How did that thinking manifest in his latest designs? Through signature sculpting and draping, notched up to a borderline ethereal level and executed through a palette of noirs, simmering golds and angelic whites. There were also moulded body plates – hardened, glistening swaths of where the “fire” might have singed, so to speak. The components were a reminder that beauty can spring from hardship. Even devastation.
“This collection is not just a showcase of couture for us, it is a deeply personal testament to the power of resilience, transformation, and the infinite light within all of us,” said Gupta in a statement.
Hints of Gupta’s sentiment could be seen last year, at the 2024 Met Gala in New York City. When the actress Mindy Kaling arrived on the red carpet, there was an audible gasp from the reporters along the steps; her beige, sculpturally fluid gown, which featured whorls and petal-like framing, standing upright around the torso and tumbling down the back–was meant to evoke the melting of time and the withering of a flower. (This befitted the Gala’s “The Garden of Time” theme.) There too, Gupta saw beauty in something decaying and attenuating. He is clearly in a pensive groove.
To passive fashion fans, Kaling’s appearance was something of a world premiere. But to fashion devotees, the look was no surprise, upholding what’s long been known; Gupta has been in business since 2005, and has steadily built his maison into an eveningwear powerhouse, garnering fans along the way that also include Beyoncé, Zendaya and Cardi B.
His visual signature is those swirling, liquid-like gestures — like cloth frozen in a splash — while his practice seeks to “merge indigenous Indian construction and embellishing techniques” with his “idea of the future.”
A graduate of the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, Gupta has built a reputation for elevating and promoting Indian fashion planet-wide. He blends traditional techniques from his home country (like zardozi embellishments and hand embroideries) with those bold, Hollywood-ready silhouettes (see the subtle shimmer woven through Kaling’s dress, for example). His creations are almost monumental and always dramatic, often seemingly inspired by additional organic forms such as waves and clouds–the movement inherent in these sources gives his garments a grand-yet-soft quality. By splicing his imagination with India’s rich heritage of artisanship, Gupta has carved a unique space in fashion, making his work both deeply rooted in tradition and globally relevant. It’s timeless and avant-garde, in tandem.
Gupta started showing his collection at Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture in 2023.
