Gaurav Gupta will always have Paris

You could go so far as to dub 2024 the year of Gaurav Gupta. The Delhi-based couturier’s clothes made it to every important red-carpet event this year—the Met Gala, Cannes, the Oscars, the Grammys—the list goes on. Despite a serious accident that led him to cancel his Haute Couture fall/winter 2024 runway show this week, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Instead, Gupta is showcasing part of his collection—20 pieces to be precise—in a showroom format in Paris’s 8th arrondisement.  

Cancelling a show of such magnitude is obviously a decision that doesn’t come easily. About a month before he was set to present his fourth couture collection in Paris, Gupta and his longtime muse and partner were injured a serious fire. “I’m in one of the hardest, most challenging times of my life with this accident, especially with my life partner being in the ICU for a long period,” he says over the phone from a hospital in New Delhi. 

But he was clear in his resolve: “I wouldn’t be doing justice to the collection or the show without being there. We have a certain standard we’ve been operating to, and we couldn’t afford to bring that down. But everyone, from the Fédération to our partners like Maison Bose and Lucien Pages, production and casting agents, and stylists, has been incredibly supportive and understanding.” 

Since the fire, the designer has been in and out of hospital, taking Zoom calls with his team in between to finalise the collection. “I was literally doing a call with Sandy, our CMO, the day before, looking at the model casting for the shoot,” he reveals during our chat. “Right now, I’m just taking each week as it comes. I’m starting to commit for a day at a time.” 

At Paris, his collection is titled Jyotirgamaya, which is Sanskrit for ‘from darkness to light’, a fittingly hopeful name that’s reflective of the circumstance. Since the beginning of his Haute Couture outings, Gupta has named each of his collections after an ancient Indian concept or philosophy. “I love mythology and I don’t see Vedic philosophies from the point of view of religion, time, or space. I don’t even view them as ancient; for me, they are futuristic. My aesthetic has always been future primitive.”  

Despite it being only half the original collection, there is plenty to take in. There are, of course, the sculptural, gravity-defying silhouettes he is known for, but also some deceptively simple column gowns and tailored separates. “There are certain intelligent details within the pieces,” the designer says of his more minimal looks. The drama comes from his inventive plays on draping, the multiple planes created through fabric manipulation, the angular, asymmetric necklines. There is a generous use of crystal embroideries, as well as a smattering of metal-cast pieces (that he first used in his Aarohanam collection this January). This season also marks the introduction of artisanal jewellery in his catalogue. “There’s a little neck piece from which a whole sari drape comes out of, and other beautiful earrings and neck pieces as well,” he reveals. 

Gupta’s transportive couture shows have been instrumental in introducing his label to an international clientele. His clothes have now found a home at global boutiques like Neiman Marcus, Harrods, and Bergdorf Goodman. In an effort to keep up his couture language and to continue making the collection available to a wider audience, the brand will be releasing a special film on its digital platforms that was shot against the majestic backdrop of the Château de Chantilly in France. 

For Gupta, Paris is now like home. It's where he met with talent who, up until four years ago, he would follow on Instagram, and now calls friends. It's where he met industry legends whose work he has long admired, like Jean Paul Gaultier. “I’m actually a bit overwhelmed three seasons in, because sometimes I’ll be walking on the streets in the Marais and people recognise me,” he says. He and his team are usually in Paris four times a year doing showrooms and meeting with press and buyers. “The city really welcomes, respects, and celebrates talent and artists. There’s a true creative resonance and everyone is interesting, exciting, and quirky. And that’s why Paris is Paris and I feel at home completely.”  

Gupta may not have been present physically at Paris Haute Couture week this season, but no one can say he wasn’t there.