Shantanu Nikhil

Nomad

Haute Couture, Fall 2022

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 lineup that would allow us to express what’s in our minds. As designers, that is exactly our job.

Nomad, then, came from that desire. A complete departure—like nomads travelling the world—from our otherwise structured, almost regimental inspirations, this collection brings all that is happening around us through symbols, textures, silhouettes, and motifs. 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, 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.

It is a collection that came together despite its inherent differences, just like our country does every day without fail.

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.

Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra