Why Dubai Continues To Inspire Gaurav Gupta
Dubai has always resonated deeply with Gaurav Gupta because of its reputation for pushing boundaries. One can see why. After all, he's done just that throughout his career, in India and beyond.
A week ago, a coterie of Mumbai’s most fashionable turned up at Sanwa House in Kala Ghoda. They were there to attend a soirée hosted by celebrated couturier Gaurav Gupta and Visit Dubai, the Persian Gulf’s tourism powerhouse, to celebrate the India-Dubai connection through one of humanity’s most powerful cultural markers: clothing.
Unlike many collaborations, this feels organic. After all, Dubai is a city with an audacious vision - an architectural marvel. And Gupta is equally audacious with his designs. The city's sense of grandeur and possibility (that 'just do it' attitude it has...as though nothing is truly impossible, you know?) aligned seamlessly with his approach to sculptural design, he says. In the end, it was about "bringing together two worlds that celebrate innovation, movement, and a futuristic outlook."
When Gaurav Gupta arrived in Dubai for this collaboration, he came with certain architectural inspirations in mind, considering the city’s futuristic skyline. Who wouldn’t? When I first came to Dubai, all I thought about was Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Little did I know that what I would fall in love with was a museum, a hidden gem in the city's Al Bastakiya neighbourhood that shows the visitor how a 9th-century Ethiopian goatherd called Kaldi accidentally discovered a miracle plant that would go on to help create one of mankind's most cherished beverages - coffee.
"As I explored places like Al Seef, Hatta, and the vast desert landscapes, my perspective shifted," says the designer, adding: "The juxtaposition of heritage and modernity, the natural textures of sand dunes against the precision of the city’s structures, all began shaping the collection in a more organic way."
There’s this dynamic energy in the city, the designer finds. "A sense of constant reinvention, yet an undeniable soul that remains intact," he shares. He's been doing trunk shows here for years, and naturally, this collaboration with Visit Dubai feels like a full-circle moment. But there's something more - Dubai has always resonated deeply with Gupta because of its reputation for pushing boundaries. One can see why: after all, he's done just that throughout his career, in India and beyond.
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The capsule collection he's come up with features five bespoke designs that pay tribute to the UAE’s crown jewel. The luminous 'Silver Metal Pearl Gown' with its sculpted metallic plate and linear abstract embroidery, for instance, is a nod to the arches of the city's historic district and the celestial reflections on Dubai Creek. During his visit to the desert, Gupta recalls how he was in awe of the way the dunes seemed to breathe. The cascading 'Wave Sculpted Sand Gown' evokes that very phenomenon.
It is the one inspired by Al Seef that takes the cake, however. Titled the 'Celestial Prism Gown', this outfit is adorned with 2000 crystals, its petal-like neckline unfolding gently. Sunlight on the rugged mountains of Hatta. In a way, it is Dubai brought to life: liquid gold flowing over hard, unyielding rock, a testimony to what man can do when he acts on his vision.