EXCLUSIVE: Rahul Mishra and Stephen Jones explore the seven stages of love through couture

VI: Did anything else—art, film or music—find its way into your creative process this season?

RM: Gustav Klimt’s work has always moved me; the way he painted women, you can sense the intimacy, the tenderness. What struck me most was how rarely his subjects looked directly out of the canvas. Their eyes were often closed or averted as if they were lost in another world. I’ve admired Klimt for years, but interestingly, I’d never consciously translated his influence into any of my work until now.

Ritik Jain for Rahul Mishra

VI: Do either of you have any preshow rituals or mindsets that you go into a show with?

RM: My eyes always catch little mistakes backstage. Maybe a button is sewn wrong, or something just needs another round of ironing. I always carry a small pair of scissors with me—always. To cut off loose threads, especially if a bead has come undone and left a little tail. Above all, I try to stay calm.

SJ: The main thing for me is focus. Unlike a dress, which sits on the shoulders or the waist, a hat is a movable object. It shifts. I place whatever we’ve created onto the model’s head, and I ask her, “Do you feel okay?” And usually, they say yes, but I’ll say, “No, let’s make it better.” I’ll put in a hair grip, adjust something. I’m trying to give them the confidence to relax and be who they are.

VI: What’s the most fun or unexpected thing you’ve ever worn on your head?

RM: The most fun things I’ve worn on my head have probably come from my daughter. She’s put all sorts of things on my head, little inventions she’s come up with. She reads a lot, so sometimes she’ll create things inspired by the characters or stories she’s immersed in. It’s really special to see the world through her imagination.

SJ: I once went to a party where the theme was to wear a mask. So I put on this mirrored mask; it was literally a reflective surface right in front of my face. Apart from being the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever worn, it was also completely impractical. No one could talk to me; they were essentially speaking to their own reflection.

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