If there’s one thing I love about haute couture, it’s when a designer takes storytelling to the next level—when the clothes aren’t just clothes but a visual journey, an experience that lingers long after the runway lights dim. Gaurav Gupta’s Spring/Summer 2025 couture show, Across the Flame, did just that. It wasn’t just a collection; it was a deeply personal, almost spiritual testament to resilience and rebirth. The way he wove his story—of surviving a traumatic accident and emerging stronger—into every single stitch, fold, and sculpted curve of fabric gave me actual goosebumps.
Fashion, at its best, isn’t just about beauty. It’s about emotion, transformation, and the way garments can speak without a single word. And Gupta’s show spoke volumes.
A Story Woven Into Every Look
What made Across the Flame so powerful was its narrative—one of survival, pain, and ultimately, transcendence. Inspired by a near-death experience, Gupta channeled his personal healing journey into couture. The show began with darker, more intense looks—sculptural gowns in deep noir and metallics, their silhouettes almost armor-like, as if forged in fire. The pieces then transitioned to fiery oranges and golds, evoking both destruction and transformation, before ending in ethereal whites that felt like rebirth.
It was a masterful progression, mirroring the way pain shapes us, how we rebuild from the ashes, and how light can emerge even from the darkest places.
And the execution? Breathtaking.
The Sculptural Magic of Gaurav Gupta
If you’ve ever seen a Gaurav Gupta piece, you’ll recognize his signature instantly—those liquid-like folds, the way fabric seems to freeze mid-motion, almost like a splash of water suspended in time. This show took his sculptural genius to an even higher level.
The midnight blue breastplates—structured yet fluid—felt like a fusion of ancient armor and futuristic couture. The corsets and molded bodices had an almost celestial energy, as if they were designed for a divine warrior. And let’s talk about the drapery—swirling, cascading, and melting over the body like molten metal, yet so light and airy in movement. It was the kind of craftsmanship that reminds you why haute couture exists.
The Fusion of Tradition and Futurism
Gupta’s ability to merge traditional Indian craftsmanship with futuristic design is what sets him apart. He isn’t just creating gowns; he’s creating modern relics—pieces that feel timeless yet ahead of their time.
His use of zardozi embroidery, intricate handwork, and fabrics handwoven in Banaras bring deep cultural roots into his designs. But then, he juxtaposes them with high-tech materials, 3D embellishments, and space-age silhouettes, making each piece feel like a bridge between the past and the future. The fact that some garments featured Preciosa crystals—over 20,000 of them!—only added to the almost celestial aura of the collection.
Gupta didn’t just stop at the clothes; he built an entire world. The accessories and headpieces, created in collaboration with Objects & Dawn, looked like artifacts from another dimension—celestial, symbolic, and almost talismanic in nature. The jewelry, from Chakra earrings to Infinity ear cuffs, reinforced the theme of resilience and transcendence.
Even the beauty choices played into this vision. Marieke Thibaut for MAC Cosmetics designed makeup looks that featured celestial motifs, with crystal-adorned faces and third-eye sun designs. The hair, styled with Kerastase, was sleek yet otherworldly. Every single detail was intentional, layered with meaning and artistry.
Why I Think This Show Stands Out
I’ve seen many breathtaking couture shows, but Across the Flame felt different. Maybe it was because the story was so personal. Maybe it was because you could feel the raw emotion stitched into the seams. Or maybe it was just the sheer artistry—fashion pushed to its absolute peak, balancing between wearability and fantasy, tradition and innovation.
At the heart of Gaurav Gupta’s show is Navkirat Sodhi, his partner and an accomplished poet. Their relationship is deeply intertwined with his creative process, offering both emotional support and artistic collaboration. Navkirat’s poetic sensibilities often find echoes in Gupta’s designs, with themes of transcendence, rebirth, and cosmic energy mirrored in both her words and his couture. Her presence in his life adds a lyrical depth to his work, making it not just visually stunning but also profoundly emotive.
What makes a couture show truly unforgettable isn’t just the level of craftsmanship, but the feeling it leaves you with. And this one left me speechless. It was a celebration of survival, of beauty rising from hardship, of fashion as both armor and art.
If couture is about creating something that feels almost mythical, then Gaurav Gupta has, without a doubt, achieved that.
Love,
Rae
Image credits - all images belong to Gaurav Gupta
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