Rahul Mishra’s otherworldly embroideries find a new canvas—bags

Rahul Mishra has a talent for translating flora and fauna of all species and breeds into fantastical embroideries. They decorate his pop-star-worthy gowns, weighty lehengas, and now, his latest release: dressy bags. “Nature, for me, is not a singular image but an infinite archive of forms, colours, and rhythms,” he says of his work, whose admirers include clothes horses like Blake Lively, Natasha Poonawalla, and Janhvi Kapoor.

The collection includes minaudières, saddle bags, slouchy clutches, and even a dressed-up tote in silk and full-grain leather, all covered in the designer’s now-signature hand embroidery. And this is not his first wild adventure. Fans will recall that last year Mishra collaborated with storied fashion and accessories house Tod’s on a special collection of shoes and bags. There again, a veritable cornucopia of wild animals and tropical plants flourished on the Italian brand’s most iconic silhouettes.

Mishra, who has a home in the hills away from his base in New Delhi, explains, “Certain motifs resurface like old friends, often drawn from my first-hand encounters with their ecosystems. The process is usually very spontaneous—a flower blooming in my garden, a bird crossing my path, or even fleeting moments that linger in memory. I still recall once spotting a tiger on the road to my home in the Himalayas; that vision stayed with me for weeks before finding expression in our work.”

While he no doubt harnessed his learnings from working with Tod’s, this collection pushes the possibilities of embroidery as an art form even further. Think of a box clutch so densely decorated with sequins and thread work that it resembles a Monet painting. Or a soft pouch embellished with gold-plated fish and multi-coloured stars, a surreal ocean-scape where the sky and the sea collide. 

The designer will launch the collection on August 21, the same day as the opening of his new flagship store in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. What better occasion to carry one of these unique pieces of art.