Spring Couture 25 - Rahul Mishra’s Voyage

On Monday night, Carl Sagan’s voice bounced off the walls as Rahul Mishra’s unveiled his latest collection in Paris. Titled The Pale Blue Dot, after Carl’s book and a photo of the Earth taken by the Voyager 1 space probe from almost 6 billion kilometres, on February 14th, 1990.

It is fitting that on the so-called day of love, Valentine’s, Carl Sagan reminded us that we

were but an inconsequential and insignificant part of the universe, just a pale blue dot. Rahul based his work on this feeling, having lost his father earlier this year, he channelled his grief into his art. In every collection prior to this, the viewer could see a pattern of positivity, of optimism radiating through. Even the most mysterious and mystical of the clothes were accented with some celebratory accoutrement. In yesterday’s showcase however, the melancholy was palpable.

The collection began with Coco Rocha in a long cape resembling a collection of buildings, a theme which continued through the opening looks. It was in line with the reference Rahul gave, to how our great cities and their unsustainable living conditions are affecting our climate. The window walled motif continued until it reached a crescendo in a garment where the model was engulfed in buildings.

The next key element of symbolism came through the appearance of ravens and crows. In Hinduism, they symbolise a connection to one’s ancestors; they are seen as a pathway to connect and communicate with one’s family members who have passed away. Rahul shows his grief by directly creating looks where ravens became the central focus, as a way of honouring his late father. The collection continued with this reflective tone through the use of mirrors. As Mishra looks back at and lives with the grief of his past he begins to find it in others. As Rumi said, your grief for what you’ve lost lifts a mirror up to where you’re bravely working and so it seems as though Rahul is holding up pieces of reflective glass for himself, for us and for society.

The culmination of the black looks was punctuated by the arrival of dazzling gold dresses, the colour of the beautiful brown earth amplified. It seems to be a reminder that with all the death and destruction shown we face, eventually everything will go back to the earth and there is beauty in that. The essence of all creations is the futility they possess and how all will return to the soil.

Rahul processed his grief and created art to aid in this endeavour. It was a collection many might not have expected, but, it was a showcase of love and loss interspersed with the need to share sadness with the hope of it becoming bearable to live with once it gets divided.