The French Connection

The first Indian designer to showcase at Paris Haute Couture week, Rahul Mishra and Reliance Brands Limited come together to create a game-changing partnership to co-create a global brand.

Darshan Mehta, MD Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) with Rahul Mishra at RBL 2Horizon Center, Gurgaon Office

This is set to be winning combo! Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) together with Rahul Mishra (RM), will embark on a collaborative journey to create and own a new brand that would encompass Rahul Mishra’s ready to wear business through a 60:40 Joint Venture (either by itself and / or through its affiliates). Joining forces with the designer, the new brand would be synonymous with excellence and creativity the world over, presenting an exclusive Ready to Wear Collection at one of the global fashion weeks. The brand will grow both vertically and horizontally to cross pollinate creativity further in the fields of accessories, footwear, home, beauty, and jewellery for a worldwide audience.

A champion of mindful fashion who employs local artisans to bestow their traditions on modern designs, Rahul Mishra has many firsts to his credit. In January 2020, he became the first Indian designer to showcase at Paris Haute Couture week. Through the past five seasons at the Paris Haute Couture Week, he has taken Indian savoir-faire globally with his unique perspective rooted in the philosophy of the 3 Es – Environment, Employment and Empowerment. The brand also made its debut at India Couture week in 2015 – widening its footprint within the country as well. His eponymous couture label with two flagship stores in India and a thriving national and international distribution channel finds its genesis in the ideas of sustainability.

“Rahul Mishra’s flawless contemporary design sense and stunningly intricate pieces have spotlighted Indian expertise in crafts globally,” says Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. (holding company of all retail companies in Reliance Industries Limited group). “Accompanied with his expertise in leveraging international fashion forums to accelerate brand building and creating a global customer base, it’s the perfect secret sauce to co-create a global brand. It’s a strategic part of our ongoing commitment to nurture Indian art and culture.”

Back in 2014, Rahul Mishra also became the first Indian to win the coveted Woolmark Prize at Milan Fashion Week. The journey of Rahul Mishra’s global Ready to Wear started at Paris Fashion Week in 2015 and grew from strength to strength in a showcase over 13 seasons. His aesthetic marrying his Indian heritage with European cuts and tailoring created a strong international footprint retailing at some of the best stores across the world which included Colette in Paris, 10 Corso Como in Milan, Harvey Nichols in London, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, David Jones in Australia, Joyce in China, and the likes of Moda Operandi and Farfetch with online retail.

Beginning with the inception of a unique brand identity with a voice of its own, combined with a strategy to launch on an international fashion week platform, the new brand will anchor on Rahul’s exceptional design expertise coupled with RBL’s retail playbook for end-to-end value creation, ushering a game changing new era in global fashion. The intent is to have a worldwide footprint with dedicated flagship stores at fashion capitals around the world in the next five years.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM

×
Priya Kumari Rana

Lifestyle Insider is a kind of junction point, connecting people with diverse interests that touch on the more luxurious aspects of lifestyle – fashion, design, travel, food and spirits, art, watches and jewellery, cars, yachts, and aviation, and technology. People today don’t fit into boxes and categories. In our individual ways, we are interested in diverse themes, products, and the challenges that face our world today. You will judge how well this effort of mine caters to your passions and proclivities.

Lifestyle Insider is a showcase of all that is beautiful and luxe. Behind every creation, is a designer, chef, entrepreneur, or a design maison. I have delved into my own appreciation for objetsde luxe that I have admired over the years – be it a love of fashion from the world’s top Parisian and Italian fashion maisons and their ’90s muses, or the care that goes into sari and Indian textile collections in my own family. Growing up on four continents, as the daughter of a former Indian Ambassador, I’ve seen a remarkable array of historic places and met a myriad people. My aim is to bring my world view into this website, a curation of what I find particularly stunning, unique, and newsworthy.

It’s an exciting time for brands all over the world. With change comes opportunity. With the global ‘reset’ and uncertainty on many fronts, there is a chance to write a new script. Let’s be those pioneers.

A bit about me:
A luxury and fashion journalist with 25 years of experience in publishing and magazine journalism, I have edited some of India’s top fashion and luxury magazines. I got my BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and went on to receive my Master’s in English and French from the University of Strasbourg, France. I have also studied German and Film. I live in Gurugram, India, and look forward to once again exploring our world with a new-found freedom.

Priya Kumari Rana

Founder and Editor
×

Contact Us

Mail us @ lifestyleinsiderindia@gmail.com