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A new collaboration between Italian luxury label Tod’s and Indian designer Rahul Mishra, launching today, celebrates the artisanal heritages of the two countries. Amid a luxury slowdown, Mishra argues that it’s time to bring attention back to the value of high-quality craftsmanship.
The limited-edition capsule collection reinterprets bestselling Tod’s products such as the Di bag, Gommino shoes and T Timeless accessories, featuring Mishra’s classic embroidery of nature-inspired motifs. The collection is “for a global clientele who values our brand’s ethos alongside high-end offerings”, Mishra explains.
India is an “important market” for Tod’s, according to its general brand manager Carlo Alberto Beretta. The brand has four stores in the country across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, and recently opened its Tod’s boutique in the new Jio World Plaza mall in Mumbai. Tod’s is stocked by Indian multi-brand e-tailer Ajio Luxe and entered a franchising partnership with local conglomerate Reliance in 2022. “This collaboration pays homage to the encounter of quality, Italian artisanal tradition and the essence of Indian craftsmanship: Tod’s iconic accessories, hand embroidered by skilled kaarigar [artisans], who interpret timeless luxury with a contemporary language,” Beretta adds.
The Western fashion industry’s perception of Indian craftsmanship is changing. Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior was one of the first luxury brands to acknowledge the contributions of Indian artisans and tailors to the luxury industry, and hosted its couture show in Mumbai last year. Since then, attention has grown even more with the opening of the Jio World Plaza, Chanel’s launch of e-commerce in India and the Ambani wedding. Many luxury brands now have their eyes set on India, the world’s fifth largest economy and most populated country, which some economists have dubbed ‘the next China’.
The Rahul Mishra collaboration is part of a creative laboratory project, Tod’s Factory (or T-Factory), which the Italian brand launched in 2018. The idea is for established and emerging designers to reinterpret the Tod’s brand DNA through capsule collections and limited-edition pieces. Collaborators are able to access artisans in the Marche region of Italy, where the Tod’s factories are based, to execute their vision. Alber Elbaz, Palm Angels, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Hender Scheme and Mame Kurogouchi have all taken part in T-Factory — and Tod’s is “already planning other collaborations for the next year”, according to Beretta.
Mishra first met with Tod’s CEO Diego Della Valle five years ago in Ancona, a city in Marche. “Our creative visions instantly aligned for a global stage,” Mishra recalls. “Tod’s is known for its fine artisanal craftsmanship, lovingly crafted in Italy by skilled hands, akin to our philosophy as a couture brand. I was thrilled to discover the shared ethos of both brands and how similar our processes are.” However, the collaboration was put on hold when Covid broke out.
Since then, Mishra — who was the first Indian designer to show at Paris Couture Week in 2020 — has had his eyes set on international expansion. He launched a contemporary label, AFEW Rahul Mishra (an acronym for air, fire, earth and water) during Paris Fashion Week for SS24, in partnership with Reliance.
Luxury is in a difficult spot. The pace of production is faster than ever, but sales across the market are experiencing a slowdown. Against this backdrop, Mishra says his vision of luxury is “through a lens of participation, not just consumption”. This comes hand-in-hand with celebrating Indian artisanal techniques, embroidery, weaving and tailoring. Mishra’s couture label supports over 2,000 workers in India, he says.
“In today’s fast-paced world, where fashion often trends towards mechanisation, craftsmanship remains essential. It infuses fashion with a unique soul and character that mass production can’t replicate,” says Mishra. “In a country like India, embracing craftsmanship not only slows down production but also creates valuable job opportunities for skilled artisans. This approach makes fashion more mindful and adds a layer of beauty and authenticity. This union of skill and passion ensures that every piece is not just a product, but a work of art.”
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