Celebrating 25 years of style at Sotheby’s

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Indian designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s designs, spanning their 25-year career, will be presented in an exhibition by Sotheby’s in London in September.

The duo, who met and started working together since 1986, has designed for actors in Bollywood and Hollywood and celebrities like Judi Dench, Sophie Moreau, Maggie Smith former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife Sarah Brown, Frieda Pinto and the Bachchan family.
Mumbai-born Jani, who initially worked as a costume designer in the film industry, met Kapurthala-born Khosla, who worked in his family leather business, in 1986 by chance and within four months they produced their first collection called, Mata Hari.
India Fantastique, which will run from September 3 till September 5, is a selling exhibition and will feature “masterworks of couture, craft, textiles and art, juxtaposed with sumptuous photographs,” Sotheby’s said.
In May, Sotheby’s had hosted a week-long exhibition of Indian inspired contemporary art and design, including saris and accessories by famous designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, called Inspired by India. Kolkata-based Sabyasachi’s work was one of the highlights of the exhibition, which had been curated by Janice Blackburn.
The exhibition in September will feature Jani’s and Khosla’s landmark fashion designs set against a backdrop of images from some of their most fabulous interiors, Sotheby’s said.
India Fantastique is being hosted by Sotheby’s to coincide with the launch of a two-volume publication showcasing the designer duo’s career.
The books, published by Thames & Hudson, will focus on their haute couture designs with closeups of crafted details and their extensive work in interior design.
Their interior design work, described as “magnificent maximalism,” combines art, artefacts, antiques and Indian textiles to create a mix of Indian tradition with contemporary luxury.
The books and the exhibition will also highlight the designer duo’s rediscovery and their role in revival of once dying traditional crafts like chikan, mirrorwork, tharad and zardozi (gold thread embroidery).”