Fashion Friday Feature: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla

Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events!  #FashionFriday posts feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. Continuing with our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of  Couture Rani, today we will feature Indian Fashion Designer Duo, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, and their claim to fame.

Early Life

Abu Jani was born Mumbai in an affluent Muslim family. Like most creative individuals he knew from an early age that he wanted to be involved in an artistic career.  He began his career working with Xerxes Bhartena, a costume designers for films where he worked for five years and assisted him in designing costumes for a number of films. This was followed by a job in a garment export house, where he gained experience in designing and embroidery. He then began working as a freelance designer and began making clothes for private clients. His popularity began to grow and just as he was deciding on whether or not to open his own boutique he met Sandeep Khosla.

Sandeep Khosla was born in from Kapurthala, Punjab.  He was always drawn to the arts and while in school explored painting, drawing, carpentry, and batik designs. Early in his career he worked in his family’s leather business where he specialized in carving on leather and dying techniques. He then moved on to working in fabric exports where he learned about fabrics and garment manufacturing. He then moved to Mumbai where he joined designer Xerxes Bhartena  and began learning the art of designing. He was the same designer who years earlier, had given Abu Jani his first break as a fashion designer.

The Beginning

A chance meeting in August of 1986 led to the creation of “Mata Hari” a clothing boutique in Juhu, Mumbai. They realized they has similar goals and dreams and set out together to fulfill it. Jani explains of their meeting: “We met at a mutual friend’s home and decided within 48 hours to go into partnership. We had no formal training in fashion and precious few resources. Our families lent us a couple of lakhs to put together a collection. And that was it.”

The Abu-Sandeep Woman

According to Abu Jani, “the Abu Sandeep Woman is her own person. She is discerning, au fait with luxe, a stylista rather than a fashion junkie. Classically elegant, exquisitely feminine, her clothes are a reflection of her. We design for ourselves but our muse is always a woman.”

Design Philosophy

“Be true to your own aesthetics. We do not design with commercial considerations, international trends or competitors in mind. We never compromise our sense of aesthetics or quality in order to make a profit or be in vogue. Set the bar; don’t try to clamber over an existing one.” -Anokhi Magazine (Nov. 2010)

Career Highlights

• The Abu Jani and Sandeep Kohsla label were the first to retail internationally with a range of exclusive shawls for Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London and Neiman Marcus in the United States
• Dressed Bond Girl Sophie Marceau in The World is Not Enough
• Dressed Dame Judi Dench at six Oscar and BAFTA award ceremonies
• Hosted their own talk show called “First Ladies” on NDTV
• Won the National Award for designing the costumes for Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan in the 2002 Hindi film Devdas
• August 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of their design partnership

Delhi Couture Week Show 2010

Video Credit: Couture Rani

Image Credit: fashionfad.in