Of homage and heirlooms: Inside Misha Japanwala's cross-cultural wedding

Misha Japanwala, an artist and designer, made waves by embodying fashion and art while creating persuasive, picturesque narratives. Her breastplates and molds address the female form and the unadorned beauty of the bare body. Misha’s work breaks through the repetitive and unapologetic standards of beauty that dictate how texture and fabric should influence the human form. 

A graduate of Parson School of Design, Misha currently resides in the United States with her now-husband. Born and bred in Pakistan, the powerhouse took social media by storm when she wed her husband Fisher Neal in her hometown of Karachi that saw the likes of Lupita Nyong’o in attendance. Misha’s wedding festivities, while intimate, carefully curated elements that intricately paid homage to the past and present. The renowned artist tied the knot in a traditional ceremony, sparkled with her own values and a nod to her career while she ended up designing many of her festivity outfits. 

In a tell-all with Vogue India, Misha shared details about her much-talked-about wedding. “Growing up as a Pakistani woman, I always thought my life had to be lived according to how others thought my life should be lived,” the artist told the publication. “The religious and cultural differences between me and Fisher terrified me during the early days of our relationship as well as concerns about my family’s acceptance.”

She went on to add, “Our love broke past all those barriers and looking back, we still can’t believe that the universe led us to each other. Our life together has been a non-stop adventure, and a constant reminder that anything is possible.”

She went on to she light on planning a pandemic wedding. “We tried picking a date that seemed far enough away from everything—February 2022—and then just prayed that everything would be okay by then, which it thankfully was. The pandemic also gave us an excuse to keep the guest list small—a less-favoured option for South Asian weddings, but a highly recommended one,” she laughed.

For her Mayoun ceremony, Misha worked closely with local artisans to embroider a fish motif that she drew into her striking orange kurta to honour her husband Fisher, fondly known as Fish to his friends and family. Her orange and gold palette complimented her husband, Fisher’s white and yellow ensemble on the day. She continued to find ways to feature elements in her wedding that reflected who she is as an artist and a woman, with her subtle use of gold and nod to both traditions passed down and traditions born of this union.

Misha further revealed how she designed her Mayoun dress herself. “I drew the embroidery on the kameez myself with motifs of fish—an homage to my husband, whose friends and family call him Fish, short for Fisher—and worked with local embroiderers in Karachi to have it done in traditional gota style,” she revealed.

Misha exchanged vows with Fisher Neal in a beautiful beach ceremony, where she walked down the aisle in her maternal grandmother’s wedding saree coupled with heirloom jewelry that belonged to her late mother-in-law.

“Growing up, my Nani and I would go through her piles of saris and squeal every time we got to an off-white net sari with lace flowers and hand-worked gold embroidery. It was the sari she wore on her wedding day, and we would often talk about how I would wear it on mine one day,” she recalled.

Misha then added, “Before I walked down the aisle, we handed out notes to all our guests of a photo of my Nani in her sari on her wedding day, 62 years ago, along with a few paragraphs I wrote about what it meant for me to be wearing it—this meant that everyone was already crying even before the ceremony started,” she shared.

The thoughtful bride paired the sari with a beige-toned banarsi blouse that complimented the beautiful gold and pearl accents of the fabric and jewelry. Misha’s homage to her late mother-in-law and grandmother was an emotional and binding gesture that moved attendees to tears.

To honour her Muslim heritage, the couple wed in an intimate Muslim ceremony the following day. For her ceremonial outfit, Misha turned to veteran designer Shamaeel for a classic lenga and choli in hues and shades of delicate pinks with hints of gold, paired with timeless pieces created by artist and jeweler, Tapu Javeri. For the fun festivities of the Mehndi or Henna ceremony, designer Nomi Ansari created a one-of-a-kind one-shoulder choli in his signature bold and bright palette that complimented the bride’s choice of Navrati jewelry set that adorned her neck and chest.

Tying in her vision for her wedding festivities on the final day, Misha yet again found a way to tie in the fabric of her being, by adorning a gold breastplate for her wedding photographs, the images were empowering, enabling Misha to express the core of her creativity in a manner sacred to her. The plate was generously enveloped in a bespoke custom Rizwan Beyg sari that she later paired with a timeless velvet blouse for her final event.

“Once I saw the gold Rizwan sari, I knew I had to make a custom gold breastplate for the look. It was important for me to create imagery that was true to my identity as a woman and artist and that reflected what was important to me,” she added.

“I wanted rustic and she wanted glam, which was on two opposite ends of the spectrum. The event designer Grandeur was able to take that two aesthetics and combine them, using twigs and branches all over the space, paired with chandeliers, cascading flowers, columns and neutral drapes to bring everything together,” Misha commented.

True to self, Misha had her and her husband’s names embroidered into the sari's pallu in a sweet and romantic gesture. The intricate union of honouring family and her own artistry created a conceptually thoughtful and curated wedding.

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