Ayrton Veloce Profiles illuminate Gaurav Gupta’s Haute Couture Collection
Gaurav Gupta’s Haute Couture Collection was showcased in July 2026 at the Jio World Pavilion 3 in Mumbai. The avant-garde Indian couturier’s work has featured internationally, including at Paris Haute Couture Week, and is noted for its defined sculptural style.
The responsibility for delivering a lighting design to match the drama and tone of the couturier’s Collection fell to lighting designer Harshvardhan Pathak, who’s remit was shaped to fit the fashion show’s exquisite concept of Lunar & Solar.
Harsha Pathak used 118 Ayrton Veloce Profiles, supplied by SSL Media, Mumbai, to create two concentric oval runways for the Collection presentation. The overhead truss was custom-built and positioned to give Harsha Pathak the ideal starting point to rig the Veloce Profiles. “The SSL team rigged the Veloces exactly how they were shown in my design,” he says. “This enabled me to focus them from the perfect position in every case, then fine-tune each one using a combination of Veloce’s shutters, focus and zoom to create the perfect oval shaped runways.”
The result was two circles of soft, ethereal light whose precise angles highlighted the Collection’s details to perfection. The stylised, clean lines continued into the performance given by two aerial dancers at the epicentre of the circles, choreographed by international artistic director and founder of the highly acclaimed performing arts company Natya Nectar Circus De India, Guari Devi.
“I used gobos from the overhead Veloce Profiles to create an orbit effect around a pair of suspended dancers,” says Harsha Pathak, “and illuminated them from above in tight circles of light that enhanced the sense of drama and isolation, and introduced a contrast of warm and cool colours to emphasise the Lunar & Solartheme.”
The show was programmed on a GrandMA3 full size which Harsha Pathak says “helped me adjust the 118 Veloce Profiles in just 90 minutes! My thanks goes to the SSL Media team, led by Mr Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe, who were extremely professional in their support and did a fantastic job without any fuss or drama. And to Mr Kekul Sheth from VMT (Vardhaman Mega-Tech, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for India) who was very prompt in his response, providing me with excellent technical support from the start.”
“We have done many shows with Harsha Pathak in the past years,” comments Mr. Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe. “It was an exciting opportunity to execute this unusual design suggested for the Gaurav Gupta Show. The Ayrton Veloce performed flawlessly – as expected – and a special mention must be made for its Blade function, which was the centrepiece of this design. We look forward to adding more Ayrton fixtures in the immediate future.”
“At VMT we strive to be associated with the best of the best,” adds Mr. Kekul Sheth of VMT Enterprise Sales, “and Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe, Team SSL Media and Harsha Pathak resonate the same. The Ayrton Veloce lived up to their billing as amongst the best in the business, delivering a spectacular show. We look forward to our continued successful partnership with Ayrton for sales in the Indian Market.”
“We are immensely proud to see the Veloce Profile play such a pivotal role in bringing Harshvardhan Pathak’s breathtaking vision to life for Gaurav Gupta’s Haute Couture collection,” says Vijay Thaygarajoo, Regional Sales Manager APAC for Ayrton. “Harsha’s creative use of the Veloce’s framing and gobos perfectly captured the ethereal drama of the Lunar & Solar theme. Our sincere thanks go to our trusted distributor VMT, along with Ulhas Sahasrabuddhe and the outstanding team at SSL Media, for their flawless execution and continued dedication to pushing creative boundaries with Ayrton fixtures in India.”
Credits:
Lighting Designer: Harshvardhan Pathak
Lighting Supplier: SSL Media Pvt. Ltd www.sslmediatech.com
Ayrton Distributor for India: Vardhaman Mega-Tech www.vmt.in
Photography: @ Rohit Harshavardhan Pathak and Harshavardhan Pathak
Text: Julie Harper
