Fashion Friday Feature: Shantanu and Nikhil

Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! #FashionFriday posts feature Indian Fashion Designers, 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, Shantanu and Nikhil, and their claim to fame.

The Beginning

Brothers Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra pursued divergent career paths until they decided to come together to form the Shantanu & Nikhil fashion brand. Nikhil pursued his Masters in Fashion from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandise (FIDM) in Los Angeles while Shantanu completed his MBA in finance from Ohio State University. Nikhil then worked for St. John, an upscale American fashion brand while Shantanu worked in the corporate finance division of General Motors. Shantanu observed the growth of the Indian fashion industry and decided to combine his business knowledge with Nikhil’s design talent to create something different for the Indian market. In 1999, they both returned to India to pursue their dream of launching a fashion brand. Of their partnership they’ve said, “We believe that we are the best combination of art and commerce in the creative world of fashion. This mindset is what prompted us to cross-synergize our respective backgrounds into something worthwhile that could withstand the pressures of the ever-challenging and the ever-evolving fashion industry”.

Building a Brand

The Shantanu & Nikhil label officially launched in 2000 with a men’s wear line catering to a young, sophisticated, urban market. The success of the men’s wear line prompted the duo to launch women’s wear the following year. Not surprisingly, the women’s wear line did enormously well and in a very short amount of time, Shantanu & Nikhil established themselves as strong contenders in the Indian fashion industry. Their design signature as well as the hallmark of their success is their skillful blending of the classic and traditional with the contemporary. This perfect fusion of old world charm and modern design was displayed beautifully at this year’s Delhi Couture Week where Shantanu & Nikhil used vintage, Elizabethan elements to showcase beautiful lehengas, gowns and dresses.

Fan Following

Shantanu & Nikhil have dressed some of the biggest names in Bollywood like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif among others. The label is also popular with celebrity brides and was worn most recently by Indian tennis star Sania Mirza for her various wedding events.