Indian design duo mark 25 years of staying true to their roots

Indian contemporary fashion will take centre stage in London from September 3 to 5 when Sotheby's opens an exhibition of designer wear and interior decor by the design duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.

India Fantastique will coincide with the launch of two books about the designers, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

Their reputation extends far beyond India - their works are sold in London and New York, for instance. Many famous people have worn their creations, among them Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Sophie Marceau and Sarah Brown. They have also designed costumes for Bollywood films.

"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," said Khosla. "A book, or rather two as it turned out, was the ideal vehicle."

The first of the two books, both titled India Fantastique, displays dozens of the duo's fashion designs, while the second focuses on their extensive work in interior design.

Paramount in both books is their rediscovery and revivification of declining traditional Indian crafts including chikan (whitework) and zardozi (gold thread embroidery), and the way they use Indian antiques in contemporary interiors.

"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," said Jani. * IANS