Out of Africa

Old Hollywood glamour, featherwork and Masai-derived patterns — designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla talk to Rosella Stephen about their influences, new label and the business of fashion

November 11, 2016 04:27 pm | Updated December 02, 2016 02:53 pm IST - Chennai

A model showcases an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla creation

A model showcases an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla creation

Last month, when New York-based Prabal Gurung visited India, he dashed into an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla store in Mumbai for a quick purchase — a chikankari sari for mum. Gurung, a favourite with everyone from Michelle Obama to Priyanka Chopra, has previously shared his obsession with Bollywood and the couturiers to Mumbai’s most wanted. With only one of the iconic saris currently available (at approximately Rs. 8,50,000), you have to believe AJSK’s Sandeep Khosla when he says, “Chikan is our Birkin.”

For about 30 years now, we’ve come to associate Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla with ornate wedding lehengas, chikankari saris and heavy-duty names like Bachchan, Godrej and Ambani. That’s not about to change, but it appears that the designers have a plan B this season. They call it Khosla Jani. “Perhaps we heard the adjectives ‘classic and fabulous” for so long that it got boring,” laughs Khosla, as he shares plans to rock the cocktail circuit with sparkly, textured evening dresses that reimagine 30’s and 40’s Hollywood with an Indian twist (mirror, resham and shadow work). Their interest in decidedly western silhouettes began two years ago and picked up speed when Beyonce Knowles, Carrie Underwood and a host of international singers and their stylists courted the label earlier this year. “We said, ‘let’s go back to the drawing board and show them that we’re alive and kicking!’” adds Khosla, about this line of 50 dresses.

The designers confess that their love for culture, drama and tribal art resulted in Masai-derived patterns in many dresses, while there is also an abundance of beadwork, tassels, sequins, crystals, featherwork and horsehair. Does it matter that he has never been to Africa? Not really, says Khosla, adding that his appetite for history and geography is addressed via Nat Geo, while Jani prefers biographies. Khosla continues that launching the label in the country last weekend, well after its international debut, has benefits. The star-studded audience at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai were already acquainted with it. “It was a conscious decision, you know what I mean?” he states about a collection that channels forest goddesses and “the unleashed spirit”. Unapologetic about the ‘Kings of Bling’ tag more than one fashion editor has given them, the designers say a thumb rule is ‘generosity.’ At “50 shades of grey” (his age), he adds, “there are no shortcuts in life, whether one is creating or entertaining.”

Reality check

Like many of their fellow luxury designers, The Boys, as they are known in fashion circles, are ready to reset expectations and recalibrate priorities. The Prime Minister’s surprise move on Tuesday against fake currency and corruption will impact an industry that is driven by the big fat Indian wedding. They are understandably anxious. A little late to join the band of Indian designers (both emerging and the veterans) who have discovered investors and digital power, Abu-Sandeep now want to script a story that goes beyond the designer. Khosla agrees that they need management geniuses. To that effect, the brand’s CEO and Khosla’s niece, Saudamini Mattu, 31, is introducing more fashion shows, online engagement and styling opportunities. “We need to let the designers focus on what they do best and not worry about managing the company,” she observes, adding that Khosla is a natural on Instagram with a “hashtag that has a life of its own”. Khosla, meanwhile, insists that the duo is ready for the change that comes with having younger people in the office. “They encourage you to take risks. When we were 22, Sunita Pitambar (one of Mumbai’s original socialites) used to love to hang out with us. At 50, we are doing the same, as the younger lot keeps us alive and constantly thinking,” he acknowledges.

Digital expression

Used to the conventional business of fashion, the designers are quick to agree that they lacked a better understanding of social media’s relevance. “That said, we accept that not everything that is good gets the recognition it deserves. We have been lucky,’’ says Khosla, admitting that for a company that has not gone public, there is much learning involved. “The market has become much bigger and there is so much of junk to sift through. We take hope from the existence of a few people who understand quality, at a time when luxury is a much abused term. India has had luxury from the very beginning, be it with clothes, food or architecture. Luxury is not about designer watches, it is a lifestyle,” says Khosla, speaking for the two of them. “Yes, people call me the loudmouth, and Abu is positively scared when I open my mouth as he has no idea what I’m going to say next!” he slips in. That said, the duo realised the need for a more accessible collection and launched the diffusion line, Asal, this year. A wedding collection was on the cards, but with the current state of affairs, Khosla thinks it prudent to expand abroad instead.

Serving the millennial

Currently operating with a team of 600, the designers can be astonishingly discreet when it comes to revealing prices (a wedding lehenga may cost upwards of Rs. 12,00,000). There is the story about how they discuss pricing only after the delivery of their garments, but Khosla refutes this. “That possibly stemmed from an incident long ago when Tina Ambani (nee Munim) married Anil and he requested a reception outfit,” he insists. As for the modern customer, Khosla says they are fortunate to have served different generations. “Over 30 years ago, it was new money too, but youngsters then were willing to promote art and craft. The modern customer has so many choices, the original, first copy, second copy…” He has his share of millennials who walk in wanting a gown like Kim Kardashian’s. “Now, the consumer is over exposed to what is happening around the world, but many are yet to understand luxury,” he worries. That said, collaborating with glamazons like Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone has helped introduce their brand to a new audience.

“I recall when we designed a blouse for Sonam at Cannes two years ago. We were suddenly sexy again. Over 25 years, we’ve made everything from the full-sleeved jacket to tiny Kamasutra cholis. We know our blouses and we have a story to tell,” concludes Khosla, hoping to identify an investor who understands this history. So, Mr. Moneybags, he asks kindly, will you please stand up?

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30 and counting (milestones)

1986: With the store Mata Hari, the designers win over Dimple Kapadia, Jaya Bachchan and Parmeshwar Godrej

1989: Launch Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla (AJSK) and later introduce the city to double saris and embroideries as necklaces

1994: Launch Chikan line and become modern-day masters of the craft

1999: Global celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, wear AJSK to the Oscar and BAFTA award ceremonies.

2003: Selfridges commissions a home accessories collection. They win the National Award for Best Costume Design for the film Devdas

2008: They anchor TV show, ‘The First Ladies with Abu Sandeep,’ featuring Nita Ambani, Usha Mittal, Jaya Bachchan and nine others

2016: Asal, a diffusion line, is launched. Singer Beyonce wears Khosla Jani in the video for Coldplay’s latest song, Hymn For The Weekend.

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Ode to Illusion

While lines like Aliza feature beaded and feathered white gowns as showcased by Shweta Bachchan, Illusions, with black and white applique and sequins, is a return to the art of brevity

***

Future clients, boutique hotel projects

“Style is something you are born with or inherit. Or you need to be aware of it and go get it,” the reticent Abu Jani was heard telling a TV journalist after their Khosla Jani show last week. He went on to talk about long-time clients who were friends, and their chic children like Sara Ali Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Amrita’s daughter, their youngest client. Meanwhile, having collaborated with New York-based architectural firm, SOM, to design the interiors of T2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the duo is looking forward to working on a boutique hotel next. Personal favourites include anything Philippe Starck, Gramercy Park Hotel and The Mark in New York, and Hotel Costes in Paris with its Jacques Garcia-designed setting. Coming up next year? Well, they complete 25 years of Chikan and promise a big party and, if all goes well, a showing at an international museum.

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