Across the Flame: Gaurav Gupta’s Fiery Display of Rebirth on the Runway

Section Editor Tanisha Shah takes a look at Designer Gaurav Gupta’s latest couture collection and its mesmerising take on fire, destruction, and rebirth.

Gaurav Gupta unveiled his Spring/Summer 2025 couture collection, Across the Flame, at Paris Fashion Week in January, 2025, with his life partner, Navkirat Sodhi, as his inspiration. Known for his avant-garde couture, sculptural silhouettes, and innovative draping techniques, he has dressed global icons like Cardi B, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Megan Thee Stallion. However, this latest collection was deeply personal—an expression of tragedy, resilience, and the transformative power of fire.

In mid-2024, a fire caused by a candle in their Delhi atelier left Navkirat with severe injuries, burning fifty-five percent of her body. She was hospitalised in the ICU for over two months, facing a fifty percent chance of survival. Across the

Flame symbolises their journey through trauma, healing, and rebirth. More than a muse, Sodhi opened the show, walking the runway in a cream-coloured draped corset gown that revealed her scars—an embodiment of vulnerability, strength, and fortitude. 

The collection captured the grandeur of flames consuming the past and forging the future. Flowing metallics, sculptural silhouettes, and molten gold embellishments blurred the lines between destruction and renewal. Gupta’s signature fluid draping and architectural precision evoked fabric caught mid-flame—swirling pleats like smoke, form-fitting gowns reflecting the raw energy of a body shedding pain to embrace new life. 

Sodhi—a poet—set the stage with a powerful spoken-word piece: 

“Taller than you, your mind; smaller than you, your pain; corrupt your soul to believe, you stand only to

gain.” 

Her words resonated through the room, marking a moment of catharsis. The show’s palette—black, white, deep blue, and fiery orange—represented the flames that once engulfed her body, while fluid silhouettes mirrored fire’s ever-changing form. 

But the show was not just about pain—it was also about love, spirituality, and rebirth. The concept of

“twin flames” was reflected in two models draped in ochre hues, symbolising an eternal bond forged in fire.

Another striking moment featured a model in an all-black gown, her face adorned with a shloka from the Bhagvad Gita, bridging mythology with fashion. The use of deep blue tones epitomised the “children of the stars,” rising from stardust and divine light. 

The finale was nothing short of breathtaking—a crytallised gown embodying the journey of

diamonds, forged under immense heat and pressure, much like the human spirit that emerges stronger through adversity. 

Gupta’s Across the Flame is more than just couture; it is a statement of strength, resilience, and rebirth—an artistic phoenix rising from the ashes. 

The full show is available on YouTube on his channel.