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The Hindu
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Love, zardozi and a ₹8.6 trillion wedding industry formed the backdrop for the Gaurav Gupta bridal couture show
At his first-ever bridal couture show, held at Mumbai's Jio World Convention Centre last night, Gaurav Gupta wanted us to believe in love. And why not? It is the most marketable emotion during India's festive-to-weddding season, which kicks off in just a few weeks and then barrels through to next summer. The designer even skipped Paris Couture Week this year to focus entirely on this solo outing. The collection, titled Quantum Entanglement, is an ode to the enduring power of love. 'It's about two souls intertwined across time and space, constantly drawn to each other,' Gaurav said over the phone earlier this week. 'We want to celebrate love, woven into the experience of an Indian wedding. This time, in India, we're doing a large couture collection — with a lot of brocades handwoven in Banaras, metallic tissue inspired by my mother's wedding sari, layers of surrealism, a bit of Gothic, a bit of Art Nouveau.' The over 75-piece collection (with 10 looks part of the bridal line) reflected this evolved aesthetic with Gaurav Gupta's signature: the sari gown he has practically trademarked, sculptural shapes, sherwanis with modern, razor-sharp tailoring, and plenty of zardozi work. There was also a maturity to the palette and structure — less 'look at me' flash, more 'you can't look away' finesse. It is no coincidence that Gaurav chose to go for bridal couture now. The Indian wedding market is booming. According to BlueWeave Consulting, which generates market research reports, India's wedding planning market was pegged at ₹5.16 trillion in 2024, and is projected to more than double to ₹11.06 trillion by 2031. Market research company Grand View Research, meanwhile, estimates that the broader wedding services market — think venues, catering, jewellery, outfits, entertainment — was already worth about ₹8.64 trillionin 2024, and will hit ₹18.94 trillion by 2030. Gaurav has taken a note of this. 'Of course, there's a business lens here,' he admitted. 'But I think what excites me most is that Indian bridal wear is becoming more individualistic. Brides are mixing silhouettes, colours, and styles in ways we wouldn't have seen even five years ago. That's the space I want to occupy,' he says. And, spending is not just back to pre-pandemic levels, it has surpassed it. A 2023 report by wedding vendor directory WeddingWire India noted that couples are now spending 20-30% more on bridal wear compared to 2019, with destination weddings and couture outfits driving much of that increase. Gaurav has acknowledged this shift. 'Bridal couture is no longer about tradition alone. It's about self-expression, individuality, and drama,' he said. 'Indian weddings are theatre, and couture is the costume that makes it unforgettable.' Bringing the drama On arrival, attendees were ushered through a pre-show space more lavish than most actual sangeet venues: cocktails flowing freely, a grazing table that could have doubled as an art installation, and a roster of live Indian classical music and dance performances. It was, in effect, Gaurav's way of walking his audience through the pre-function rituals — except, here, the bride was the brand, and every guest was in on the big reveal. Yes, there were pieces in muted tones, only this time paired with hats and sculptural headpieces. But Gaurav also pushed into a range of shades: oyster grey, champagne silver, even deep midnight blue. Banarasi brocades, some taking 200 days to weave, were layered with crystal webs, hand-cut florals, gilded zari and intricate embroidery. Chantilly lace from France got a futuristic spin with elaborate drapes, while semi-precious stones, mother-of-pearl and temple-style motifs looked part-heirloom, part-sci-fi prop. Laser-cut 3D petals and corsetry with handwoven piping spoke to a clear craft focus — though at times it risked tipping into overworked territory. Menswear strayed from the ceremonial sherwani, with asymmetric closures, pleated drapes and tonal beadwork making it feel looser, if still firmly in couture land. The main runway had, in our opinion, a 3D mandap that felt more architectural than ceremonial, a sculptural structure marrying Gupta's signature futurism with a certain cultural shorthand. This was not a coy nod to tradition but a direct appropriation, scaled for Instagram's swipe-happy audience. The sets did most of the heavy lifting in storytelling: the mandap framing each look as if the model were in the throes of her own slow-motion pheras. The silhouettes were sculpted, structured, often with his signature wave forms and dramatic drapes. The celebrity quotient was predictably high. Janhvi Kapoor took the role of showstopper in an off-white, heavily embroidered creation alongside Sidharth Malhotra, dapper in a sherwani. If Gupta's decision to skip Paris for this was a gamble, the packed house and Instagram stories suggest it paid off. He has, after all, built his brand on sculptural spectacle, and in India's current wedding economy, spectacle sells. If the show's mission was to remind the market — both in the room and far beyond — that Gaurav Gupta is as fluent in bridal as he is on the red-carpet, it succeeded. Whether you saw it as a love letter to Indian weddings or a shrewd play for a share of that multi-lakh-crore pie, the outcome was the same: an evening of couture dressed up as nuptials. And with the numbers, as they are, don't be surprised if your next 'wedding invite' is also a front-row seat to a fashion show.
Arab News
20-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
An AI strategy for workforce empowerment
Most companies today are streamlining workflows and strengthening their competitive edge with artificial intelligence. They know preparation is critical to staying ahead in the rapidly growing AI-powered digital economy, both locally and globally. Around the world, corporate investments in AI have skyrocketed from $14.57 billion in 2013 to $189 billion in 2023 — a 13-fold increase, according to WisdomTree, a global asset manager specializing in exchange-traded funds. In Saudi Arabia, the AI market was valued at $1.52 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $9.33 billion by 2030, BlueWeave Consulting reports. Yet, many businesses aiming to become 'AI-enabled' overlook a key lesson from Saudi Arabia's national AI strategy: successful transformation requires more than just technology. Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has prioritized the industry through its National Strategy for Data and AI, fostering investments, favorable policies, and workforce development to create a thriving ecosystem. At LEAP 2025, the Kingdom's flagship tech conference, AI-related projects worth $14.9 billion were signed on the first day alone. These included international partnerships to bring cutting-edge capabilities to Saudi Arabia. This while showcasing its innovations such as the Saudi Data and AI Authority's ALLaM, a series of large-language models in Arabic. The government has also launched initiatives including the Generative AI Academy, offering training programs in collaboration with NVIDIA to equip the workforce with essential skills. Recognizing that technology alone is insufficient, Saudi Arabia emphasizes empowering people to fully harness AI's potential. The government recognizes that AI leadership requires more than just adopting or developing technology. To be effective, the workforce must be equipped with the right mindset and skills to harness its full value. This lesson resonates with businesses today. When the internet became widely available in 1999, its potential was undeniable — yet many Saudi businesses hesitated. By 2001, more than 1 million Saudis were online, but fax machines remained common in offices, according to the Communications, Space & Technology Commission. Organizations were slow to trust and adopt the internet as a core business tool. Today, AI represents a pivotal moment of transformation. While businesses have access to AI tools, many struggle to move beyond the planning or pilot phase. This highlights a key truth: even with immense potential, technology's value can only be unlocked with the buy-in and drive of people. If Saudi Arabia's current and future workforce is not aware of AI's potential or comfortable using it collaboratively, the Kingdom risks falling behind. Over the years, business owners have often asked me, along the following lines: 'Why won't my team use the new AI tool we've invested in?' Employees must view AI as a tool that enhances their work — not one that replaces them. Without this foundation, AI initiatives risk resistance and underutilization. Hatem S. Al-Mandeel My response is always: 'Do your people know what the tool does and how they're allowed to use it?' The answer is often hesitant: 'I assume so, but I'll need to check internally.' If the answer is not an immediate yes, there is a problem. AI can feel disruptive or unwelcoming to employees — just as the internet once did. In many cases I have encountered, employees are not even aware AI is being discussed at work. This brings me to my first piece of advice: build a clear AI mission statement and communicate it often. Clarity and repetition are crucial for gaining internal support. Employees need to understand not just what AI adoption means for the business but why it matters and how it impacts their roles. However, a mission statement alone is not enough. The next step is building awareness and foundational skills. Employees must view AI as a tool that enhances their work — not one that replaces them. Without this foundation, AI initiatives risk resistance and underutilization. My final advice: identify AI advocates within your workforce. These individuals exist in every organization and thrive when their curiosity and skills are recognized. They can play a vital role in driving AI education and adoption from within. One business owner I spoke with recently discovered his team members were not using an AI tool simply because they did not know it could help with daily tasks. After bringing in for awareness training, usage increased significantly. The path forward for Saudi Arabia businesses is clear: the rise of the AI-powered digital economy presents an opportunity for the Kingdom to become a global leader. To achieve this, businesses must learn from national initiatives — AI transformation is not just about adopting technology; it is about empowering people to extract its full value. If you are defining your AI strategy or concerned about its impact, start by enabling your workforce with awareness and skills. • Hatem S. Al-Mandeel is the managing director and co-founder of
