At Paris Couture Week 2026, couturier Gaurav Gupta did not just present fashion; he showcased a vision in the form of structural brilliance.
Trust Gaurav Gupta to bring haute couture brilliance in its best to the runway. This time, the designer explores cosmic duality, energy and consciousness with his collection ‘The Divine Androgyne’ at Paris Couture Week 2026. The collection is as conceptual as technically brilliant while being undeniably attractive.
As the name suggests, The Divine Androgyne talks about the opposites—the duality that stays together and forms the divine energy. Gender fluidity and non-binary identity are the pillars of the collection, making us think about what is real and what is not. It talks about balance, about feeling connected to the universe and how our bodies are part of something way vast and bigger.
The philosophy behind the collection is rooted in Indian philosophy of “advait” — the idea of an invisible and non-binary reality. Talking about it, Gaurav Gupta says that it sprang from the coverage of last year’s Paris Couture Week runway, where the collection was inspired by a devastating fire that left his life partner, poet and performer Navkirat Sodhi, with life-changing injuries.
Sodhi was labelled as “his wife,” again and again. It made Gupta wonder why people feel the need to stay in the rigid binary structure consisting of labels, definitions, identities and more. Materialising it in the best way possible, he created a collection that showcases the movement of life as we know it. It began with the Big Bang, followed by all-black looks with embroidered trails that evoke stardust.
Then came the emergence of life, depicted by white garments decorated with a flurry of flowers or pseudo-reptilian scales. Then followed spirituality, with sculptures replicated from Indian temples. Last was a gown made of thousands of resin elements, with her face and hair painted to match, reflecting the otherworldly embodiment of the universe.
Read Also: Rahul Mishra Presents ‘Alchemy’ at Paris Couture Week 2026
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