Gaurav Gupta Unveils His Collection 'Name of Love' at Digital Couture Fashion Week

Brides Today: What do you think will be the future of bridal and wedding couture? 

Gaurav Gupta: I think the future of design and fashion, in general, is going to be that people will invest in brands that are original— original in thought, original in concept and original in design. So, I think the future of bridal wear is authenticity. Couture is the actual thought or the idea or the philosophy that goes behind the garment and the feeling that comes across from it. I feel the future of Indian bridal couture is very bright because today I'm seeing many brides and grooms coming to us and wanting to make a statement, wanting to explore different sides of their individuality and personality and play dress up in different ways. it's going to be very celebratory, progressive, intelligent and more fun.

Brides Today: Do you think that the future of fashion is now in digital? 

Gaurav Gupta: I think the present of fashion is very digital! For the past few years, fashion has moved a lot digitally. We already have about 50% of our clients come through Instagram. Now with our website, a lot more people are preselecting their looks going to the stores, and it's made it much more convenient for them. They already know the prices and the range. As for the future of fashion, yes, for a while is going to be digital. But I think next year people will get back to shows, etc. It's always going to be a mix between the digital and the actual physical aspect.

Brides Today: How has the COVID crisis and the lockdown inspired you to rethink couture?

Gaurav Gupta: So the COVID lockdown has been a very beautiful personal journey for me. I think we've all been going through a lot of churning inside. It has inspired me and pushed me to believe more in and what I want and my style of couture, and led me to experiment more. I've been playful in a very sophisticated way throughout this collection. I've been open to all kinds of creative ideas. I've been very, very productive during this lockdown, be it my couture collection, womenswear, menswear, jewellery and even the making of this show. It's all been very invigorating for me. 

Brides Today: What does Inclusivity mean to you? 

Gaurav Gupta: It means when you genuinely don't see one person different than the other based on anything. Inclusivity is when everybody's got an equal platform, everybody is the same. And at the same time, their differences are celebrated. It's communicated in the eyes and by your body language, not just by words. Inclusivity is when there is a feeling of openness, respect, love and friendship, and very importantly, where there are no ill feelings.

The collection contains all forms of statement gowns, sexy, dapper and fantastical menswear. There are diamonds and fine jewellery, sculpted womenswear lehengas and new colours like fuchsia tinted oranges, bright emeralds and berries.

This collection is a brand new couture collection. We want to present a new collection for our clients who are looking forward to getting married and are having more intimate weddings in November and December. We already have bridal appointments, groom appointments and jewellery appointments in progress. The collection comprises of 50 womenswear looks, 25 menswear and a 50 piece jewellery collection. We want people to feel creative, to feel hopeful, to enjoy their weddings, to enjoy their events, to enjoy couture and enjoy art. 

Brides Today: What is the inspiration behind your campaign and collection 'Name is Love'. What does it exactly mean? 

Gaurav Gupta: Name is love. My name is love! Your name is love! 

The concept started with our digital director Sandeep Gill and I sitting together and talking about love and discussing that the whole world needs more and more love and friendship and hope right now.

It was a decision to celebrate all types of love— to celebrate self-love, love in relationships, love for whatever body type you are, whatever colour type you are. I think a lot of us have discovered a lot of self-care, self-love during these times and the pivotal importance of prioritizing and loving your relationships, loving your parents, loving your children, even the love in unknown relationships. This collection is born out of an obsession with this beautiful, godlike feeling that is love, and that's what we want to celebrate through this campaign

We went on a journey of discovering this new vibe in India, which is brimming with confidence. The new generation in their 20s and 30s, even the teens are just so cool. They're so confident, so progressive, so forward-thinking. They are not boxed in any definitions. They are very happy being a transgender male or a non-binary female. We came across some very openly gay couples, even from the different states in India, not just the main metros.

All in all, it's been a very emotional and very beautiful journey, one that was filled with learning. We are very proud to to to be associated with these confident individuals, who are now our friends as well. 

Brides Today: Tell us about the experience of taking part in India's first-ever digital couture fashion week. 

Gaurav Gupta: Kudos to FDCI and Mr Sunil Sethi to put this together in such a beautiful way, find the right technology to put it across all platforms and take this initiative of hope and creativity during these desperate times. The show must go on, and it's been a very liberating experience to make this film and this show campaign. I think it's led to us all discovering new sides to ourselves.