ON COUTURE & BEING CLASSICALLY RELEVANT

Designers ABU JANI-SANDEEP KHOSLA have spent more than three decades pushing the TEMPERA HEK OLMAKEYIMA BAS PRESU W GA boundaries of fashion and fusing the past, present, and future into their intricate designs-all while STUA PENGANGKA Ge enjoying the trust of their glittering clientele. We present here a rich retrospective of looks and the SARI SAFET Somme T VAN JAAR intimate behind-the-scenes exchanges that preceded these rarefied portraits.

- SANGEETA WADDHWANI

Fashion today is a bullet train shooting through different cultures, challenging gender norms, ousting traditions, colour palettes and body codes. To stay relevant, an openness to the mardi gras of globalised tastes, seismic shifts and zeitgeists— and even social impact conversations recreating the landscape—is what a designer needs.

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have witnessed it all in their journey creating couture out of a rich crafts-orientation. In their ateliers and lives, luxury is in the details, the choice of weaves, colours, textures and embellishments. Even their office is a rich testimony to their approach, filled with artistic mise-en-scène. And while their pan-Indian design vocabulary may not be on global fashion syllabi, it’s common knowledge that luxury houses today turn to India—like Dior tapping into the skills of underprivileged women empowered by the Chanakya School of Craft.

With the world’s attention giving Indian craftsmanship a wider platform, the couturiers share insights into the techniques that highlight each ensemble featured. Like the Zardozi on the jacket made for Dame Judi Dench, or the vibrant dress they pulled out from the archives for Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ mehendi ceremony. Future generations may turn to AI to generate their dream bridal and festive ensembles, but here, we celebrate the momentous portraiture created by the passionate design impresarios. Over to Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla…