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From showing at Paris Haute Couture early this year to outfitting Beyoncé three times during her recent Renaissance tour, Gaurav Gupta has been reshaping perceptions of Indian designers. Now, his debut ready-to-wear collection has landed on its new international e-commerce site as well as in Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Moda Operandi, alongside stores in Turkey and Kuwait, as he expands his eponymous brand.
Indian designers have landed in the spotlight as recognition of the country’s craftsmanship grows. Local brand Falguni Shane Peacock made its return to New York Fashion Week this season, while Sabyasachi Mukherjee opened a flagship store in New York’s West Village last year. In September, Indian designer Rahul Mishra launched his new contemporary label AFEW Rahul Mishra during Paris Fashion Week, with the backing of the country’s largest luxury goods retailer, Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), ambitions to take it international persist. In the past two years, RBL’s parent company, as well as rival conglomerate Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, have acquired stakes in several homegrown labels.
Renowned for his sculptural, architectural and often fantastical aesthetic, Gupta embraces traditional Indian embroidery forms like zardozi, involving the use of metallic threads. This gives him a point of difference, he says. “We draw inspiration from ancient Indian philosophies but present it in a futuristic, modern avatar. It’s dramatic yet sophisticated. Our aim is to create a new fantasy — a universal language around the brand pillars of surrealism, architecture, art and Indian mythology,” he tells Vogue Business. The ready-to-wear collection spans from dresses to skirts to jackets. Dresses range in price from £910 for an asymmetric draped cocktail style to £5,060 for the Gilded Flight Tuxedo Dress, featuring antique silver embroidery.
An alumnus of London’s Central Saint Martins, Gupta made his runway debut in 2006 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, sparking immediate interest. “It was things we had never seen before, from his architectural cuts and draping — which is, of course, part of Indian tradition — but in a cool way, as he married it with boning,” recalls stylist Gautam Kalra, who worked with the designer on his early shows. “He knows how to sculpt and flatter any body and type.”
Initially envisioning a global label, Gupta never saw himself as an Indian bridal couturier. But he understood this was where the market was in India and knew he needed to be a bankable label at home before he looked to make his international mark. He began incorporating bridal pieces into his collection after a few seasons, with his first full-blown bridal couture collection, Gaurav Gupta Bride, making its debut in early 2022. “From the second season onwards, we realised that we are in India, and the approach needs to be a bit different,” he says.
He caught attention locally by introducing sartorial touches to the sari, blending them with an evening gown feel: you could just zip them on. This birthed a new language in Indian bridal wear. “I was young and rebellious at that time. From that rebellion came the concept saris, evolving over the last 18 years into newer versions of Indian wear,” says Gupta. Kalra describes Gupta as “very business savvy”. “He used boning in such a new way, he looked at the sari and added this new conceptual and sartorial element. He brought something new to the table.”
He adds: “Many designers in India understand retail but often struggle with editing collections for the runway. Gaurav and his team listen and oblige. Being open to feedback has also been something that ensured the label becomes stronger each season.”
Gupta opened his first flagship store in 2009 in Delhi and now has five stores in India. Last year, he moved into a new atelier in Noida, part of Delhi s National Capital Region, which now serves as the brand’s headquarters, housing artisans, embroiderers and seamstresses. The business currently employs 550 people, alongside 13 stockists internationally. It declined to share revenues but said they are up 30 per cent from last year.
The designer co-founded the brand in 2005 with his younger brother Saurabh Gupta, a science and computer graduate who previously worked in the iron and steel business. “My role in the company is like that of a CEO, but we are not so organised as to use these titles,” says Saurabh.
Working with family has proved to be a winning proposition for Gaurav Gupta. “This generation of designers (the first generation of eponymous designer labels in the country) has found it challenging to find the right business heads. Being brothers, these two have had each other’s backs from day one,” observes Kalra. The intention is to keep the business independent, the brothers say. “We don t feel the need to seek investment at the moment, as it is growing organically at a good pace,” says Saurabh, though he admits that they may need eventual corporate backing to expand the brand’s physical footprint globally. In the meantime, being independent has allowed the brand to stay true to its original vision and continue breaking norms both creatively and in its business approach.
The power of celebrity
While the brand may not be ready to open retail spaces outside of India, it has heavily invested in celebrity styling, proving successful. Celebrity dressing began through word of mouth, and in 2019, the brand partnered with Maison Bose, the Los Angeles-based luxury communication consultancy led by Hema Bose, which has played a crucial role in securing prominent names like Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Lizzo and Beyoncé for Gaurav Gupta.
"His incredible attention to detail is what drew me to the brand,” says Megan’s stylist Eric Archibald, who dressed the singer for the 2022 Oscars in a bespoke Gaurav Gupta crystal-encrusted sculptural gown inspired by a mythical sea creature. “His eye-catching designs, rooted in craftsmanship and bold statements, make it the perfect blend for red carpet moments. His keen eye for detail makes his designs interesting for an international stage,” adds Archibald. Some 1,500 man-hours went into the making of the gown, the designer says.
Reflecting on the importance of VIP placements, Bose emphasises storytelling, relevancy, timing and location. “It’s not just about who’s wearing Gaurav Gupta, but why they are wearing the brand. They have to matter; they have to stand for something that aligns with the house. While we are still establishing Gaurav Gupta as an international brand, the order in which VIP placements are seeded is pivotal in creating a ripple effect of introducing Gaurav Gupta as a global couture house.”
Earlier this year, Gupta became the second Indian designer ever to be invited to show at Paris Couture Week, after Rahul Mishra. This helped to boost his visibility to global stores, while Cardi B’s presence at the show generated media attention. Gupta says he had a goal of showcasing at Paris Couture Week from the moment he started the label. “As a student at Central Saint Martins, I used to attend shows in Paris. I knew that this is the space where I would want to showcase one day,” he recalls. Saurabh adds: “It’s quite expensive to do a show in Paris, but we can fund it ourselves right now as we are growing.”
Next up will be a stronger focus on menswear, expanding retail points in America and Europe, and a targeted approach across the Middle East. ”We are in a unique position, not just from an Indian standpoint but from a global standpoint,” says Gupta. There are “some other key exciting partnerships in the pipeline”, which he can’t talk about yet. “We have always had global ambitions for the brand since inception,” he concludes. “Whoever learns about the brand acknowledges its potential for a larger global footprint and its contribution to a new language in design and fashion.”
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