Rahul Mishra’s inspiration for fall was his most spiritual yet. After paying homage to the likes of insects, artisans and flowers, the designer pondered the meaning — and look — of aura.
In Hinduism, the god Brahma is represented with four heads, seeing everywhere and all the time simultaneously. His offspring Brahmand is believed to be the universe’s creator, with energy emanating from and surrounding him, like an aura.
“As his aura is growing, the universe is expanding — that is what they believe,” said Mishra. “For a long time, I wanted to capture the idea of aura through clothes.”
What a person wears helps define their personality, he continued, adding: “But aura is something beyond personality alone, beyond physical dimension of humans. Aura is something which is connected to the soul, which somehow stays forever.”
Mishra became lost in such pondering. “It’s such a wide subject, full of mystery and imagination,” he said.
Rather than opting to depict aura through colors, as is tradition, Mishra chose black, for its depth and mystery, plus the fact that dark energy and matter largely make up the universe. “Is it aura? Is it the culmination of all the souls?” he asked.
Such thoughts parlayed, both literally and figuratively, into his dazzling collection. One black-and-gold, ankle-length dress was topped with two embroidered profiles peering out from either side of a model’s head. Another cape-like dress had profiles wrought in golden embroidery flanking either side.
Mishra decorated numerous looks with spiky nylon threads, to give a sense of aura hovering around a garment. He plied metal, glass beads, rhinestones and sequins to fashion this body-conscious collection, which also included shocks of red and silver, as well as a cape festooned with multihued embroidered flowers.
“It has been a very interesting journey for me personally,” said Mishra.
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