When couturier Gaurav Gupta skipped this year’s Paris Couture Week, eyebrows were raised. With the announcement of his first-ever bridal couture show, ‘Quantum Entanglement’, in Mumbai, people were locked in anticipation. What we didn’t expect was a collab with Italian heritage house Rene Caovilla.
As bespoke brides strutted down the runway, we got a peek at the footwear they were flaunting. A marriage between Italian craftsmanship and Indian textiles and embroidery, the shoes were the lovechild of two artistic worlds. Within the collab were seven unique shoes, maybe a nod to the seven pheras that happen at a traditional Hindu wedding. This is, after all, a bridal show.
These seven shoes were reimagined in three of Rene Caovilla’s most iconic styles. Coming down the runway in shades of ivory and champagne with its iconic cascading crystal pendants was the Chandelier sandal, which was created with satin and traditional Indian brocade.
Following the Chandelier sandals was the Margot sandal, reimaged as a platform heel in an electric blue and vibrant red. The signature serpent look was embellished with crystals, bringing on a sparkle you couldn’t look away from.
The final piece was the Cleo pump in elegant Indian brocade fabric and matching crystals. In a timeless colour palette of black and ivory, we can picture these shoes down the aisle and at the afterparty.
This collaboration is nothing short of the best of both worlds and another instance of how South Asian designs and designers are making their mark on runways across the world. A cross-cultural collaboration based on a shared love of art, culture, and artisan excellence, we can only hope that this is the first of many such “marriages”.
The Rene Caovilla x Gaurav Gupta collection will be available at Rene Caovilla and Gaurav Gupta exclusive boutiques and on renecaovilla.com starting January 2026.
