Rahul Mishra: Seeing High Jewellery Through a Couturier’s Eyes
Taking place every July, Haute Couture Week in Paris involves running between Place Vendôme and nearby locations to view over a dozen high jewellery presentations. So, when I was invited to attend Rahul Mishra’s Fall/Winter 2026 fashion show, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Of course, I did not go to College des Bernadins just to admire the haute couture gowns – I went to discover Mishra’s first high jewellery collection, created in a collaboration with famed Indian jewellery brand Tanishq.
Rahul Mishra has become one of the leading voices championing Indian craftsmanship on a global stage. As the first Indian designer to join the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar, he has consistently used couture to celebrate the country’s extraordinary artisanal traditions.
This season’s show also marked an exciting new chapter for Rahul that saw him stepping into the jewellery world. In the past, I have written about wonderful collaborations between fashion and jewellery Maisons like Stephane Rolland and Boghossian or Giambattista Valli and Buccellatti. The difference here is that Rahul Mishra did not adorn his models in existing jewels – he designed the jewels from scratch with Tanishq’s skilled artisans.
As I took my seat inside the magnificent, centuries-old building, Gothic arches provided a suitably dramatic backdrop for the unveiling of Mishra’s latest couture collection, DEVI. Inspired by the sacred female figures carved into India’s ancient temples, the collection brought millennia-old artistry into the present day.
The couture itself was extraordinary. Garments in soft skin tones became the canvas for Rahul’s signature hand embroidery that mimicked the carved surfaces of stone, creating a remarkable trompe-l’œil effect. Bespoke ceremonial headpieces completed the illusion, with the models resembling the temple figures that inspired the collection.
Rahul Mishra's Fall/Winter show marked an exciting new chapter for the designer as he stepped into the jewellery world
Guests at Rahul Mishra's Fall Winter 2026 show in Paris, including, left to right, Fan Bingbing, Cardi B, Isha Ambani and Rei Ami. Photo by Valerio Mezzanotti
Guests gathered for the unveiling of Rahul Mishra's latest couture collection, DEVI
Rei Ami walked the catwalk for Rahul Mishra
The gothic arches of the College des Bernadins provided a suitably dramatic backdrop for the unveiling of DEVI
The show was inspired by the sacred female figures carved into India's ancient temples
Garments in soft skin tones became the canvas for Rahul’s signature hand embroidery
Often, jewellery is added at the final stage of a fashion show, once the couture collection has been completed, with pieces selected to complement the finished looks. Here, the process worked in reverse, with Rahul designing the jewels himself, drawing directly from the motifs, embroidery and silhouettes found in his past creations before passing those ideas to Tanishq’s master jewellers to bring them to life.
As I looked closely at ancient Indian sculpture, I realised that jewellery often became the garment itself, carrying identity, symbolism and beauty through every detail. Rahul Mishra.
As I watched the models glide down the catwalk, I found myself thinking about the person behind the jewellery. Rahul is a couturier rather than a jeweller, and I actually think that’s what makes this collaboration so interesting. He has a vision that isn’t constrained by the usual limits of jewellery design. If you knew where to look, you could immediately spot the references to the couture. If you didn’t, these were simply exquisite pieces of high jewellery.
Now, let’s step away from the show and rewind one hour earlier to start with my behind-the-scenes experience, jewellery try-on and one-to-one conversation with the designer himself. With every piece conceived as an extension of the couture on display, I wanted to understand what sparked his interest in jewellery and how he translated his skills as a product developer into jewellery-making.
Rahul designing the jewels himself, drawing directly from the motifs, embroidery and silhouettes found in his past creations
Katerina Perez: What was the starting point for this collection?
Rahul Mishra: The archives were the beginning. We studied flowers, hexagons and early design references in the fabrics used in past collections. We asked: if the universe works at a grand scale, what happens when you shrink it down? How do the details change?
Katerina models an amethyst, sapphire and diamond choker, as seen on the DEVI catwalk
Katerina was invited to go behind the scenes and try the jewels on before the catwalk show
KP: What specific patterns or forms caught your attention?
RM: We looked at radial formats, the exodus of shapes coming together. It was about merging two worlds: the macro and the micro. That duality is what gave the collection its emotional depth. We were also translating the fluidity of fabrics with the rigid metal structures, which sounds impossible but the result is articulate and ethereal pieces.
Inspired by Rahul Mishra’s love for geometric repetition, this hexagonal design is built around an impressive 35.30 carats of custom-cut citrines alongside tsavorites and diamonds
Geometry meets nature in this Rahul Mishra high jewellery necklace, set with amethysts, diamonds, emeralds, pink tourmalines and rubellite
The choker worn By Rei Ami at the show, set with a specially carved citrine poppy flower
Citrine, diamond, pink rubellite and pink tourmaline ear climbers, inspired by the floral landscapes of Rahul Mishra’s couture
KP: How did you approach the design process?
RM: We started with a full mood board and a complete design roadmap. You can see the architectural interplay between the jewellery design and our past Haute Couture collections. The beauty of craftsmanship is how it can merge scale, taking building-sized ideas and translating them into miniature fabric forms, or even inverting structures to create a landscape.
Hand-carved gemstone blooms and leaves in pink tourmaline and amethyst unfold across the silhouette of this high jewellery necklace by Rahul Mishra
KP: I can see that originality is central to the designs. How did you stay original?
RM: I wanted to do something perfected within our own universe, then represent it at a jewellery scale where every detail must intensify. We explored a huge variety of forms, always asking: what makes this distinctive? How do we avoid being flat or predictable?
The Rahul Mishra citrine, black and white diamond high jewellery necklace, as worn by Cardi B on the catwalk
Though sculptural in scale, the necklace is remarkably fluid, with its articulated construction allowing it to drape naturally along the neckline
Inspired by the graphic precision and fluid rhythm of Rahul Mishra’s couture, this emerald and diamond haath phool – a traditional South Asian hand harness – explores the point where structure gives way to movement
KP: Can you tell us about your very first sketch?
Designer: My first sketch explored the generative power of the hexagon, which was extensively used in one of my past collections. I sketched the design by hand, setting guidelines and mapping a pattern language. Everything grew from that simple idea.
Set with a hand-carved 7-carat citrine, shaped to echo the delicate form of a poppy flower, this Rahul Mishra high jewellery necklace captures a moment where geometry becomes a canvas for growth
KP: But a sketch is one thing. How did you translate it into reality?
RM: That’s where the team came in. As a product designer, I believe in cocreation: you dream, you sketch, and then you trust expert hands to achieve it. Tanishq’s team did a phenomenal job because they have knowledge of metals and precious stones, creative knowledge, and they never took shortcuts. For example, instead of creating flat flowers, they carved citrines to preserve all the dimensionality for the design. My imagination met their technical mastery.
Rahul Mishra talks through one of his designs with Katerina
Rahul explained that the designs of the new jewels were about the merging of two worlds: the macro and the micro
Taking a closer look at a 7.50ct citrine, hand-carved as a poppy flower
Our conversation ended at 5pm when it was time to take a seat and enjoy the show. Rahul was whisked away for last-minute preparations, and I returned to the front row, thinking of the jewels that, only moments before, I had been holding in my hands. At that moment, they were placed on models and celebrities like South Korean singer Rei Ami and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who also walked the catwalk. Enjoying the show from their seats, Cardi B and Isha Ambani were among special guests dressed like modern queens in Rahul Mishra couture.
Citrine, white diamond and black diamond high jewellery earrings, inspired by the graphic and architectural language of Rahul Mishra’s couture
Thank you, Rahul Mishra, for one of the week’s most memorable experiences. DEVI was a wonderful reminder that Haute Couture Week is never just about the clothes. At its best, couture and high jewellery belong to the same creative conversation, and this collection brought the two together beautifully.
WORDS
Katerina Perez Is a jewellery insider, journalist and brand consultant with more than 15 years’ experience in the jewellery sector. Paris-based, Katerina has worked as a freelance journalist and content editor since 2011, writing articles for international publications. To share her jewellery knowledge and expertise, Katerina founded this website and launched her @katerina_perez Instagram in 2013.
RelatedArticles
Discover the brand: the story from various angles.
