Johnnie Walker and Rahul Mishra Brought India’s Creative Soul to The Dorchester

London’s cultural pulse found new rhythm at The Dorchester, a unity in worlds of couture and craft, for Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s collaboration with acclaimed Indian designer Rahul Mishra. The event brought to life the launch of their limited-edition bottle design, a meditation on heritage, and the global spirit of modern India. In attendance, was actress and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Johnnie Walker’s Global Ambassador alongside a constellation of designers and cultural tastemakers who filled the Orchid Room in a scene that felt both intimate and grand.

A thoughtful panel discussion between Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rahul Mishra opened the evening, moderated by cultural writer and broadcaster Simran Randhawa. The discussion explored the intersections of creativity, and global storytelling, unpacking how Indian artistry continues to shape contemporary luxury. Rahul Mishra’s bottle design served as both the visual and conceptual foundation of the night, its motifs of blooming flowers and spirited animals rendered as symbols of resilience and renewal. The Orchid Room echoed this visual poetry through deep blue and luminous gold décor, embroidered garlands, and botanical installations that mirrored the bottle’s spirit.

The celebration pulsed with performances and sounds that reimagined tradition for a global audience. Usha Jey, known for blending Bharatanatyam with hip-hop, delivered a hypnotic, one-off performance to Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair”, weaving cultural duality into choreography. Dancer Usha Jey, too, wore a creation from Mishra’s AFEW (Air, Fire, Earth & Water) line, a collection that translates couture precision into wearable art while supporting India’s artisan communities. Gracie T and Almass Badat, two DJs at the forefront of the UK desi music scene, blending diasporic beats and contemporary rhythms into a soundscape that reflected the cosmopolitan identity of modern Indian creativity.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas arrived in a Rahul Mishra Couture gown from his Aura collection, a saree-inspired, one-shoulder silhouette in radiant ruby red. Crafted over 2,700 hours by 14 artisans at Mishra’s Noida atelier, the piece embodied the designer’s philosophy that couture is a living art form shaped by human hands and collective imagination. Together, these gestures, and design turned the night into a sensory journey celebrating the continuum of Indian creativity and cultural dialogue keeps walking forward.