Couture up close: hand-embroidered creations by Indian designer Rahul Mishra

Indian designer Rahul Mishra needs no introduction: His hand-embroidered designs draw from the natural world and transform into fantasy creations. He was the first Indian designer to win the International Woolmark Prize in 2014 at Milan Fashion Week and to be invited to showcase at the Haute Couture Week in Paris in 2020. He has garnered widespread acclaim with both his eponymous couture label and his prét-a-porter brand AFEW Rahul Mishra, counting celebrities such as Gigi Hadid, Mindy Kaling, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah and Zendaya among his female customers and Conan Gray, Karan Johar, Law Roach and Mark Zuckerberg among the men.

Rahul Mishra champions slow fashion and the the idea of ‘mindful luxury’ with traditional Indian crafts, incorporating the philosophy of the 3 ‘e’’s - environment, employment and empowerment. “The brand’s purpose defines the process. The achingly slowed down process of hand-weaving and hand embroidery allows to build sustainable livelihoods for more than 1000 artisans,” explains the luxury house.

It says about the “We, The People” collection: “The artwork strives to draw the enablers of couture, the artisans, to the face of its narrative. It envisions them as more than just creators - as the juncture where artistic expression meets age-old craft and technical prowess that allows them the god-like ability to turn imagination into reality.”

Thus, the dream is a big one: “My biggest goal is that one day we'll be able to provide employment for more than a million people around the world,” shared Mishra in an earlier interview with AFP, providing a slow fashion alternative to the fast fashion and ultra fast fashion giants of the world, especially with his ready-to-wear label AFEW.

It is a rare treat to see a selection of couture creations that can take thousands of hours to make up close. FashionUnited recently had a chance to see pieces from four couture collections - “A Pale Blue Dot” (Spring 2025), “Superheroes” (Spring 2024), “We, The People” (Fall 2023) and “Enchanted Garden” (Spring 2022) at a recent exhibition at Jio World Plaza in Mumbai. Though it is still impossible to understand exactly just how much work and detail goes into each masterpiece, one gets a glimpse at the craftsmanship, dedication, skill and inspiration behind the creations, which aim to look at luxury from the lens of participation and not just consumption.

The charm of Rahul Mishra’s creations is that they never cease to amaze - while one may be engrossed in the detailed work of bees and moths, the designer might surprise with a complete landscape next.

“I dream a lot, I am often lost in a new world, in a kind of fantasy,” explained Mishra when speaking with AFP a couple of years ago. “I come back and share it with my team, I speak to them, talk to them... and then that dream becomes a common dream, everybody starts believing in this idea.”

Inspiration from landscapes, flora...

Nature has been one of Mishra's earliest sources of inspiration, sketching flowers and scenes of his rural hometown of Malhausi close to Kanpur at the age of ten. One example is his “Himachal” lehenga set of the “Enchanted Garden” collection, a “poetic manifestation of a Himalayan spring in full bloom” according to the description. It was inspired by an artwork showing the countryside of Himachal Pradesh. “The garment captures the dreamlike essence of wild meadows swaying under an endless blue sky.”

The “Iris” dress from the “We, The People” collection was worn by Selena Gomez to a red carpet charity event and featured 18 hand-embroidered petals.

Sculpted ruffled shoulders add a sense of grandeur, reminiscent of wings, while intricately detailed embellishments cascade like constellations, illuminating the silhouette.

....and fauna

But not only the Indian flora served as Mishra’s inspiration, the fauna too. With “Moth Light”, Mishra has captured the beauty of moths in flight. “Inspired by the delicate balance of nature and the vital role insects play in our ecosystem, this artwork pays homage to their silent yet essential contributions,” states the designer. “Their graceful movements, depicted with meticulous craftsmanship, reflect the harmony of nature, where every creature, shaped by millions of years of evolution, plays an irreplaceable distinct role.”

The embroidery installation illustrating a swarm of moth encircling an illuminated bodice, was worn by Indian actress Ananya Pandey on the runway as part of the Superheroes Spring 2024 couture collection.

The “Bees Waggle” corset dress from the “Superheroes” collection was derived from the thought that each creature originating in nature, after millions of years of evolution, is essential to its equilibrium. “This collection reflects on facts such as the insect kingdom driving the food chain by aiding 90 percent of the overall pollination process on the planet,” states the label.

Thus, this dress features on the superheroes - bees. “Embroidered with precision, the corset dress pays homage to the silent, essential labour of pollinators, capturing the harmony between movement, structure and life,” reads the description.

Reptiles such as lizards are also superheroes for Mishra, firmly carving out their place in nature. This golden dress with lattice pattern and camouflaged lizards remind us of the intertwined relationship between humans and the animal world.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest in the Ganges Delta is known for its tigers who are said to have inhabited the area long before the first humans did - about 12,000 to 16,500 years ago. Mishra pays homage to the royal creatures with his “Tigress in Sundarbans” gown that is part the “We, The People” Fall 2023 collection.

“'We, The People' is a work of wonderment that assumes if an embroiderer would really envision the adda (embroidery frame) turning into a lotus pond and if there is an instance when they feel themselves in the Sundarbans amidst its virgin forest, caressing a majestic tiger,” reads the description.

“The karigars (artisans), immersed in their embroidery, enter a meditative state where time and space dissolve. As they stitch, their hands weave a parallel reality, creating a world within the fabric, where the fierce tiger of the Sundarbans forest becomes part of their inner sanctuary. Their focused rhythm forms a habitat of imagination, untouched by the outside world. In this process, the embroidery becomes not just art but a portal to a serene, meditative existence.”

Mishra also dives into cultural aspects for his spring 2025 collection “A Pale Blue Dot”, for example this “Ravens” dress. “In Hindu tradition, ravens are revered as messengers of departing souls, embodying a sacred connection to our ancestors. They symbolise intelligence, keen observation, and the profound link between the physical and spiritual realms,” explains the label.

Inspiration from cityscapes

Urbanisation is a topic also picked up in the “A Pale Blue Dot” collection, for example in the “Urban Tree” dress. As a metaphor of growth, consumption and sustainability, it depicts a metropolis of towering high-rise buildings emerging from the roots of a deep, intricate banyan tree.

It is also a commentary on our increasing consumption: “Cities, with their rigid and shimmering facades, demand immense amounts of energy, water and materials to sustain themselves, yet offer little in return to nature,” comments the label.

“The corset gown captures the celestial vastness, while the layered trench evokes the structured beauty of an illuminated metropolis. This ensemble reflects the seamless coexistence of the cosmic and the urban, the ethereal and the tangible - an artistic ode to the universe within and beyond us.”

If this outfit, “Cityscape 3D” of the “A Pale Blue Dot” collection looks familiar, it could be because rapper Queen Latifah wore the floor length cape to the 67th Grammy Awards. It took 1200 hours and 66 pyramidal structures of four different sizes to make this futuristic silhouette.

“This sculptural look captures the grandeur and fragility of modern cities, embodying both human ingenuity and inevitable decay. Shimmering black embroidery evokes dystopian landscapes, symbolising abandoned metropolises reclaimed by nature,” explains the label.

“It serves as a reminder of our fleeting existence and planetary impact. The contrast between rigid structure and fluidity reflects the tension between the urban expansion and nature’s quiet resilience,” it adds.

This creation called “Cityscape in Sands of Time” features and hourglass, the upper half of which is formed by towering high-rise building, intended to symbolise human ambition and progress according to the design house. “As the sand trickles through, the lower half reveals a scattering of particles, representing the inevitable passage of time. The once grand structures fade into dust, a poignant reminder that all things, no matter how monumental, are bound to return to the earth from which they arose. The piece reflects the transient nature of power and achievement and echoes the urging contemplation on the cyclical journey of creation and decay.”

About Rahul Mishra

Mishra’s story may be unusual in the fashion world - having no mentor or encouragement for his design talent - but quite common in India where lawyer, doctor, engineer are still considered the only acceptable, “steady” careers - though this is slowly changing. His father, a doctor himself, pushed Mishra to get a degree in physics. But he could not abandon his couture dreams and enrolled at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad before intensifying his studies in Milan as the first non-European designer to win a scholarship at Istituto Marangoni.

Currently, Rahul Mishra’s eponymous label is present in India with six retail stores and a thriving national and international distribution network. The first European boutique opened in London in 2023 with the help of a joint venture with Indian multinational Reliance, a key distributor of luxury brands.