Rahul Mishra returned to Mumbai to show his co-ed fall AFEW line as the finale of Lakmé Fashion Week, a testament to his status in Indian fashion. In the 11 years since he scooped up the Woolmark Prize, his ethically driven business has grown to support around 1,500 employees, with the crown jewel being his Delhi embroidery atelier, whose artisans craft Mishra’s maximalist fusions of traditional Indian imagery, natural symbolism, and flamboyance.
Couture is Mishra’s extravagant playground; AFEW—an acronym for Air, Fire, Earth, and Water—represents his “easy-to-wear” line. Though slightly more understated and pragmatic, it doesn’t stray much from his penchant for bold decorative gestures. This collection was no exception. Named the Silk Route, it was a medley of cultural and visual influences, tied by Mishra’s flair for artistic dash.
Throughout history, India has been a crossroads of trade routes connecting the West and the Far East; diverse crafts and textile techniques have intertwined in often unexpected ways. Gujarat’s Bandhani—where tiny pinches of fabric are meticulously knotted before being dyed, creating beautifully irregular patterns—bears a striking resemblance to Japan’s Shibori dyeing method. Similarly, Scottish tartans share parallel geometries with Madras windowpane checks, while the lush foliage and bestiaries in Henri Rousseau’s paintings echo the intricacies of Indian miniature art. “The more I look at craft, the more I understand that it’s a collaborative effort, where creative borders are porous. Art doesn’t know any border, and beauty existed before borders were created,” Mishra mused—rather timely words in an age increasingly fixated on boundaries and sovereignties.
He set out to “map this crossbreeding of influences,” shaping structured silhouettes through his eye for inventive mélange. Reimagined Bandhani textiles, Madras-check wools, and floral prints were juxtaposed in rather bizarre compositions—rigid capelets were perched atop tailored pantsuits, half-moon crinolines flared from bustiers and pencil midi skirts, and butterfly wings and fluttering petals billowed from shirts tucked into voluminous balloon skirts. One dress featured a 3D assemblage of inverted tetrahedrons, a motif that was also crafted into a trailing stole draped over high-waisted trousers. A sequined rooster appeared as an appliqué on a black pantsuit—was it a symbol of vanity or a nod to rural nostalgia? Actually, it was simply a “why not?” moment. “I’m a visual wanderer,” Mishra remarked. Indeed.
