees his work as more than a job: he believes he has a duty to convey beauty, translate its inspiration, and ultimately share his vision. “It’s what I do and I’m fully hands-on about it. “If I can successfully convince those who haven’t seen its beauty [that it’s beautiful],” the designer says referring to that same flower, “then they’ll feel inspired and contribute better. And everybody—from the craftsmen to the office boy— contributes and gives feedback.”

Tatler spoke to the designer by video call at his home in New Delhi after a hugely successful Paris Couture Week in January, where he debuted his spring-summer 2023 collection, Cosmos. A busy few months dressing celebrities for major events followed, and when we spoke, he was about to start work on his fall-winter 2023 couture collection.