Fashion / Spotlighting Top South Asian Talent From Paris Fashion Week For Menswear And Paris Haute Couture Week

Spotlighting Top South Asian Talent From Paris Fashion Week For Menswear And Paris Haute Couture Week

Fashion Jul 05, 2024

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Designers are constantly pushing the boundaries of their imaginations, expanding what fashion can be or how it can be thought about. The creativity of South Asian designer Kartik Kumra was evident at the Paris Fashion Week for Menswear Spring/Summer 2025. Meanwhile, over at Paris Haute Couture Week, Indian designer Rahul Mishra brought the energy, and people are still talking about it!

Paris Fashion Week for Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 took place on June 18. Over the course of six days, audiences were dazzled by fabulous looks from the likes of Dries van Noten (who held his final showcase), Louis Vuitton’s Pharrell Williams, Hed Mayner, 424, and A$AP Rocky, who made his debut. You know we love to see and celebrate when our South Asian designers are doing big things, and that was absolutely the case for Kartik Kumra, who appeared at Paris Fashion Week for the second time. But that’s not enough; Paris Haute Couture Week happened from June to June 27th, when Indian designers Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta made minds expand and jaws drop with their latest collections.

Each of these collections warrants a deeper dive to really understand the thought process and inspiration behind them. Check out the details below about these amazingly talented South Asian designers, and take a peek at some of our favourite looks from their showcases – you won’t regret it!

Kartik Kumra

Kartik Kumra launched Kartik Research in 2021, and the company is located in New Delhi, India. Kumra created the Kartik Research with the hope of “…reintroduc[ing] humanness into clothing” with all pieces being “handmade” in some way. What’s also really fascinating about the Kartik Research is that each collection explores a different “…subculture from India’s heritage.” I think it’s really neat that each piece of each collection represents a different facet of Indian culture, which is really vast, and creates room for both fashion and conversation.

Spotlighting Top South Asian Talent From Paris Fashion Week For Menswear And Paris Haute Couture Week: What I enjoy most about Kumra is that he seems so earnest and let’s his clothing do the talking for him. Photo Credit: www.instagram.com @karuresearch @hypebeast

Kumra’s line made appeared for the first time at Paris Fashion Week six months ago, and recently returned to showcase his Spring/Summer 2025 line up. And, even more exciting, Hypebeast boasts that Kartik Research is “…the first Indian brand on the menswear calendar,” indicating that “…Kartik Kumra is not just making a fashion statement, he’s making a cultural one. His work is a platform for South Asian talent, giving them a voice and a space to shine.” With such a reputation preceding him, the pressure was on for Kumra, but he absolutely delivered with his latest collection, which is comprised of 24 pieces. The SS25 looks captured elements of day-to-day outfits, but Kumra took these pieces to the next level “…with elevated tailoring and cultural signatures while being a true reflection of South Asia’s diverse way of life.” The looks that hit the runway were absolutely stunning (I know I say that about everything, but I really do mean it)! I loved the detailed embroidery, the incorporation of garlands, patterns, different fabrics, the use of sequins, and graphics. High praise must go out to Kumra on this latest collection – the amount of thought and effort that went into every piece was not missed!

Rahul Mishra

Rahul Mishra, who hails from Kanpur, India, really left everything on the runway at the 2024 Paris Haute Couture Week. According to Istituto Marangoni, Mishra launched his brand back in 2008 and has continuously challenged himself to reach new heights with each release, and his latest collection demonstrates that in strides. ‘Aura’ hit the stage at Paris Haute Couture Week recently and we are still recovering. Elle India highlights that the collection, with over 50 different looks, seeks to capture was “…the many attributes of energy and delves into the essence of one’s aura – the vibrations that link us to the rest of the cosmos. Drawing heavily from Hindu mythology, the surrealist lineup retains his original aesthetic whilst carving a new niche.” In fact, Hindustan Times shares that “the ensembles were inspired by Lord Brahma, touted to be the creator of the entire cosmos.” The primary colour used in the collection was black, but there were pops of reds, greens, golds, and whites that complimented the other looks well. Vogue explains that the use of the colour black “…allud[ed] “to the mystery of the unknown.””

The way I interpreted this collection may not be totally accurate, but for me, the aura was really showcased in the energy I felt the clothing gave. For instance, there were so many fierce looks where the silhouette of the models were shown off or the outfit just seemed to command the presence of the room. On the other hand, there were looks that gave off mysterious or daring vibes, respectively. I also appreciated the different materials used, like sequins, tulle, chiffon, beads, crystals, and more. Mishra used a variety of techniques to create each look and while some materials used were similar, each look was still unique. It was an unreal collection and we absolutely loved every second of it!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.instagram.com @rahulmishra_7 @janhvikapoor

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Author

Devika (@goberdhan.devika) is an MA graduate who specialized in Political Science at York University. Her passion and research throughout her graduate studies pushed her to learn about and unpack hot button issues. Thus, since starting at ANOKHI in 2016, she has written extensively about many challe...

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Spotlighting Top South Asian Talent From Paris Fashion Week For Menswear And Paris Haute Couture Week

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

COMMENTS

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