30/07/2026
THE ARCHIVES | Chapter One
Every journey has a beginning.
Before the couture shows, before Avenue Montaigne, before becoming the first Indian designer to present couture in Paris, there was one door I knocked on.
In 1994, I had the privilege of meeting the legendary François Lesage. What began with a visit to his atelier at 13 Rue de la Grange Batelière, Paris, became a mentorship, a friendship, and one of the defining moments of my career.
Looking back, I realise Paris didn’t happen overnight. It was built on trust, and the people who believed in me before the world knew my name.
This is where my Paris story begins.
FashionHistory Couture Embroidery MadeInIndia
One doorway. One meeting. One conversation that changed the course of my thinking….& life!
Meeting the legend, who became a mentor and, over time, my dear friend. His generosity of spirit was as remarkable as his extraordinary talent
Inside the atelier.
Every table, every sketch, every embroidery frame carried decades of craftsmanship and imagination…walking through these rooms felt like walking through the living history of couture itself.
Founded by Albert Lesage and transformed into the world’s most celebrated embroidery house by François Lesage, this atelier preserved one of the greatest legacies of haute couture. Here, extraordinary embroideries were brought to life for the most iconic fashion houses in the world from Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix to Chanel, Dior, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga and many others.
This was the very first photograph François Lesage and I ever took together, on the day we met in 1994. We stood against a pinboard wall filled with his photographs with legends like Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix.
Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine that one day my own photograph would find its place on that wall.
Looking back, this wasn’t just the beginning of a friendship. It was the beginning of a journey that changed my life forever.
A master at work.
Watching François Lesage create was a lesson in precision and a pursuit of perfection.
After our first meeting, we stayed in touch, and over
