Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, transcending the conventional role of mere fashion artisans, emerge as visionary maestros who have ingeniously reshaped the panorama of Indian fashion. The opus of their imaginative finesse, the Equinox assemblage, unveiled at the 2023 India Couture Week, epitomizes their prodigious artistry and ingenuity.
Equinox, drawing its muse from the astronomical marvel it’s christened after, wherein the sun’s alignment bestows a harmonious equilibrium between day and night, reverberates with this symphony of balance in its composition—be it design, hue, texture, or contour. Each ensemble serves as an incarnate masterpiece, meticulously etched to mirror the constellations that bedeck the night’s firmament.
This compilation delights in an assortment of diverse ensembles meticulously fashioned for both sexes, skillfully intertwining shards of belief, mythos, architectural embellishments, and skilled artistry. The chromatic spectrum is predominantly swathed in silver, ebony, and ivory, orchestrating a striking interplay between luminosity and obscurity. The fabrics exude opulence and splendor, adorned with metallic weaves, sequins, intricate embroideries, and scintillating crystals. The silhouettes, a testament to contemporaneity and audacity, boast asymmetric tailoring, audacious thigh-high apertures, dramatic décolletages, and diaphanous inlays.
The limelight of this parade was monopolized by the compelling presence of actors Sobhita Dhulipala and Ishaan Khatter, who bedazzled the audience with their magnetic charisma and sartorial élan. Sobhita adorned herself in a resplendent silver-embroidered lehenga, complemented by a strappy bralette, while Ishaan donned a jet-black power suit augmented with an embellished necktie. Their poised demeanor and striking presence cast a mesmerizing spell upon the runway.
Over a quarter-century, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna have etched their eminence in the fashion realm, emerging as an unparalleled duo of designers, molding trends and shaping sensibilities in India. A roster of luminaries—John Legend, Raja Kumari, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shahid Kapoor, and a galaxy more—adorn their creations. Their accolades include the 2019 GQ Designer of the Year Award, an affirmation of their stature.
In an exclusive tête-à-tête, they unveiled their journey, ethos, trials, and counsel for nascent vanguards of fashion. Selected excerpts from the conversation are as follows:
Genesis of Equinox: What Incited its Conception?
Our yearning birthed a collection that would transcend temporality, a sartorial symphony befitting both day’s luminescence and night’s veiled opulence. The intrigue of Equinox, wherein parity thrives betwixt light’s effulgence and darkness’ enigma, kindled our imagination, for it mirrors life’s ebbs and flows, as well as fashion’s kaleidoscope.
Infusion of Celestial Poetics into Artistry’s Weave:
Our odyssey encompassed a tapestry woven from astral lore, astrological sagacity, and mythopoeic sagas. Constellations’ contours and astral configurations informed our motifs and textile patterns, festooning fabrics with cosmic tales. Metallic resonances and embellished flourishes interweaved to evoke a glistening cosmogony, rendering our ensembles a tapestry within the stellar expanse.
Artistic Trials Amidst Creation:
Navigating the fine line between bedazzlement and sophistication posed an intriguing enigma. Our penchant for opulence commingled with our aspiration for suave elegance. Prudence was our guiding star, averting excess in favor of finesse. Another quandary pertained to crafting wearables both comfortable and artful. Lightweight, breathable, stretchable textiles answered our plea, while precise tailoring and closures curated garments of opulent comfort.
Philosophical Underpinnings of Design:
Our design credo resonates with modernity, audacity, and resplendence. The realm of experimentation beckons us, enticing dalliances with innovative techniques, materials, and contours. A mélange of cultures, genres, and epochs converges in our craft—a tangible expression of fashion’s capacity as a medium of art and personal narrative.
Guiding Beacon for Aspiring Prodigies:
In the spirit of sagacious counsel, we beseech the pursuit of one’s passion and vision. The temerity to embrace novelty and dismantle conventions infuses veracity to creation. Originality, authenticity, and resilience are our whispered mantras. The crucible of mistakes shall temper your mettle; skill shall burgeon from it. Diligence and unwavering persistence, as we affirm, are the lodestars of creative voyage. And in the crucible of all, revel in the delight intrinsic to creation!
Endowed with this myriad of wisdom, the odyssey of Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna attains newfound resonance—testament to their mettle as prodigious vanguards who, with Equinox, ascend to the apogee of creative transmutation.
