2 days ago
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Stepping into S & N by Shantnu Nikhil’s archetypal store successful Chennai feels similar walking into a pristine, curated wardrobe. Shirts are neatly lined up connected racks, suits bent successful crisp perfection, and the occasional shimmer of sequins bring the drama.
The retail abstraction aligns with the doctrine of decorator duo Shantanu and Nikhil, and what they envision each their stores should consciousness like. “The doctrine of each store is fundamentally a antheral coming to his wardrobe,” says Nikhil Mehra. “The situation should benignant of modulate your tense system. It does not intimidate, nor should it consciousness similar the marque is trying excessively hard,” helium explains.
While the decorator duo burst into the country astir 20 years agone with their couture statement Shantnu and Nikhil, they launched the prestige-pret hold of their statement , S&N by Shantnu Nikhil, successful 2020. Envisioned arsenic a bridge-to-luxury statement which reimagines juncture dressing for the modern customer, determination are garments for some men and women spanning bandhgalas, draped kurtas, elevated separates, and sculpted gowns.
A presumption of the Chennai store | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Their past collection, The Drift, featured sharply tailored printed and textured shirts, kurtas, bomber jackets, classical trousers, corsets and draped gowns successful a predominantly black, achromatic and beige palette with absorbing drapes, gender-fluid silhouettes and detailing successful the signifier of embroidery and panelling. These are apparel for an occassion, a solemnisation oregon to simply elevate the mundane with a crisp garment featuring a popular of embroidery, oregon a elemental draped kurta.
Brand beginings
Nikhil, says that launching S&N successful 2020 felt similar thing they had been waiting to do, for galore years.
“We were incubating a peculiar style, a sartorial benignant for men from 2013 onwards, and we were doing a precise clean, thinker’s outfit arsenic opposed to having seen India successful its sloppy menswear avtar until then,” Nikhil recalls, of their couture origins. Sharply tailored, neat menswear, has ever been what the designers person excelled at, and helium says determination was overmuch reasoning that went into however men were dressing for weddings then, “We reflected connected however an Indian antheral would celebrate; was it done embroidery, silhouettes, fabrics, textures oregon thing else?”
A exemplary wears S&N | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Post an concern from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited successful 2019, it was wide to the decorator duo that they were acceptable to scope retired to a wider market, done a prestige-pret label. S&N was past born. Their retail-driven attack has meant opening 19 stores crossed the country, with the latest being the ones present successful Chennai, arsenic good arsenic successful Pune and astatine Chhattarpur, Delhi.
At Chennai, arsenic successful each different city, Nikhil says the marque is keen not to localise the retail experience. Instead, it is banking connected consistency and a loyal, repetition lawsuit base, going by the mode its designs person resonated crossed cities implicit the years. “More than however the store looks, it is astir the merchandise and the layout wrong which we function. We ever see the question of our clients, overmuch similar h2o uncovering its way, guiding them to the close shirt, jacket, oregon kurta,” helium says.
The fifties are back
When asked who wears S&N best, Nikhil believes that determination are definite property types that resonate with the brand, and its vision. “I emotion however Farhan Akhtar wears us, determination is simply a benignant of understated authorization helium brings to a look. Hrithik Roshan is different favourite, and Ishaan Khatter brings a benignant of swagger which is not pretentious. Ranveer Singh arsenic well, wore our 3 pouch overgarment with a kurta which looked amazing,” helium says.
The statement much recently, had a memorable large surface infinitesimal with Akshaye Khanna wearing a bandhgala from S&N in Dhurandhar; successful the viral country wherever helium steps retired of a car and breaks into a creation to rapper Flipperachi’s FA9LA. “The bandhgala truly seemed to acceptable his charm and I was truly blessed to spot that the marque feels divers capable to beryllium worn not conscionable by personalities, but by characters,” helium adds.
With men present experimenting with oversized shirts, precocious waist pants, treble pleats and wide-legged trousers, Nikhil points retired that the fifties manner favourites are making a beardown comeback. “Men are focussing connected apparel which are not assemblage hugging but property hugging,” helium laughs. “There is simply a large displacement from assemblage to property and it feels similar a large clip for us.”
Diwali whitethorn beryllium months away, but preparations are already underway astatine S&N. Nikhil says helium and Shantanu are presently processing the brand’s festive collection, drafting inspiration from the vibrant palette of Kutch.
“We are bringing distant each the bright, beauteous colours of Kutch. We consciousness this Diwali is going to bring a batch of happiness, and that’s wherefore we are moving with colours that volition impact the satellite positively,” helium says.
S&N by Shantnu Nikhil is astatine the crushed level of Express Avenue Mall, Royapettah. Prices from ₹6,000 onwards.
