Entering the competitive and unpredictable world of fashion was a natural corollary for Mumbai-based designer Shehla Khan. Instead of using her father Sajjid Khan — a sought after name in the fashion firmament whose client list includes Armani and Valentino — to gain instant success, she carved her niche in the world of couture with passion and persistence after gaining practical experience through apprenticeship under ace designer Manish Malhotra.
Launched in 2012, her label goes by the name of Shehlaa Khan. Yes, an extra ‘a’ was added to the label. It gained prominence within a span of two years. Today, the label stands for beautifully cut garments, soft supple fabrics, delicate embroidery and feminine aesthetics. She specialises in beige and green embroidered lehengas, orange sequin and gota lehengas, sea green sequin and embroidered anarkalis, peach gota appliqué kurtas and pink and peach shararas.
The couturier aspires to have a foothold in Mumbai, where actors from the dream factories of Bollywood are her regular clients, as well as in Delhi, where fashion-conscious youngsters don’t mind splurging on a good looking outfit.
On the 20th floor of the city’s Le Meridien, Shehla had a two-day exhibition recently. For prêt, the price ranged from Rs.5,000 to 50,000, while for couture it was Rs.50,000 and above.
However, the pride of place in the exhibition belonged to a meticulously crafted outfit worn by actor Jacqueline Fernandez during the music launch of the Salman Khan-starrer Kick in Mumbai recently.
“I produced an Indo-Western lehenga for Jacqueline. The dress was created keeping in mind that Jacqueline is not an Indian but has a strong sense of style. So I ensured that the dress had a little bit of fun element to it. It was casual, feminine, and flattering colours were used,” said Shehla. She concurs that once a known Bollywood personality endorses one of her designs then it does good business. Already “a number of people have bought the dress endorsed by Jacqueline,” said Shehla excitedly, adding that her clients from tinsel town include top actors like Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and her elder sibling Karishma are her clients from tinsel town.
Apart from the star-endorsed lehenga, other shimmering outfits also vied for attention at the exhibition.
Speaking about her father, she said, “He is in the embroidery business and does work for Armani and Valentino.”
