Took "5 tailors, 300 hours" to make Aishwarya's Cannes dress, reveals designer

When Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took to the red carpet on the fifth day of the Cannes Film Festival, it was as if she opened a Pandora's box: a box filled with memes, mean tweets, jokes and a lot of trolling that was just too anxious to be let out.
Even the fashion lover in us dillydallied for good 300 seconds, trying to process what just happened saat samundar paar (seven seas across)!
Let's recap what ACTUALLY happened in Cannes on that fateful day.
On Sunday 15th May 2016, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her third and the last appearance of 2016 Cannes Film Festival during the premiere of 'From the Land of The Moon (Mal De Pierres).' The L'Oreal global ambassador chose to wear a delicate applique-detailed floral gown designed by Lebanese-American fashion designer Rami Kadi. While everybody gushed about the beautifully hand-embroidered dress, it was Aishwarya's 'purple lips' that opened the floor for discussions.

Social media was spammed with multiple tweets and retweets, many poked fun at Aishwarya's bold move of going purple. Jokes ranged from, "Aishwarya Rai: "I'm wearing purple lipstick for Cannes this year. Abhishek Bachchan: "Good, it'll go well with my purples-less existence (@AksharPathak)," to "When Asian Paints sponsors your lipstick...(@sandesh_samant)." Many even compared her purple lips to ​'kala khatta gola'.
It was certainly the most trending topic, at least, in India but the noise was heard from afar. Defending the look, the designer whose dress Aishwarya Rai wore with the purple lip had nothing, but praise for the 42-year-old actor, "I liked how she took a statement wearing (purple lip) and didn’t fear any opinions."
In an exclusive chat with us, Couturier Rami Kadi revealed everything we wanted to know about Aishwarya Rai's dress:
What did you think of Aishwarya Rai wearing your creation to Cannes?
"Aishwarya Rai is an international beauty and talent, she has an aura and charisma that no one can deny. Her beauty irradiates at each of her appearance. Having Aishwarya wearing a RAMI KADI dress was an honor and a privilege knowing how many big Couture houses were there. She looked beautiful as she always is!"

Did Aishwarya Rai do justice to your couture dress with that purple lip?
"Actually, I wouldn’t have imagined this romantic dress with such make up at first. However, I liked how she made a statement wearing this lipstick. She didn’t fear any opinions. Since I love to dress beautiful and women with a personality, her red carpet appearance was very much noticed and strong."
Let us in on the details of your outfit that Aishwarya Rai wore
"The dress is from our capsule collection: May Blossoms. It is a light pink dress that is made of silk crepe de Chine and tulle. It is hand embroidered with fine small floral elements, beads and Swarovski crystals. The shape is a tight straight dress with a voluminous overskirt. It enhances a feminine silhouette with a regal touch."

India now knows your name. But what is the story behind Rami Kadi's rise to an incredible Couture success?
"Since my early childhood, I have developed a passion for the art of embroidery and various ancient craft skills. As I wandered alone through fashion workshops, I conquered fabrics and materials surrounding me, visualizing every detail. Perfection and details became an obsession. My love for craftsmanship opened the doors of ESMOD which I completed in 2008, and luckily I have been distinguished with my innovation. Upon graduation, I continued my path with Rabih Kayrouz and soon after, I was selected by the Starch Foundation to showcase my first collection. It was amazing, the success was immediate."

"The most demanding clients appreciated my attention to detail and the considerable tailoring technique. All my embroidered dresses are handmade. In May 2011, I was 25, I launched my own studio and opened my first boutique in the heart of Beirut. There, I presented my Haute Couture creations and crafted unique pieces attracting a wide range of clientele."
"In 2014, I started showing my collections in the capital of luxury and glamour, during Paris Couture Week. And I started to dress celebrities."
How much work went into the making of the dress...
"5 tailors worked on this dress for about 300 hours. The embroidery is very delicate, and the dress was handled very carefully."

One special feature about the dress that no one knows of ...
"The dress is made of natural materials. 100% silk and it is very smooth to the touch and very pleasant to wear. All the embroidery is hand made and the artwork was developed to make the dress look like a blooming bouquet."
What can you tell us about the collection the dress belongs to...
"I dedicated my last capsule collection called "May Blossom" to spring, an extension of SS16 collection. Bloomy and delicates, we picture these fresh dresses walking around a long river boarded with wild flowers. Feminine and light, prolonging from an impressionist painting, where streams are flowing and hills are flavoured with thousands of flowers. A bouquet of silk crepe de Chine, tulle and French Chantilly lace dresses, pale pink, baby blue or sea green, dive us back into the sweet and pure colours of childhood and innocence. This collection is full of romance, as usual I used a handmade embroidery technique, always innovative."

This Spring Couture season fellow Lebanese couturier Elie Saab gave an ode to India in his collection. Has India ever inspired your collection?
"I go to India very often. I mostly love and had a crush on the Rajasthan. Majesty, history, absolute beauty, romanticism, colours, perfection and smells; India definitely is a regular inspiration to me!"
Indian celebrities you have dressed thus far ...
I love Bollywood actresses. I have dressed a few of them such as Amy Jackson, Divya Khosla Kumar, Esha Gupta, Malaika Arora and so on...
(Image source: Ian Gavan/Luca Teuchmann/Getty, Rami Kadi)