7 months ago
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On October 6, the Hyderabad Race Club became the mounting for a antithetic benignant of spectacle. As portion of the Deccan Derby 2025, Delhi-based decorator duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna presented their caller couture collection, Astride, successful relation with the Race2Win Foundation, a charitable spot based successful Hyderabad, dedicated to promoting equine racing successful India. Conceived arsenic an exclusive showcase titled Fashion successful its Purest Form, the evening drew from the elegance and precision of the derby, translating its vigor into fashion.
Rohit Gandhi, Rahul Khanna with Malaika Arora | Photo Credit: Special statement
“Our imaginativeness was to make an evening of axenic manner arsenic a solemnisation aft the races,” says Rahul Khanna. “Hyderabad has ever welcomed america warmly, and this showcase allowed america to bring our satellite present successful a mode that connects elegance, culture, and the tone of the derby.”
The postulation explored ideas of movement, control, and allure. Fabrics specified arsenic metallic silks, satins and velvets reflected the gleam of race-night lights, portion sculpted tailoring and fluid drapes suggested question adjacent successful stillness. The palette — affluent successful blacks, silvers and jewel tones — lent the postulation an understated, nocturnal quality.
“For us, Astride was astir channelling the vigor of racing — that consciousness of speed, power and anticipation — into couture,” says Rohit Gandhi. “Every garment carries a consciousness of momentum, whether it’s successful a sharply chopped overgarment oregon the question of a drape.”
The evening’s theme, Fashion successful its Purest Form, brought the absorption backmost to craftsmanship and construction. “It was astir stripping distant the performative facet and returning to the essentials — the cut, the form, and the detail,” explains Rahul. “The derby, overmuch similar couture, values subject and precision, and we wanted that parallel to travel through.”
Structure, restraint and a consciousness of ease
Malaika Arora walked the runway successful a look from the postulation that reflected the designers’ absorption connected operation and ease. Her quality added a measured beingness to the showcase without taking distant from the collection’s quiescent tone.
For the duo, the equilibrium betwixt power and sensuality remains cardinal to their work. “We similar that hostility — erstwhile thing is precisely tailored but inactive fluid,” says Rohit.
Malaika Arora
Hyderabad, they added, has a peculiar knowing of that approach. “The metropolis has a precise refined narration with luxury,” says Rahul. “People present admit craftsmanship and the communicative down a garment arsenic overmuch arsenic its ocular appeal.”
Astride, the designers say, continues their ongoing exploration of structure, light, and texture. “It’s some a refinement and a continuation of what we’ve ever done,” says Rohit. “We’re much focussed present connected creating experiences that consciousness personal, considered, and precise.”
As the evening concluded, Astride felt little similar a amusement of spectacle and much similar a quiescent survey successful question — manner pared backmost to its essentials.
