Gaurav Gupta. SS 2023 during Haute Couture Week.

Gaurav Gupta. “Shunya” Spring Summer 2023 Couture Collection during Haute Couture Week.

Gaurav Gupta is an Indian couturier and artist known to explore the themes surrounding surrealism and fanaticism from the inception of the brand in 2004 after graduating from Central Saint Martins. In over 18 years, the designer has carved a world that is Indian at its core and boundless in its form merging indigenous construction and embellishing techniques with his idea of the future.

Shunya is a Sanskrit word which translates as zero. Zero was discovered in India many centuries ago. The stillness of zero and infinity expanded possibilities in studies of space and time.

For our first showcase on the official calendar at Paris Haute Couture Week, I wanted to delve deeper into our mindscape to come up with a concept which is subliminal in thought and original in form.

I have tried to explore the movement possibilities between zero and infinity with tangents of mythology, fantasy and surrealism.

Frozen strokes of dancing wind in infinite forms are sculpted in gold and silver handwoven tissue – the set of twin dresses in silver are an embodiment of this

Exploring sculptural draping forms in indigo electric blue in satins, chiffons, organzas represents a sense of futurism.

There are elemental dresses in black and nude strategically revealing the form in its pristine state. Meteoric light embroideries emulate melting lava or deep waves of a very dark ocean. There is also a garbage like dress with abstract entangled wires as embroideries.

There is a snake dress slithering and intertwining all through the body. The snakes, inspired by the kundalini, softly meander on the body in hand-embroidered waves.

Their form is made luminous with black and purple rainbow and blue iridescent glass beads. There are goth dresses in black leather-like jersey and an acid trip neon yellow. There is also a silver and yellow kundalini snake dress.

The last segment of the collection is in stark gold and black. I am constantly fascinated with ancient Egyptian civilisations, explorations on time and metaphysics. There are pyramid nails sewn into detailed directional embroideries.

This is a handwoven, handcrafted story of form to infinity.