It’s celebration time for ace designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, who have come up with a new collection. The duo completed 28 years of making people look fabulous with their designs and to mark the occasion, they have come out with a new bridal collection titled ‘Renaissance’. With exclusivity as their forte, their rich and famous clients range from the Bachchans to Arpita Khan, who wore their design for her wedding recently. In a tête-à-tête, the duo trace their journey from starting a boutique to being the top couturiers in the industry.
Completing 28 years in the fashion industry and being hailed as top couturiers is no mean accomplishment. Do you reflect on your journey?
Of course one reflects, reminisces and revels in the memories of a life’s journey. The struggles, the challenges, the adventures, the highs and the lows. We dreamt big and have been fortunate enough to live the dream. The reason we decided to celebrate our 25 years in Design via India Fantastique, is precisely because we wished to put all those years on paper. To preserve these memories of our life and our work. For ourselves and for others.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your new bridal collection ‘Renaissance’
Renaissance draws deeply from the well of our own aesthetic sensibilities and vintage collections and re-works them in the form of a brand new creative expression. We felt it was time to take what is quintessentially Abu Sandeep and give it new form.
Is it challenging to balance and find exciting and new styles for the younger generation while staying true to the brand’s identity?
Creativity is always challenging. The artist is always looking to reinvent, reinterpret and re-fashion what he or she has already expressed. We have never sought to create in order to please others. Whether it’s following trends or appealing to what is in vogue, its not something we consider. We create according to our inner calling. We don’t think like businessmen but like artists. The challenge for us is always to create something more beautiful than before. Staying true to our identity and our sensibilities is non-negotiable.
Your forte has been exclusivity in fashion. Do you think a more affordable line would have made a vast difference in the way your business grew?
Of course the big bucks are in mass and pret. However our primary love is for couture. We do have a diffusion label, Abu Sandeep and a very limited pret collection, because we do want to create for as many people as possible. However pret requires a mass production set up which we don’t have. We would love to design an affordable line but we would need a partner to manufacture at that scale.
Your celebrity clients have been loyal and consistent. Any favourites?
For us every client is a star, celebrity or not. And every star has her/his special place in our sky.
You were vociferous about the negative impact of multiple fashion weeks on the industry. But a fashion week acts as an ideal platform for young designers to showcase their talent?
Our problem with the plethora of fashion weeks and industry bodies is that it dilutes the impact of an industry that is still nascent. We need to pool our resources and showcase ‘Design India’ in solidarity if we are to make waves. When you have so many, you merely scatter the attention and the attendance as well as the quality of what you showcase.
Elevating chikankari and zardozi to fine luxury has been one of the high points. Did you foresee this vision of putting India on the pedestal when you started out?
One dreams many dreams. And we’ve always dreamt big. When we began, our mission was to create the finest. India will always be our eternal muse. So our creative expression is inextricably linked to her. Her crafts, culture, history inform our work in a seamless, intangible way too via the spirit not just the form of our couture. It is an honour and a matter of great pride to us that in some small way we have brought India to the world through our design and Couture. Not the India of Janpath or exports but the India of luxury and fabulosity.
Your book ‘India Fantastique’ (two volumes) gives a taste of highlife. Any other book in the offing?
The books drained us emotionally, financially and creatively. Which meant that they also fulfilled us in every possible way. There will be more books but not in the near future.
Your comments on the growing fashion industry
There is no dearth of talent. What we hope to see is investment. Infrastructure, marketing and branding are essential aspects of making a label reach its full potential. The public and the private sector need to back designers so that we can see a future where design India reaches its full potential, in both India and across the globe.
