“Eternal” by Hisham Malik takes inspiration from Alexander Pope’s neo-classical romantic poem “Eloisa to Abelard”. The poem is based on actual love letters exchanged between a nun, Eloisa, and priest, Abelard, in medieval France. The central theme of the poem is Eloisa’s feelings of conflict between divine and human love but an eventual realization of their singular root.
Attention to details and flawless craftsmanship are the focal point of the collection. Eternal visually narrates the poem through the imagery of flame and flowers, a recurring motif.
The color scheme progression of the collection is based on the various stages of flame and its varying colors: peach tinged turquoise, to dusky pink, burnt orange, golden yellow and finally ivory white. The setting of the poem is reflected in the French ornamentation style, in particular through ribbon work, stump work, toile de jouy inspired surfaces and French knot embroidery. The pieces in the collection progressively show an evolution of love from innocence to passion to scared and eventually eternal. This is achieved through initial looks based on a glamorous rococo aesthetic and later looks of a religiously tinted neo – classical aesthetic; all while maintaining a romantic mood.
The collection has been constructed using European haute couture techniques with tulle corselets swen into every garment and foundation underskirts. The sixteen look collection will feature six bridal designs and the remaining are formal looks. The fabrics of the collection are primarily benarasi handloom fabrics such as tissue, kimkhwab, reshams jamawar, and kundan zari as well as unconventional fabrics such as shanghai velvet and tweet. Metallic fabrics have been dyed in contrasting tones to imitate the look of flames as well.
