An ode to East and West

With another season of haute couture wrapped up in Paris, Bhawna Sharma reflects on the rich creative endeavors placing the spotlight on India. “What’s really special at the current time is that Indian fashion houses are being represented at Haute Couture Week – for example Gaurav Gupta – and worn by the biggest celebrities.”

Gupta is the second Indian fashion designer to be invited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to show at Paris Haute Couture Week, debuting with the Spring/Summer 2023 collections. The avant-garde designer, known for his characteristic blend of Indian artistry and European techniques, counts Beyoncé among his A-list fans. The American singer-songwriter chose several of the couturier's custom pieces for her Renaissance world tour in 2023, one of which was an iteration of the sculptural ‘sari-gown’, a Gupta signature that melds Indian drape work with the effortlessness of an evening gown. Acknowledging the influence of the millennia-old sari on the drapery of Western silhouettes over the years by global luxury brands, Bhawna notes: “Balmain has done it. Jean-Paul Gautier has been inspired since the Eighties.” And then, of course, there’s the incorporation of Indian techniques, embroideries and textiles to consider. “A lot of big fashion houses globally, like Chloé, turn to India for embroideries, which is what craftsmanship in India is all about,” she muses.

India’s expertise in textiles – from storied dye techniques to specialist weaves and stitchwork – has been prized in Europe for centuries. The intricate chain stitch embroidery of Gujarat, for example, was traded to the West by the East India Company as far back as the 1500s. More recently, global luxury brands have turned to India’s craft processes through specialist ateliers, and their importance is well-known in the industry. “It’s always been there, but now we’re visibly seeing it more and more,” says Bhawna, “like the House of Dior and their longstanding relationship with the Chanakya Foundation...leading to a really beautiful Indian-inspired show, recently.”

For the backdrop of the Couture Spring/Summer 2022 presentation, artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned a monumental handmade tapestry, influenced by the work of Indian artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh. The 3600-square-foot textile was stitched together over more than 200,000 hours by 320 artisans from Mumbai’s Chanakya School of Craft, a foundation that was created to preserve Indian crafts and cultivate innovation, that the French couture house has an enduring association with.

Another couturier to highlight the role of the Indian artisan, or karigar, is Rahul Mishra. The first ever Indian fashion designer to be invited to show at Haute Couture Week – “he’s been a constant on the Paris runways,” notes Bhawna – whose Haute Couture 2023 collection, ‘We the People,’ paid tribute to the collaborative spirit and artistry of the Indian craftspeople behind the collection. “I think it’s an ongoing process. Fashion is forever evolving and everyone’s celebrating each other, so that’s good.”

So, how does the stylist blend the two worlds of East and West in her own wardrobe? “I believe having fun with fashion is such an exciting approach already – that’s the starting point for me,” she states. “I take Western silhouettes and elevate the ensemble with accessories, for example, Indian cuffs, bangles, tribal jewellery, footwear...there’s so much to do with it.” Bhawna cites the simplicity of Western silhouettes – she’ll take a pair of trousers and “dress it up with an Indian blouse like a Jodhpuri Choli – it can be backless; it can be quite funky and sexy. And then overlays, for example,” she cheerfully concludes, "I just mix and match silhouettes and textiles, which is what the foundation of Indian fashion is all about.”