Shantanu and Nikhil: ‘Fashion is also about an ethical approach towards a better environment while looking chic’

Couturiers Shantanu (left) and Nikhil Mehra of the fashion label Shantnu & Nikhil (Photo: Instagram)

Their clothes are a seamless blend of edgy, ceremonial, gender-fluid and glamourous chic. Couturiers and brothers of Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra of the label Shantnu & Nikhil are known for their strong India-proud sentiments, myriad trends, including the neo-drapes, and for juxtaposing spunk with heritage in an inimitable way.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, the designer duo talks about their over two-decade-long journey, sustainability in fashion, their style tips, fashion mantras and more. Edited excerpts:

A Shantnu & Nikhil design (Photo: Instagram)

You both have championed edgy glamour with your couture collections over the years. What is new this time?

Our new collection Nomad is a new direction, a way of looking at design as a responsibility, as well as a great power. With this collection, we seek to turn the art of design into a weapon, a tool, and a refuge, and through it, to imagine newer, more hopeful worlds and to cast our minds into the future, for you. We’ve gone very experimental with prints, silhouettes and textures. It’s an extremely new and bold direction for the brand but like always we enjoy such challenges and risks. There are sweaters in rough knits that seem like they are made of rope-yarn, suited to a breezy beachside, while classic Intarsia featuring large leopard spots are cut into voluminous jackets for the urban jungle. There’s felt, used for its strength, and miles of chiffon used for its vulnerability and drape, and, not to mention, drama.

Oversized sweatshirts feature the magnificent Kirtimukha (a mythological creature that stands guard for the Gods) found in the temples of southern India, cocooning the body in warmth, while leather and feather embroideries lead us to the enormous wealth of tribal-design inspiration that the world possesses. There are huge bags and vintage fisher hats, alluding to the constant Nomad in all of us, while puffer jackets and studded harnesses coalesce comfort and couture.

What according to you both is the future of sustainable design, sustainable fashion? How much does sustainability in fashion mean to you both?

Lately, fashion hasn’t been just about sporting the new trend, it is about an ethical approach towards a better environment while looking chic. We’ve noticed a shift in how people feel about fashion these days; they're a lot more emotive in their decisions and responsible in their consumption. Brides are looking for timeless pieces which can be worn a few years down the line and can be Re-loved, Re-owned, and Re-Used. Fashion is being looked at as a fraternity of global impact and community for change. We have integrated this shift in our philosophy and are now envisaging a future focusing on art, creativity, sustainable development and collaborations.

We are a part of ABFRL, a conglomerate that is constantly exploring new opportunities to be more sustainable through our #ReEarth pledge. From reducing carbon emissions to going 100 per cent plastic-free, we are rethinking our brand models to showcase relevance and resiliency. As a brand we have reinvented our production model to ensure no overproduction on either side of the brand. While couture follows a more season-less, bespoke model of design now, we ensure limited inventory for S&N, wherein the same inventory is shared between the physical and digital stores, thus controlling production.

Furthering our new manifesto we even launched a one-of-its-kind sustainable initiative "The Buy Back" — a programme that allows proud owners of Shantnu & Nikhil couture to exchange their old outfits for credit values that they can use on their next purchase. This not only drives responsible consumerism but also ensures controlled production at our end.

Looks by Shantnu & Nikhil (Photos: Instagram)

Tell us about the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week’s joint — and first —physical outing.

Returning to the ramps and the hustle of backstage after two years feels surreal, especially when FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India) and Lakmé are united to create this groundbreaking synergy. When we began working on Nomad late last year, our overriding desire was to make something that would grab our own interest first, something that would shake us up a bit. After over two decades of designing haute couture, it wasn’t surprising that we were looking for a new outlet: something defiant, yet more soft and intense — a line-up that would allow us to express what’s in our minds.

Your work is about beauty, glamour, and power and your clothes seem to change the wearer. What inspires you to create these? 

Over the last few years, we have restlessly toiled around the idea of a new world, a world more progressive and inclusive, a world without any biases and boundaries. It’s the duty of an artist to mirror the society as it evolves, in their work. As designers we aim to consciously adapt these changes and infuse it in our designs. The newer generations are sure of their choices, so when they come to us, we need to show them the same conviction with respect to our ensembles.

In this past decade on our journey, we have paved the way to reach a newer and bigger audience, making us more accessible, and thereby fulfilling our dream to see our brand on every global Indian.

Looks by Shantnu & Nikhil (Photos: Instagram)

Your draped kurtas, sherwanis, decadent bandhgalas, neo-lehengas and cocktail gowns are much loved. What is in store for the millennial bride and groom?

Our carefully curated wedding collection consists of menswear primarily, with key womenswear silhouettes that add a new dimension to the overall look. On offer, the famed draped kurtas for men, now achieved in kaleidoscopic prints on the finest of silks. These are paired with armour-like bundis and military-inspired short bandhgalas in black. The new Shantnu & Nikhil cowl trousers update the dhoti silhouette, and go perfectly with both the shorter jackets and longer sherwanis, all topped with jewelled brooches and regalia-inspired accessories. A new line of couture safas and stoles complements the looks.

For women, the designers blur the boundaries between ball gowns and lehengas, creating hybrid styles that will wear well anywhere from New York to New Delhi. Voluminous drapes meet expertly constructed bodices to form one-of-a-kind pieces that wouldn’t be out of place in a dark, stormy fairytale.

Top style tips for brides and grooms this season?

The wedding trousseau is such an emotional possession that brings up so many memories when you repurpose it. It should be filled with pieces that you can go back to and relive your memories in. Remember the importance of classics and pay close attention to the details. The classics you purchase today will become family heirlooms in the future. However, grooms now are bold in their choice as they are stepping away from the obvious darker tones associated with the male wardrobe to pastel ones which were conventionally considered feminine.

Layered and transformative ensembles that go from a regal look to a more relaxed one is popular grooms wear. For instance, styling the sherwani with a dupatta and a kamarbandh over an embellished-drape kurta for the wedding processions and later switching to just the kurta for an eased out afterparty is something that grooms are looking at right now. Men aren’t far behind in donning jewels underneath their ensemble these days, and we feel like the trend is here to stay. Millennial grooms aren’t afraid to take risks, and that is reflected by the choice of decadent jewels and brooches they adorn.

What's that one fashion mantra that you both swear by?

There are no rules. Be confident in your choices and don’t follow a trend blindly, rather pave your anti-trend path!

Looks by Shantnu & Nikhil (Photos: Instagram)

Which celebrity (Indian/ international) would you love to work with and why?

We’d love to work with millennials and Gen Z who have an unabashed spirit. When the ensembles are based on such contemporary nuances and modernity, we envision our patron to embrace the same.  An ideal Shantnu & Nikhil muse is fearless, unabashed, and ready to take up their cause. People who treat their sartorial choices as a form of personal expression and are up for an experimental outlook at every occasion.

The business of fashion and the creative aspect — what do you prioritise?

Partnering with corporate giants like ABFRL encourages a powerful demand-supply chain which really boosts the business strategy of a design house. Brand extensions from couturiers, such as us, ensure funneling of the brand from just luxury to bridge-to-luxury. With new methods, the brand outreach increases considering it makes luxury accessible with their better understanding of retail space. Digital-to-consumer (D2C) will emerge as a new trend. The next generation of designers will be more trusting towards their skills considering there is a hope of new retail opportunities around the corner for them as well. Fashion as an industry will become more lucrative and expand the career opportunities for the young workforce. It’s the dominant role of commerce to provide the artist a free rein, hence, it’s essential to prioritise both.