The peppy notes of Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana filled up the hall housing a global audience, and models in uber glamourous red-carpet gowns sashayed down the runway! The Shantnu & Nikhil showcase at the recently concluded Moscow Fashion Week brought a dose of Indian glamour to the Russian ramp, with an all-womenswear red-carpet line, the latest drop from the luxury label.

Moscow Fashion Week — a melting pot of cultures and design talent from the world over — had one Indian showcase in this edition, like the last few editions. Designer duo Shantnu & Nikhil showed at the global fashion extravaganza on the penultimate evening — on September 1. The show at the Zaryadye Park in Moscow saw the duo unveil Armoure, a collection that draws inspiration from “the sensuality of the 1930s — an era where unapologetic women became icons of both romance and resistance”. The silhouettes in the line were sculptural, architectural as well as draped, layered with embellishments, cascading crystals, pearl-studded embroideries, and rich metallic brocades. Reds, blacks, silvers, and pearls made up the colour palette.

I was attending Moscow Fashion Week on invitation from the Russian Cultural Foundation of Fashion and Design Development, Fashion Foundation, and a day before the show, on Sunday morning, I dropped by to meet Shantnu and Nikhil at the Ritz Carlton hotel for a chat on the show and their global roadmap ahead. While the duo took me through their global expansion plans, they also spoke about the sustainability initiatives of the brand and how AI is helping the design landscape, among other things. Excerpts.

Designers Shantnu & Nikhil Mehra at Moscow Fashion Week

How did the opportunity to showcase at the Moscow Fashion Week come about?

Nikhil Mehra: Actually, this happened when my team and I were here three months ago. We do sort of a yearly trip because, you know, we love architecture... so we came here to get inspired by the beautiful buildings here and in St. Petersburg, and we had the opportunity of meeting the cultural ministry here. The Indian and Russia ties are very, very intimate and they offered us help to even do a shoot here. We did a shoot in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. And while that happened, the cultural ministry also had mentioned that there is a Moscow Fashion Week that’s going to happen. So in our talks, that was the initiation. We’d been in touch with the Russian embassy since then.

Shantnu Mehra: And also a lot of the inspiration that Nikhil and his team and all of us took was to create the next few seasons collections basis what we saw. So it was a natural fit of using the Russian design ingredients in our own philosophy all the time.

So what about Moscow and St. Petersburg inspired your designs?

Nikhil: I think there are a lot of common links between what we do and what we see here. For example, the strong military heritage that Russia has, and in our core foundation of our brand, that military valour is there... all those house codes are very much present. So we felt that it was elevated here because there was a lot of gold and silver moulding that was done on crests. The double-faced eagle is the base of their crest and a single-faced eagle is our base. So it was an interesting extension of what we’ve done. And, of course, the way they look at ornamentation has got a strong sense of, I think, valour. They’re a very proud nation, and they come from a lot of heritage and lineage.

There’s a certain brutalness about the buildings here. So it kind of lends very well to our asymmetrical silhouettes. We take a lot of architectural influences and convert into shapes, which has been happening for us for some time now. And this is a natural extension. If you look around, you do not see a lot of curves here; everything is straight line, and that inspires us to kind of build our silhouettes. Also, the ornamentation, their gold and their moulding... everything is embossed or debossed, and that again comes very naturally for us to use.

Can you talk about the Moscow Fashion Week collection?

Nikhil: This is our new take on womenswear. We’ve always loved doing red carpet and gowns and dresses. And we’ve taken that pure element of drape and structure and we’re giving it a glamourised version. This is the first time that we are actually doing a complete womenswear line. So far, we’ve been known to do a lot of menswear. We felt that Russia will be a befitting country to showcase it at because there is a global audience here. And this product requires global attention. So we’re going to showcase it here and then bring it to India. And we’ll continue doing it because we’re committed to a global audience. We’re excited because we feel if you’re able to touch upon a global woman here, I think then the acceptance and the opportunities will be wider, for this woman to be anywhere in the world. So that’s why we’ve chosen Russia as the plinth of where we want to showcase it first. And then harmonise it across the world.

You participated in The Big Egg Hunt in London earlier this year and now the Moscow Fashion Week. So are you looking to expand your global presence?

Nikhil: You know, we were speaking about this at the BRICS+ (Fashion) Summit yesterday. I think expansion for a brand becomes easy when the house codes and the storytelling become global. Our journey has started, like you said, from London, now in Russia. There is definitely an indication here that people are catching on to. But this endeavour of just travelling and making the brand’s presence feel high is not only marketing. We’re also looking at good partnerships. And I think alongside, we are having conversations with stakeholders in these countries where we are seeing a latent opportunity which I think is for grabs. For a very long time you’ve seen big brands control that, but I think the world is also looking for newer opportunities, a little different take. Also kind of storytelling that people enjoy. I think the house codes are very much in place. The plinth is really strong and now it’s really about finding right partners to work with.

So which are the countries that you have your eyes on?

Nikhil: I think that if you geographically look at the way the world is moving now, it’s shifting towards this side of the world. It’s very evident that apart from the Indian diaspora, which definitely is growing at a very exponential speed, Russia has lately also become that one place, if you look at just the vibe here, it doesn’t seem like they are at war at all. It does seem like people are enjoying living and they’re happy and there is a sense of togetherness that really means a lot for us as a brand, because only in secure economies do you feel an opportunity of growth. And you feel that there is a sense of security. We also feel that the UAE has great opportunity because it’s now become the new New York. It’s a melting pot of people from all over the world and they’re all epicureans, because those are the areas where everything is heightened, from a culinary experience to going out to travel, to holidays. It’s top notch. And I think those secure countries get better traction for our product. And then there is a large diaspora of Indians in England. But I feel that Russia and UAE are good markets for us to first start tapping into.

Also, we have three brands that are sitting alongside. We’ve got Shantnu & Nikhil, which has both men’s and women’s wear. And then there is the couture segment. Then we have S&N, which is the ready-to-wear India-inspired contemporary clothing, mainly for men and some for women as well. And as you know, the men’s market is growing exponentially across the world, and there are not enough brands catering to men’s needs. We’ve been working towards it since the past six years, since S&N was born, and now we feel the systems are in place through our partnership with the Aditya Birla group, that we can start to strategically take it out and move it to different countries. And then we have SNCC, which is Shantanu Nikhil Cricket Club, which is still being born. And this will be our offering for a lifestyle ready-to-wear large market opportunity, which will, again, see its light of the day through key partnerships and franchising opportunities. So global expansion for us will also be in layers.

Many Indian designers aspire to show in Paris or New York. Do you have any such aspirations?

See, to be honest with you, firstly, the size of that market and the age group which it caters to is growing older. The younger lot, under 35, may not, as of today in Europe, have the capacity to be spending in luxury. As you’ve seen, luxury is on on a huge decline, big players are also showing losses in their brand offering.

Whether we show in New York or Paris, showcasing at fashion Week is one part of the endeavour, but not necessarily the only one. I feel that before that happens, it’s important to put your product into the market through personalised events. Whether it is pop-ups for a month or you do a private showing to the tastemakers of those cities. We want to do it the way we’ve done it in India. You know, we’ve had events and met people, and then we opened stores. These are expensive investments, and they require a certain amount of confidence, also a certain amount of belief that the business will happen. At the end of the day, businesses, if they’re not profitable, they don’t exist. We are not here for a valuation game. We are here to stay in and stay for a long time.

Our primary markets will continue to be India. That’s where there is growth, especially with the Gen Z. There is a very clear path to innovate, to disrupt.

So when you design a collection today, be for any of your labels, do you have the Gen Z in mind?

Nikhil: When we look at Gen Z, they are called the Zoomers, right? Zoomers are, if you also look at the history, they come in and out, they buy in from many brands. So many brands will come, they’ll make a lot of money, and after some time they may not exist, because Zoomers get bored of them. We are a classic brand, with a contemporary twist to it. So I think that we find our relevance in the large pie of the Zoomers, there will be many Zoomers who will buy us. But if you just go targetting Zoomers, you’re probably going to find yourself in a bit of a sticky position, because they are so fast evolving, you won’t be able to catch up to them.

So therefore, we always look inwards into the brand, say, how are we relevant. And I’ll tell you the way we are relevant is that firstly, our team is all under 30-35. So we are primarily working with a very, very young and hip team. We are also very young at heart ourselves. Plus, we have kids who are between 18 to 22, so we are already in the Zoomers space.

Do Zoomers in India have the spending power to invest in luxury brands?

Nikhil: It’s hard to say and we’ll have to find out what is the size that they capture today, but at least in this generation, unlike our generation, these kids are far more focussed on spending their money. They’re also making that kind of money. They’re making money already because of the opportunities they have. It’ll open out to be a big market sometime. For sure. And therefore, again, if we are sitting at a good price position, a good storytelling, and if there is intent in the product we make, I think we’re in a good position.

A lot of our kids’ friends buy from us. We also offer discount for school students, because they love the product, we feel that it’s only fair to give them an opportunity to buy.

Since you are representing India at a platform like Moscow Fashion Week and there are many countries from Asia here, I wanted to ask you what you think about Asia’s rising prominence in world fashion...

Nikhil: In terms of prominence, definitely talent is being looked at very seriously from across all India, and you’ve got designers from Korea, from other parts of Asia. We just have to be consistent I think, and not use it as a platform to just market a brand, but what else comes out of it. It’s just the beginning, where we are moving away from a typical thought of Paris and Milan, to Asia.

If you look at it historically, it’s not that Asia is coming of age. I think it’s coming to its own. Which means that you have many, many local designers that are sitting inside of their territories and doing robust designs, they have a consumption pattern where there’s a strong domestic demand. I think Asia has always been more inside than being outside. Now with whatever is happening geopolitically, I feel that the Asian countries are now looking at an opportunity to be seen outside. Otherwise, Asian countries have always had a very strong domestic demand. They’ve not relied on tourists to come in and become part of their consumption, like how Europe or America has been.

So what are the factors do you think one should look at to be successful on the global stage?

Nikhil: I think it’s a bouquet of many aspects. Firstly, strategically, what is your plan saying, how wide do you want to go? Secondly, I think, what kind of systems does a business have and partnerships? And the key thing is partnerships. If you see, a lot of the brands come with franchisee plans, they come with strategic partnerships, JVs (joint ventures). That’s how you build a brand ecosystem. That’s what I’ve learned from Shantnu, that you can’t come in with your own brick-and-mortar plan, without strategic partnerships. And I think for that, the brand has to live long enough for someone to recognise it. They have to understand that you come from a strong background, like Aditya Birla did, for example, for us. Therefore, your supply chain also becomes very secure.

Today, we work with various suppliers from across the world. They come on board because we’re also part of ABFRL. And naturally, they also push us to kind of increase size because they’re developing new fabrics for us, which are specifically for our brand and you will not find them anywhere else. And I think that commitment when they have to you, based on your design philosophy, it’s natural for you to take it out to more people.

Tell me about the sustainability initiatives of your brand, because it plays a very crucial role in how a brand is perceived today.

Shantanu: So, you know, as couturiers, we are sustainable from the very outset, because we don’t drop collections (frequently), right? It is one collection a season. And everything that we do as couturiers is made to measure. So it’s not fast fashion at all. So we are sustainable in that sense. And I think that is the biggest form of sustainability from an Indian designer, where there is a very private confidential approach to how you do business.

Of course, there are some ingredients that we have already started to play with... what kind of materials we use, what kind of design techniques we have. Our stationary, our packaging, the lesser use of plastic. The Aditya Birla group is perhaps the most sustainable conglomerate. They have very, very important sustainability measures, as protocol, and all subsidiaries, which also includes us, have to follow a certain mandate. We have a sustainability, key stakeholder committee, where once a month sustainability actions are looked into. So I think we are on the way to being a part of that very strong ABG sustainability value chain.

Even with our ready-to-wear brand, we are not at all fast fashion. We have two drops in a season, at best five drops in a year. Hence, we are sustainable again on that front when it comes to usage of materials and wastage. So I think we are in a very we’re in a very good footing when it comes to sustainability.

Nikhil: Sustainability is not a fad or trend. It is something that is going to have to be there, because responsible design is going to be equally important as design itself. And I think that India’s always been on this path of sustainability. Like, it’s been in our society, we don’t waste. I think we are very conscious as a country.

How are you using technology, and specifically AI, in your brand?

Nikhil: AI is a very important aspect today. For us to run our 20 stores, the replenishment plan is through AI. So now we are not dependent on how we feel we should produce X, Y, Z. There’s no emotion attached to it. It’s all pure data from AI. It’s also coming from 99 per cent proof that the consumer has bought this, is most likely they are going to buy this again. And a version of that is important to be replenished. And that data is gold.

AI has also come into our design, into our design team. All our young talent have been given platforms to use. In fact, from architectural drawings to even preplanning collections, a lot of it is being based on AI. And we’re having a field day. We’re really having a field day because the prompting has become so specific, our communication skills, it becomes so much better now. If you’re able to prompt a design means you know what you want, and that itself is a big accomplishment for designers, because most of the time you’re in exploration mode. We don’t know what we want till we have it, and that could take from one day to a month to achieve. By the time we’ve not just lost the time, but also delayed the production cycle. AI really helps you.

So the human instinct also takes over. So what generates out of an AI through a prompt that you give, if you’re not happy with it, you throw in another prompt, till the time you feel that I think now I’m getting where I want to be. So it’s a beautiful marriage of human instinct. So when people say that AI will take people’s jobs, no, because humans have to prompt, humans have to sort of feed for the generation to happen. So I feel it’s a great interface.

So what next is coming up after this?

Nikhil: I think that we’re really focussing strongly on category positions within the brands. I think that we’ll be showcasing now at Lakme India Fashion Week in October. We’ll be showcasing our luxury line. The one that we’re showing here, but it’ll be different. It’ll be a different range because, again, it is for a different market, but the same kind of consumer. And then SNCC is going to have its show.