Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna’s ‘Noir Botanica’ starts with a collision of ideas: the organic curves of botanical forms, the geometry of architectural ornament and the contours of the human body. Rather than treating these references as separate influences, the designers bring them together through a collection that feels sculptural, textured and distinctly contemporary.
The collection is built around contrasts, with softness meeting structure, transparency set against density, and fluid silhouettes sharpened by precise construction. The designers’ signature molten textures appear alongside sheer surfaces, while zardozi, hand-thread embroidery and handcrafted lace are worked into contemporary techniques including laser cutting, embossing and metallic detailing. Textures take on an almost architectural quality, with embroidery given weight, relief and dimension across textured silk, velvet, crepe, cashmere wool and chiffon.
The palette stays firmly in the world of the night, moving through oxidised silver, charcoal, gunmetal, chalk white and black-on-black, with olive introducing a new note. Rather than relying on colour for impact, the collection lets surface, silhouette and movement do the work, revealing different layers of craftsmanship as the clothes shift with the light.
For the special presentation, Galeries Lafayette Mumbai was transformed into the kind of Parisian room the collection seems to belong in: music playing, guests dressed for the evening and an atmosphere inspired by the glamour of 1930s nightlife. The presentation draws from the nostalgia of jazz without attempting to recreate a particular period, instead capturing its intimacy, mystery and decadence.
In the conversation below, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna discuss the references behind Noir Botanica, their interpretation of Art Nouveau, the relationship between botanical forms and architecture, and the craftsmanship that gives the collection its depth.
ELLE: What was the first image, idea or reference that sparked Noir Botanica?
Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna (RGRK): Noir Botanica began with an interest in the relationship between botanical forms and architecture, particularly the way Art Nouveau brought the organic world into built environments through flowing lines, ornamental ironwork and intricate architectural details. We were drawn to the atmosphere of old Parisian interiors and façades, where botanical motifs felt almost structural rather than simply decorative. From there, we began deconstructing those references, breaking down leaves, stems, florals and ornamental details into lines, fragments and textures, and translating them through the RGRK vocabulary of tailoring, sculptural form and embroidery. The idea was never to recreate Art Nouveau, but to imagine what its organic language could become when filtered through our more precise, contemporary aesthetic.
ELLE: What drew you to the relationship between botanical forms, architecture and the human body for this collection?
(RGRK): What drew us to that relationship was the idea that the human body itself sits between nature and architecture, it is organic in its movement, but we dress and construct it through lines, proportion and form. In Noir Botanica, we wanted to explore that intersection rather than treat these references separately. Botanical forms bring softness, irregularity and fluidity, while architecture gives us structure and discipline. The body becomes the meeting point: embroidery follows its contours, corsetry defines and reshapes it, while exaggerated proportions and sculptural silhouettes create a dialogue between the natural and the constructed. It allowed us to take something inherently organic and translate it through the precise, architectural language that has always been central to RGRK.
ELLE: Art Nouveau is known for its fluid, organic lines, while architectural ornamentation can feel more structured and rigid. How did you bring these two seemingly opposing languages together?
(RGRK): We brought the two together by looking at the point where organic form becomes structure. Rather than treating the botanical and architectural elements as opposing ideas, we deconstructed both into their essential lines, curves and fragments, and then allowed them to inform one another. Fluid botanical forms were sharpened into geometric embroidery and structural details, while architectural lines were softened through curves, layered textures and organic motifs. This tension became an important part of the collection, the precision of tailoring and construction giving discipline to the fluidity of nature, while the botanical elements bring movement and softness to the architecture.
ELLE: The collection speaks about preservation, fragmentation and reimagination. What did you want to preserve from the past, and what did you feel needed to be completely reconstructed?
(RGRK): We wanted to preserve the essence of the past, the quintessential codes of RGRK, ornamentation and sense of grandeur that defined Art Nouveau and the architectural references that informed the collection, without preserving them in their original form. What interested us was the memory of those elements: the curve of a botanical form, the rhythm of an architectural detail, the intricacy of an ornamental surface. We then fragmented those references, stripping them down to their essential lines, textures and proportions, and reconstructed them through the RGRK vocabulary of tailoring, embroidery and sculptural construction. In that sense, what needed to be reconstructed was not the reference itself, but its relevance, to take something rooted in the past and make it feel completely contemporary, wearable and distinctly RGRK.
ELLE: At what point does a botanical motif stop looking organic and begin to feel architectural or industrial? Was that transformation something you consciously explored?
(RGRK): Yes, very consciously. For us, the transformation begins when a botanical form is stripped of its literal identity and reduced to its essential lines, rhythm and structure. A leaf can become a geometric fragment; a stem can become a precise embroidered line; a floral form can be enlarged, repeated or layered until it begins to read as an architectural surface rather than a natural motif. We pushed this further through raised embroidery, metallic detailing, cording, appliqué and dimensional fringing, giving organic references a certain weight and rigidity. The intention was not to make nature look industrial, but to find the structural language within it, and then reinterpret that through the precision and restraint of RGRK.
ELLE: Why was a monochromatic palette important to this collection?
(RGRK): The monochromatic palette was important because it allowed us to shift the focus from colour to form, texture and craftsmanship. Working predominantly with black, charcoal, gunmetal, oxidised silver and chalk white creates a restrained canvas against which the intricacies of the embroidery, surface construction and sculptural silhouettes can reveal themselves. It also reinforces the nocturnal quality of Noir Botanica, while allowing subtle changes in texture and reflection to create depth. For us, the restraint is intentional, the richness comes from the layers of craftsmanship and the way the garments interact with light and movement, rather than from colour itself.
ELLE: What do you hope people feel when they see these clothes in person, particularly when they encounter the embroidery and textures up close?
(RGRK): We hope there is a sense of discovery. At first glance, the silhouettes and monochromatic palette establish a certain strength and clarity, but when you encounter the garments up close, the details begin to reveal themselves—the relief of the embroidery, the intricacy of the cording, the movement of the fringe and the subtle interplay of texture and light. We have always believed that the most compelling clothes reward a closer look. With Noir Botanica, we wanted that intimacy to be particularly important; for the viewer to move from seeing the garment as an image to appreciating the craftsmanship, tactility and thought embedded within it. At the same time, the collection speaks to the modern Indian with an international sensibility, someone who appreciates the richness of craftsmanship but wants it expressed through a contemporary, globally relevant lens. That is also why presenting Noir Botanica at Galeries Lafayette Mumbai felt so natural to us. It allowed us to bring this world to an audience that understands both the international language of fashion and the nuances of contemporary Indian dressing.
Noir Botanica brings Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna’s signature craftsmanship into a darker, more sculptural register. With botanical forms, architectural details, dimensional embroidery and sharp silhouettes working in tandem, the collection makes a strong case for contemporary glamour through texture, construction and movement.
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