Navigating Non-Dualism with Gaurav Gupta for S/S 26, Paris Couture | FashionTV | FTV

Get inspired by the spring/summer 2026 haute couture collection unveiled at Paris Fashion Week! The designer presented himself and his work as a continuum, weaving an overarching narrative that explored the Indian philosophical concept of "advait"—the idea of an indivisible, nonbinary reality. This intellectual foundation emerged from a period of personal reflection following a life-altering fire that Gupta and his partner, poet Navkirat Sodhi, had survived the previous year. The runway unfolded as a poetic chronology of the cosmos, beginning with the Big Bang. This was illustrated through all-black looks featuring architectural volumes and embroidered trails that evoked the scattering of stardust. As the show progressed, the narrative shifted toward the emergence of life on Earth, represented by long white column gowns adorned with floral textures and reptilian scales. The evolution continued into the realm of human spirituality, with one model carrying a replica of a temple sculpture while wearing a masterfully draped skirt. The journey culminated in a finale gown made from thousands of resin elements in changing tones that mimicked deep-space photography, turning the model into an otherworldly embodiment of the universe itself. Beyond the philosophical weight of the collection, the technical execution remained as sharp and attractive as ever. Gupta used innovative materials to tell his story, such as internal watch movement parts in place of sequins to represent the conce