Designer Rahul Mishra's little daughter makes runway debut

Rahul's handmade feather light couture line, bursting with colours, impressed several fashionistas at the India Couture Week (ICW) here on Thursday. But it was his little daughter who melted hearts with her brief appearance on the runway.

While many designers take a bow with Bollywood stars at the end of their show, Rahul got his family, including his daughter, on stage.

The little one didn't match steps with the models, but lit up the ramp with her smile as she was carried by her mother.

"She has brought a lot of good luck and mental prosperity. We don't take her to work much. Today was her first time at backstage and show. We are taking her to Paris also. My show is on September 30. It's her birthday also," he told reporters after his show.

Talking about his collection, he told: "The collection is called 'Parizaad', which means born of the divine.

It takes inspiration from century old Persian, Roman and Byzantine architecture, and the intricate use of geometric patterns, tiles of flowers and mosaic of nature, emphasising great design aesthetics from a time when human skills were divine."

"The idea is to create a modern language with Indian textiles and embroidery following a Zen-like

philosophy to the approach."

He said the collection is probably his most traditional collection yet. But of course, there are a lot of contemporary elements used in it.

So be it a scallop cape with lehenga or jumper with long kurta or French knot cape with sari, the collection has a touch of traditional and contemporary elements.

"We have used a lot of shear fabrics to create a feather light feel, with an exploration of controlled volume," he said.

"We've also developed some newer colours such as vibrant yellow and powder pink. In terms of technique and embroidery, although we have used a lot of traditional processes and methods of application such as aari and zardosi, we played with mix-media applications and also have some 3D applique details."

"There is a definite focus on graphics and patterns, with an inclination towards more painterly and artistic designs with birds and floras as well as perfect geometric patterns," he added.

He also moved away from the basic anarkali to something that is more structured, taking inspiration from a lot of outerwear and traditional Indian wear to create almost hybrids of traditional anarkalis and tailored coats.