Rahul Mishra Brand
Rahul Mishra Presents His New Haute Couture Spring 2024 Collection: Superheroes
Luxferity, 23.01.2024
“Someone was before me at my water-trough, and I, like a second-comer, was waiting. I came down the steps with my pitcher, and must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.”
This is the observation of D. H. Lawrence, in his 1923 poem, SNAKE as he describes his encounter with one “earth-brown, earth-golden, from the burning bowels of the earth” snake with “his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down” that “drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body”. He further describes, “The voice of my education said to me he must be killed” and “If you were a man you would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.”
Before me. This thought stayed with Rahul Mishra as he pondered on his continuous exploration with the biosphere. “Before us, they were here. Beyond my own comfort zone, I look back once more at those who’ve been here before me. I seek to not just just appreciate the beauty or the vividness of the insect kingdom but also challenge our whole conditioning/education towards how we treat insects & feel the emotions coming from a primal notion of fear”, says Rahul Mishra.
How will children discover the stories of insects in the future he wonders ? Will there encounters only be on petri dishes in biology labs ? Will they be at ease to see a dragonfly flutter past or a reptile scurry away without jumping in fright. Rahul Mishra seeks to not only be inspired from the insects but showcase the emotion they evoke coming from realism and not just artistic imagination to draw a reaction that evokes empathy. He delves into his memories when one could sleep in a room gazing at a lizard scurrying in and out of the jaalis (stone latticed screen) in the courtyard. Of a time when one did not jump away startled in fear or suppress the instinct to kill a spider or a snake.
Adds Rahul Mishra, “These beings are equally the architects of this planet and our gaze needs to change and allow them to stay more harmoniously in their settlements and co-exist with humans”.
‘Superheroes’ draws attention to the nuances of sharing life with species of reptiles and insects that share the environment with us. With more species being imperiled by the day, Rahul Mishra contemplates the general human conditioning of mind, as we find ourselves averted, distressed and even, scared at the slightest confrontation to the presence of these benign species within human spaces. As biodiversity continues to spiral downwards, insects keep getting extinct and not enough is spoken about it. For every tree cut, thousands of insects also get killed and they are amongst key architects to create a life-giving planet that has so much color and diversity.
Derived from the thought that each creature originating in nature going through the millions of years of evolution is essential to its equilibrium, this collection reflects on facts such as insect kingdom driving the food chain by aiding 90% of the overall pollination process on the planet. Albert Einstein has famously said, “The human population would have a mere four years of sustenance if the bees were to go extinct”.
Rahul Mishra’s ‘Superheroes’ consolidates a handful of exquisite beetles, bees and flies along with resplendent species of snakes and familiar lizard forms in order to highlight their earthly allure. It remarks at simpler details of their lives such as the meticulous dance of a swarm of moths encircling an outdoor night lamp while not colliding into each other.
The bright hues and distinct patterns on the wings of a dragonfly indicate to their predator the poisonous fluids in their bodies. The elegance of a snake slithering on the ground as it tastes the air with its forked tongue. And in bringing these visuals to life through hand crafted couture sculptures, the collection serves a reminder to track our paths and familiarize our minds with some friends from nature, who for millions of centuries, have played a crucial role as architects and saviors of life as we know it today.
As a constant effort to evolve and elevate the characteristics of Rahul Mishra’s Couture, the quintessential embroidery from the atelier takes a leap with 360° development of the animal forms. These are then placed atop structural base forms that are achieved with inventive pattern making in order to keep them strong yet lightweight. The silken thread work synonymous to the atelier is supported with zari embroidery, ek taar ka kaam, baadla, glass beads and rhinestones to achieve a sensation of ‘biomimicry’ within the motifs.
Produced within our embroidery centers across the Indian subcontinent, the intention remains to include more and more local artisans in our work and offer means of employment and empowerment to the upcoming generations of embroiderers and weavers of the country.
