Gaurav Gupta is an acclaimed Indian fashion designer who has found success over 10 years in the industry. Known for his simple yet sexy gowns, Gupta understands fashion from A-Z and how styles differ in various cities and countries. Gupta trained at Central Saint Martin College in London and blends fantastical psychology with visual reality in his designs. Celebrities like Kalki Koechlin frequently wear his designs to red carpet events. Gupta explores unexplored realms in fashion, like his fantasy couture line, and collaborates with other designers. He is constantly planning new ideas for his label while keeping a calm and curious demeanor.

1. Y
ou never know what Gaurav
Gupta is thinking. Ask him
and he throws back a blank
‘Nothing’ at you. More often
than not, he is right. “I keep
the moment in mind,” he says when I
urge him on. “And I try to find myself
in that moment.” One look at the ace
couturier and I am overcome with a sense
of wonder. We’re seated at a wooden,
minimalist study table, with a lamp that
sheds the right amount of light on the
designer’s features. Having completed
10 successful years in the industry, he
is all set to showcase his designs at the
Blenders Pride Fashion Tour later that
night. I am, at once, taken by his sense
of calm. He asks me if I want a glass
of water and I realise I need it more
than he does. We talk about his show
that’s happening later and he says, “It’s
a well-organised show—the music and
the arrangements are both looking great.
No wonder, I’m pretty relaxed on the
whole.” The man knows, he is going to
dazzle the audience with his simple yet
sexy gowns. He understands the A-Z of
fashion and talks about how every city,
let alone country, is different when it
comes to style. ”London is big on street
style and Goth”, he explains. “Whereas
India has its own versatility.”
“Iliketoplay
aroundwith
psychological
elementsand
thatshowsin
mydesigns,too.”
Stills from
Gaurav Gupta’s
first fashion
film, featuring
Kalki Koechlin,
which relesaed
last year
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Master
of AcesCalm, confident and curious—Gaurav Gupta keeps
you on the edge of your seat, guessing about his next
plot in the ever-changing game of fashion.
By Dessidre Fleming

2. An alumnus of the Central Saint Martin
College, London, and a NIFT Mumbai
graduate, Gupta always exhibited a flair
for blending fantastical psychology
with visual reality—a trait that went
on to garner quite an audience for the
designer. He trained with British avant-
garde designer Hussein Chalayan and was
awarded ‘The Future of Couture’ Trophy by
the mayor of Rome at Altaroma Altamoda
(Rome Couture Fashion Week) in 2005.
Over the years, the designer’s creations
have become an industry favourite with
national and international celebrities, like
Kalki Koechlin, Shruti Haasan, Malaika
Arora Khan, Skylar Grey and Paris Hilton,
amongst others, flaunting Gaurav Gupta
ensembles at red-carpet events. His latest
and first fashion film that released just a
few months ago, stars Kalki Koechlin and
has been receiving rave reviews across
the country.
Ask him about what sets him apart, and
he says with a witty smirk and a twinkle
in his eye, “That’s for you to tell me…” I
prod him a bit and he elaborates, “I think
it’s my curious nature,” he says. “I like to
play around with psychological elements
and that shows in my designs, too.” He
is a man of few words and a thousand
different ideas, all of which come to life
on the ramp. That’s where his mind is
constantly fixated. “I am just thinking
about what I’m feeling when the models
are on the runway, wearing my label,” he
says. If you were ever to see the designer
at the curtain call, you would know that
Gaurav Gupta was always meant to be in
the spotlight.
The designer loves to explore the
unexplored realms when it comes to
fashion. A case in point is his line of
extreme fantasy couture from the Lightfall
collection at the Delhi Couture Week 2013,
which took modern Indian couture to
a whole new level. Not to mention his
much-talked-about collaboration with
jewellery designer Mawi Keivom in
March last year for his prêt show at the
Lakme Fashion Week, which was a unique
concept based on Siamese twins. “Mawi
and I go way back—we’re very good
friends”, he reveals while talking about
his equation with the jewellery designer.
“We share the same ideas in terms of our
psychological thinking.” Friendship, it
seems, is something the designer holds
very dear to him. He has been living with
his best friend of 20 years. “She is always
there for me—I don’t even need to fast-dial
her”, he says. Gupta loves to spend time
with his family and friends. “I am always
surrounded by great people.” There’s that
smug look again.
He is constantly planning and plotting
his next step in fashion brilliance. But
ask him about those plans and he smiles
a secret smile. “There are a lot of plans.”
Yes, he is the man with many aces up his
sleeves.
Gaurav Gupta
at his Mumbai
Store; Models
backstage; A
Gaurav Gupta
ensemble on
display at the
Mumbai Store.
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