Gaurav Gupta (Designer) Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Gaurav Gupta

• Gaurav Gupta is an Indian fashion designer and couturier who is known for his eponymous clothing brand. The avant-garde designer is popular for his unique sculptural garments. In 2017, he created India’s first garment based on artificial intelligence in collaboration with Vogue and IBM’s cognitive system Watson. In 2023, he became the third Indian fashion designer to showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week.

• His family is engaged in an iron and steel business. Despite being born into a family that wasn’t artistically inclined, Gupta was creative since childhood. He had a passion for drawing, sculpting, and dancing, although he struggled academically. Recalling his childhood in an interview, he said,
  

  Art was an outlet for me; I had taken up sculpture in the eighth and ninth grade. I was in awe of the art of making sculptures, and I still am…One of my most memorable report cards was in sixth grade, when I actually flunked with a C in Maths and Science, but got an A+ in Art.”

• Over time, he started excelling in academics and would secure straight-A in his subjects. In fact, he scored 90 percentile in class 12.

• During his childhood, Gupta faced bullying at school due to his homosexuality. He had the courage to come out as gay to his brothers during his early teenage years. However, it was while studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London that he decided to openly share his sexuality with his parents.

• Gaurav Gupta resides in a bungalow in New Delhi, along with his boyfriend, Vijendra Bhardwaj, who is GQ’s fashion director, and Navkirat Sodhi, a poet and writer. Despite being gay, Gupta maintains a platonic relationship with Sodhi, a woman he considers his soulmate and life partner. Gupta and Sodhi became friends while studying at Springdales School. He described his relationship with Sodhi in an interview and said,
  

  Navkirat is my soulmate and life partner…We don’t understand concepts of marriage or gender, we just have a feeling of pure love, so we decided to be life partners. It is like we are twin flames.”

  

  Gaurav Gupta and Navkirat Sodhi

  Gupta met Bhardwaj when he was 20 years old while attending NIFT, and their friendship gradually evolved into a bond similar to that of a family, which eventually extended to their professional collaboration. Although unconventional, Gupta refers to them as family.

  

  Gaurav Gupta, Navkirat Sodhi, and Vijendra Bhardwaj featured in Vogue India magazine

• After completing his formal education, he gained valuable experience working alongside renowned designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Stella McCartney before embarking on his own fashion journey.

• In 2004, he established his namesake label with his brother Saurabh Gupta. Initially, he took a brief hiatus from his brand and served as an art director for a company in Istanbul. However, he eventually returned to India and officially launched his label in 2006.

• His showcase at India Fashion Week in 2006 was widely acclaimed as the “most innovative show” by the media.

• He played a significant role in reshaping Indian fashion by introducing the concept of the sari-gown, which later became a staple in the collections of many Indian designers.

• In 2009, he opened his first store in New Delhi. His flagship stores can be found in prominent locations such as DLF Emporio and Mehrauli in New Delhi, Kala Ghoda in Mumbai, Banjara Hills in Hyderabad, and Galleria 1910 in Kolkata.
  

  Gaurav Gupta and his brother, Saurabh Gupta (standing) at Gaurav Gupta’s flagship store in Delhi

• In 2013, a pivotal moment arrived in Gupta’s career when he presented his collection ‘Lightfall’ in India. He talked about the collection in an interview and said,
  

  Another turning point was in 2013 when I did a collection in India called ‘Lightfall’…The first look was a mask of a half-naked woman covered with only embroidery on one side. Imagine, this is a bridal fashion week in India. I wanted to shock the cultural state of it. It was a big hit. I sold 200 of those dresses in India.”

• In 2017, Gaurav collaborated with Vogue and IBM’s cognitive system Watson to create India’s first AI-based garment. The AI sari-gown, crafted from white fabric, included integrated lighting that covered the entire dress. Utilizing AI technology, the lighting dynamically changed colours and patterns in response to the wearer’s mood and interactions.
  

  Gaurav Gupta posing with the artificial intelligence-inspired sari-gown designed in collaboration with Vogue and IBM in 2017

• In 2018, Gaurav Gupta’s men’s collection, Gaurav Gupta Man, received significant attention through a collaborative opening show with GQ India. The collection’s fluid yet sharp designs were showcased by celebrities such as Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, film director Karan Johar, rapper Wyclef Jean, and Latin boy band CNCO.

• In 2019, he introduced his jewellery line called Gaurav Gupta Occasions Fine Jewellery, which received praise for its innovative and kinetic designs.

• His artistic installation titled “Tunnel of Infinity” was featured in Santati, a travelling art exhibition commemorating 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi. The exhibition debuted at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.

• Gupta’s couture collection for 2021/22, called ‘Universal Love,’ embraced inclusivity by featuring curvy women in campaigns and runway shows. The collection also broke barriers by showcasing a same-sex love story with two male models as the protagonists.
  

  Lakmé Absolute Grand Finale Gaurav Gupta – FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week (2021)

• In India, Gupta’s reputation extends beyond his expertise in designing ballroom attire; he is also renowned as a talented bridalwear designer. Among the most coveted pieces from his brand is the pre-draped cocktail sari.

• In 2022, he made his entry into bridal wear with his collection titled Gaurav Gupta Bride.

• His sculptural designs gained international visibility when they were adorned by numerous celebrities, including Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Saweetie, Thalia, Kylie Minogue, Violet Chachki, Olivia Culpo, Maluma, and Fan Bing Bing, for various magazine covers, billboards, music videos, and red-carpet events.

• A significant highlight of his career was when Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wore his pink sculpted creation to the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, a look that was recognized as one of The New York Times’s 15 iconic looks from Cannes throughout the years.
  

  Gaurav Gupta with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wearing the pink sculpted creation by Gupta at Cannes 2022

• Another notable milestone in his career came when he showcased his work at the Animal Ball 2019 in London, a prestigious event organized by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. The event featured twenty-four fashion brands from around the globe, each creating exclusive limited edition animal-inspired masks to raise funds for the conservation of endangered species in Asia.

• Gaurav’s couture shows are known for their incorporation of elements such as delicate designs, sculptures, immersive theatre, and captivating poetry.

• The year 2023 marked a breakthrough for the fashion designer as he presented his first-ever Paris couture show in January, hosted by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Titled “Shunya,” meaning “zero” in Sanskrit, the collection became his debut at Haute Couture Week. Gaurav Gupta became the third Indian designer to showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week, following Rahul Mishra and Vaishali Shadangule.

• In February of the same year, Cardi B attended the 65th Annual Grammy Awards wearing a captivating cobalt-blue gown designed by Gupta, which quickly became one of the most talked-about outfits of the evening. The gown received widespread acclaim.
  

  Cardi B wearing the cobalt-blue gown, a custom Gaurav Gupta Couture at Grammys 2023

• In July 2023, Gaurav Gupta exhibited his Autumn/Winter 2024 collection ‘Hiranyagarbha’ at the Paris Haute Couture Week in Palais de Tokyo in Paris. The event was attended by renowned personalities, including American rapper Cardi B, who wore a stunning lemon green gown, and Chinese actor Fan Bingbing, who adorned an exquisite black ensemble, both crafted by Gaurav Gupta himself.
  

  Cardi B wearing the stunning lemon green gown by Gaurav Gupta at the Paris Haute Couture Week in 2023

• During an interview, Gaurav Gupta shared a fascinating revelation from his childhood. He disclosed that he frequently had a recurring dream in which he transformed into a bird. In these dreams, he would soar above skyscrapers and school playgrounds, experiencing the sensation of flight. Upon waking up, he would often feel tired, as if he had been engaged in a long night of flying. Surprisingly, he discovered that he was not the only one in his family who had such dreams. His father and brothers also shared similar dreams of being birds. Recalling the same, he said,
  

  I was once reading out a blog I wrote about it to my father and he was like: ‘Don’t tell me. You too?’ Apparently, my dad also had these recurring dreams of being a bird. We discovered that my dad, my brothers and I―we were all birds. I have not gone deep into why this happens.”

• He enjoys smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages occasionally. ^[5]India Today ^[6]India Today

• In an interview, Saurabh revealed that Gaurav used to dance to Sridevi’s songs as a teenager.