They are called fashion disruptors with a strong India sentiment reflected well through their creations. Designer-duo Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra have spent over two decades in the design industry and are instrumental in thinking up glamorous trends such as the exaggerated neo-drapes and powerful dramatic silhouettes.

For a brand that has been loved and appreciated by celebrities — including Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Shilpa Shetty and the very recent Tollywood star Niharika Konidela — and has a presence in countries such as London and Dubai, 2020 was a year to go against the tide and explore new avenues.

“As
the fashion Industry was transitioning and adapting to the new normal, we
took this as an opportunity to reflect and reshape our business model to be
more future fit. While everything was on a sudden standstill, the deep-seated
emotion of being ‘Anti-trend’ within our brand drove us against this tide yet
again and we did not stop,” Nikhil told Opoyi.

Added
Shantanu, “From effectively launching our new bridge-to-luxury celebration-wear
brand S&N by Shantanu and Nikhil, to recovering revenues, rebuilding
operations, launching new stores, we demystified the chaos to open newer
avenues for both the brands. We accepted the fact that ‘digital is the future’
very early on in the pandemic and streamlined our efforts with full throttle
towards going the digital way by launching a fully functional e-commerce
website and participating in three ‘phygital’ fashion weeks.”

For
the designers, the biggest takeaway from 2020 is the new digital wave that
might stay on and the role of social media to increase the accessibility of
fashion like never before.

“Few
positive consequences of the pandemic were- a press towards digitisation,
acceleration in innovation, and an urge towards understanding and integrating
newer ways of consumerism,” said Nikhil.

“This
new digital wave brought with it changes to the fashion industry that might
stay on. For instance, digital fashion shows with how excellently these were
executed across the globe may become the new normal in the near future.
Finally, social media garnered a whole new wave of outreach and engagement
making fashion accessible now more than ever,” he added. 

For
Shantanu, “the fraternity became more conversational and collaboration became
key to driving change.” 

“We
tapped into this credo with our first ever fraternity collaboration and charity
initiative in association with Fashion Design Council of India, ‘The Fraternity
Talks’. 

“
Sustainability is no more an afterthought and it has become the foundation of the
design process. Furthering this new manifesto we even launched a
one-of-its-kind sustainable initiative ‘The Buy-Back’,” he said.

One
of the important contributions of 2020 to the world was the focus on minimalism
clothing and maximalism taking a backseat so is this going to be a trend in
2021 too?

 “…both
consumer mindsets still co-exist,” said Nikhil and added that “In the
post-pandemic landscape, the design has become paramount. As consumers are more
emotional in their choices, the design has become a lot more precious,
sustainable and valuable.”

“…the
emergence of a new consumer segment termed ‘HENRY’ (High Earners But Not Rich
Yet) has also created a need for us to re-think our designs. We have dug into
our couture archives to tweak and re-engineer client favorites to make them
more relatable and befitting for this new consumer mindset. For instance, for
this segment an easy, minimalistic Anarkali gown silhouette would trump the
signature Shantanu & Nikhil grand ball-gown as the perfect engagement
outfit,” he said.

Talking
about the consumption and buying pattern of buyers, there has been a shift in
the way consumers feel about fashion now, said Shantanu.

“…
they are far more emotional in their choices and responsible in consumption. Thus,
we felt the need to forge a more inclusive and conversational relationship with
our consumers. Driven by this shift, we are transitioning from the age-old
perceptions of luxury to a more accessible and inclusive outlook of
‘neo-luxury’ through S&N’s product offering,” he said. 

Talking
about their plans ahead, they said that they, together as designers, are on a
journey of “redefinition, reinterpretation and brand expansion at the moment.”

“Fashion
is being looked at as a fraternity of global impact and community for change.
We have integrated this shift in our philosophy and are now envisaging a future
focusing on art, creativity, sustainable development, and collaborations,” they
sum finishes off on a positive note.