Their mission is to elevate craft to art, like they did with Chikankari, or mirror work, added white to couture; for 38 years Abu-Sandeep have been the undisputed frontrunners of luxury. They brought ASAL and MARD to Delhi for the first time at Hyundai ICW 2024.
By Asmita Aggarwal
It was a concept as old as timeRani meets Rajkumar, and frankly there were many firsts, the whites with the Kolhapuris for men were refreshing, flaming cherry red and bottle greens were dancing together, inclusive model Sakshi Sindwani made her presence felt. What I loved about Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla who opened the Hyundai India Couture Week 2024, is that they did not forget their roots—yesteryears models Carol Gracias to Noyonika Chatterjee were back on the runway. The old merged with the new!
The crowd cheered for Heeramandi star Taha Shah dressed in brocade pants, and a tunic with imposing flowers on his toned shoulders along with actress Wamiqa Gabbi. The lehenga blouse is modern now, its certainly not a risqué choli, it is ruffled/layered/sheer/pussy bow, you can pair it with your jeans later. Similarly, the embroidered kaftan, or their signature chikankari each of the 80 pieces, were an ode to the past making its way into the present. Crystallised bustiers, saris with capes, beaded tassels, to the maximalist gotta-patti the show had no dearth of shine. Their models came with white beards and in skirts, sheer and angrakhas; the ASAL brides in pussy bow blouses with lehengas. Minty fresh lehengas, and dhotis complemented their mastery over mirror work and the dupatta was replaced with the veil, sometimes just a pearl headdress.
Abu and Sandeep have a distinct hold on their clientswhether it is the entire Bachchan family or the Ambanis, it has nothing to do with the fact that they have almost been around for four decades, but more to do with how they have remained relevant in a world of fleeting loyalties.
Their lehenga for the recent Ambani bahu Radhika, was emboldened with hand painted artworks by Jayshri Burman, which the duo crafted into glamour. They also designed the younger brother Anil Ambanis wife Tina Munims lehenga; their interest in art, and artifacts is legendary. Plus, Abu collects vintage postcards to “almost” extinct textiles, plus understands the curvature of interiors, which he has dabbled in.
Abu sketches, is quieter, while Sandeep is the gregarious one, with an in-built sense of humour, the grandeur comes from Abu working for various epic productions Devdas to Umrao Jaan. Though it is quite different from his first job—distributing leaflets at a gas station, Khosla is from Kapurthala (Punjab), they launched in 1986, when Indian fashion was fledgling. They have traversed a gigantic journey, from their first store Mata Hari (inspired by a spy) to acquiring Dimple Kapadia as their client. We are completing our 38th year in design. We began as maximalists, we have remained devoted to maximalism. Our design expression celebrates hand- craftsmanship at its most complex, and detailed level. We have reinvented embroideries to an impossibly high standard. We revel in layering, and fabulous finishing, and embellishments. Our work is unique, and an ode to living large, and celebrating beauty, and reinvention of the classical to create ultimate couture that is both contemporary, as well as destined to remain timeless, says Khosla, who like Abu is self-taught designer.
For the first time in India Couture Week 2024, in Delhi they have introduced their label Asal, affordable bridal wear, and Mard for men. They admit they were the first to introduce the colour white, as a hue for couture, 35 years ago when it was considered for widows. We did an exhibition of white khadi with white embroidered jackets and kurtas, Jaya Bachchan was the queen of white. We did Kerala cotton kurtas in Chikankari, and other techniques when it was unheard of. Today everyone and his brother and sister lay claim to Chikankari, and the change and reinvention all started in our office and with us, says Sandeep.
They celebrate the sheer growth of the bridal sector, and the profusion of new and expanded creative expression aided by an entire PR machinery, and social media presence. We are saddened by the rampant rise of plagiarism, there needs to be stringent measures to ensure it is strictly called out, says Abu. The two learnt the ropes from the best, Xerxes Bhathena, fashion designer at Burlingtons Fashion House, of the 70s, who later designed for Namak Halal as Praveen Babis designer.
Asal by Abu Sandeep, was born out of our own desire to create clothes for a much wider audience, at a more affordable price point than their couture. We witnessed many designers ripping off AJSK, we decided it was time to create our own label, which boasted similar aesthetic sensibilities, but at a different price point. Asals product is beautifully detailed, glamorous, and reminiscent of our couture. It opens our creative expression to a whole new demographic, and expands the AJSK Universe. Mard is our young menswear label catering to the new-age man, who is unafraid to own his swag, says Khosla.
Stand-up comedian Sumukhi Suresh began the show on a humorous note, and if anyone has seen Sandeep Khoslas Instagram, they will vouch for his laughs. They collaborated with musician duo Akshay and IP to include an album Cake with five original songs that were composed especially for the show. Akshay Raheja and IP Singh made their Bollywood debut as a composer duo in the film Crew, and earlier collaborated with Kunal Rawal for his couture week showcasing.
Our work is instantly recognisable. And stands far apart from the rest. We work relentlessly to constantly hone and reinvent our expression so that every collection is better and more refined than our last. We put Chikankari on the couture map. We have made bridal wear and we continue to remain the leaders. We have reinvented zardozi, mirror work, thread as well as the block prints of Bandhani. Five years ago, we put Ajrak on the couture map, with our reinvented collections. Our mission is to elevate crafts to art, confesses Sandeep.
With GenZ not one to fit into the proverbial box of what to wear, the mavericks believe they have a delightfully adventurous and independent sense of style. This does at times mean they go wrong with their experimentation, choosing to blindly follow every trend, but its wonderful to experiment in your 20s, until you find which styles serve you best, they candidly explain. We hope the young continue to appreciate and wear the classics, especially Indian iconic silhouettes like the sari, lehenga, Anarkalis and churidar kurtas, he says.
Couture must be multifunctional, simple, versatile, to survive, and Abu-Sandeep believes, they will continue to do it, as they have always done. Our work is versatile, utterly repeatable and our constant reinvention of techniques ensures it remains relevant for decades. We dont believe in gimmicks or flippant trends. We create beauty that is destined to be forever. An AJSK has been coveted since 1986. Proof enough of the lasting relevance of our work, he concludes.