What Anita Dongre’s fashion show at Jaipur’s City Palace tells us about the future of runways

An insight into Anita Dongre’s spectacular Rewild’23 showcase at the City Palace in Jaipur, co-hosted by Princess Gauravi Kumari.
In the ever-evolving realms of fashion and design, the word ‘iconic’ is at risk of losing all meaning. It has been relegated to the position of an easy adjective, flung about loosely and far too often in sentences where it doesn’t belong. However, when I say that Anita Dongre’s latest fashion show was wholly and indubitably iconic, I mean it in the truest sense of the word. Beyond sartorial excellence, what gave this show a landmark status, making it one for the books, was, simply put – location, location, location.

Set against the historic City Palace in her home city and eternal muse, Jaipur, Anita Dongre showcased her artisan-driven couture collection, Rewild’23, with the aim to gather support and heighten awareness for elephant conservation. This inaugural chapter of Rewild was co-hosted by Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur’s royal family and featured Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves as an advisor.

When I asked Dongre about her winning choice of venue, she said, “It actually originated from a long-cherished dream of doing a show in Jaipur. City Palace holds many special memories for me, right from my childhood to our brand shoots. Our country has so many incredible culturally rich, architectural marvels and heritage sites. Showcasing them via fashion is a way to celebrate and make them relevant. I truly believe that to retain the old, you have to bring them into the now, into the new.”

Dongre’s sentiment is powerfully echoed not just in the show’s spectacular setup but also in the collection itself, which embodies Indian glamour in a wholly modern and wearable form. Contemporary silhouettes are beautifully complemented by the embroidery work of SEWA’s women artisans, Rajasthan’s signature Gota-patti, and the hand-painted Pichhwai art. It was at the palace where Dongre first encountered Lekhraj-ji, a Pichhwai artist diligently restoring its fading ceilings. Their conversation led the designer to the insight that sustaining Lekhraj-ji’s intricate craft involved creating opportunities beyond just restoration work. Since then, the designer and artisan have united to incorporate the hand-painted Pichhwai craft into couture pieces, now considered art collectibles and a signature of the brand. This collection exemplifies the idea that for traditional crafts to survive, they must adapt, evolve, and embrace the new.

Dotting the City Palace’s dusty pink courtyard, giant elephant sculptures crafted from Lantana – a toxic weed harming India’s forests – served as life-size mascots for Dongre’s brand. Each piece, handmade by indigenous communities, was modelled on real elephant herds from the Nilgiri Hills.The sales from these Lantana elephants contribute to eradicating the weed from forests, fostering better habitats for elephants, and promoting more harmonious human-wildlife coexistence.

Just months after Dior’s momentous showcase at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, Anita Dongre’s takeover of a historic structure could have been viewed as derivative, had it not been so flawlessly executed and firmly rooted in context. Instead, it heralds, hopefully, a new era for India’s luxury fashion houses, where authentic storytelling takes centre stage, and clothes are presented, not in isolation, but as elements of a broader, more immersive experience. India’s prolific array of palaces, forts, and historic structures are merely the starting point. Echoing this sentiment, Dongre, when asked about her vision for runway stages in 2024, remarked, “I hope that instead of creating sets that garner a lot of waste, we see more designers utilising existing landscapes and monuments that are beautiful as well as sustainable.”

At Rewild’23, the acclaimed designer also announced the debut of a new homeware line, Grassroot Home, in collaboration with women artisans of The Princess Diya Kumari Foundation. Ultimately, Anita Dongre’s pioneering vision not only redefined the runway but also set a precedent for a more conscious and culturally rich future in fashion, blurring the lines between heritage and modernity, craft and couture, tradition and innovation.

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