New Delhi, July 16 : Indian contemporary fashion
will be talk of London Sep 3-5 with Sotheby's opening an exhibition of
designer wear and interior decor by celebrated designer duo
Abu Jani and
Sandeep Khosla.
The exhibition, "
India Fantastique" will
coincide with the launch of two volumes of books about the clothes
created by the designers and the history of the
Jani-Khosla label. The
couturiers celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, Sotheby's said in
a statement Monday.
Known both for their fashion creations for
men and women and for interior designs,
Abu Jani and
Sandeep Khosla's
reputation extends far beyond India, the statement said. Many
international celebrities wear Jani-Khosla creations, among them Judi
Dench,
Maggie Smith, Sophie Marceau and Sarah Brown.
They are stocked internationally in Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London and Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in New York.
Together,
the duo have built a 25-year-old partnership that has included
designing for leading actors and actresses, working with directors on
costumes for epic Bollywood films and building a brand that exudes
luxury, artistry and Indian tradition.
"Abu and I thought long
and hard about how we wanted to celebrate our milestone, and also about
how we would use this celebration to set the vision for our creativity
and ourselves in the next 25 years. It soon became clear that a book, or
rather two as it turned out to be, was the ideal vehicle," Khosla said.
The
first volume of
India Fantastique displays dozens of the duo's designs
while the second volume focuses on their extensive work in interior
design. Their hallmark maximalism runs riot in privately commissioned
interiors, which incorporate art, artifacts, antiques and vintage
textiles.
Paramount in both books is the duo's rediscovery and
revivification of once moribund traditional crafts including chikan
(whitework) and zardozi (gold thread embroidery), and the ways in
which they make use of local artisans and reinvent their heritage by redeploying Indian antiques, the statement said.
The 600-page volumes are collectors' items with specially commissioned photographs, Sotheby's said.
Khosla
and Jani met by chance in 1986. Abu was born in Mumbai and started out
as a costume designer in the film industry and Sandeep was born in
Kapurthala (Punjab) and started out in the family leather business. The
decision to work together was taken instantly and their first
collection, "Mata Hari", arrived just four months later.
Neither
possessed any formal qualifications, neither had money to invest. What
they did have in abundance was raw talent and an unswerving belief in
their own creativity, Sotheby's said.
"We are unabashedly Indian
in our aesthetics. And passionately in love with the rich cultural,
historic and design legacy of our land. Design is our way of paying
homage to that beauty. By taking it into the 21st century," Jani said.
© IANS 
