For an independent label that specializes in couture, the 300-square-meter appointment-only location is built around the VICs who are already asking to meet him in the French capital. “The idea was really born out of that demand,” Gupta says. “It allows us to offer the complete couture service, from viewing and trying the pieces to customization and purchase, in a much more intimate environment.”
Gupta is known for sculptural, surreal couture and occasionwear that often draws on the logic of the sari, accented with hand-embellished details, and reads as wearable architecture, making him a favorite for celebrity dressing — from Beyoncé and Cardi B, to Alia Bhatt and Xin Liu. Beyond the couture business, the ready-to-wear line has about 25 retail partners, including Harrods in London (with which he is partnering on a special Diwali event later this month), Vakko in Türkiye, Bergdorf Goodman in the US, and Bloomingdale’s in Dubai, plus five flagship stores in India. The Paris atelier is intended primarily for couture clients.
Beyoncé wears Gaurav Gupta during her Renaissance World Tour in Atlanta.
Photo: Getty Images
Despite the retail reach, Hema Bose, founder and director of brand consultancy Maison Bose, who works with the house on developing its global footprint, says the new atelier answers a different need. “There is also an important distinction between being stocked internationally and having your own physical environment,” she says. A standalone atelier, she explains, lets the house control “the entire experience”, from the space and the presentation of the collections to the service and the storytelling.
