Rahul Mishra and Imane Ayissi become first Indian & African to enter fashion's elite club

Fashion designer Rahul Mishra and Imane Ayissi on January 23, became the first Indian and black African designers to show their clothes in the elite Paris Haute Couture catwalk. Both the designers are also champions of traditional fabrics and techniques from their homelands and are famous for their classy lines.

Mishra and Cameroon-born Ayissi are now also one of the few designers with prestigious luxury labels to have the right to call their clothes haute couture.

According to reports, Mishra is an advocate of ethical 'slow fashion' who blames mechanisation for much of the world's ills. While speaking to an international media outlet, he said that he felt amazing and very surreal to be the first Indian to be chosen. He further added that he sees a great future ahead which will make him push even harder. 

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Mishra has also won the International Woolmark Prize back in 2014. the Woolmark prize is considered to be the top award that also launched the careers of such greats like Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. According to reports, the doyenne of fashion's front row also called him an Indian 'national treasure'. The 51-year-old designer has also won ethical and sustainability awards for his work supporting local craftspeople in rural India. 

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'Africa deserves better'

On the other hand, Imane Ayissi, a Paris-based designer reportedly said that his selection was 'immense' both for Africa and himself. He started his label back in 2004 after relocating to France to work as a dancer and model. According to reports, he initially created looks for private clients and since then he has gone on to show at several international fashion weeks, including Lagos, Dakar and Shanghai. 

While speaking to an international media outlet, the 51-year old said, he is proud that he could show his work and showcase real African fabrics and African heritage. He further added that he is making name for himself for delivering a modern, complex and sophisticated vision of Africa as he believes that Africa isn't a country, its a continent and it deserves better than a simplistic cliché. 

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