Designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s story dates back to 1986, when a chance encounter led the duo to eventually launch their boutique Mata Hari in the plush Mumbai suburb of Juhu. Instant success followed, as they won the patronage of tastemakers like Dimple Kapadia, Jaya Bachchan, Neerja Shah, Amrita Singh and Parmeshwar Godrej. In the decades that have followed, the designers have gone on to shape the very narrative of Indian couture and design, while steadily championing craft techniques in their most authentic forms, particularly the traditional Mughal arts of chikan and zardozi. 
From stocking at Harrods in London, and Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in the US as early as 1989 to dressing international celebrities ranging from Judi Dench to Beyoncé, they have always put Indian heritage in the global spotlight. “India is our eternal muse. Our work is focused on building upon her legacy of craftsmanship and creativity. It has never been enough to merely revive or restore heritage techniques and embroideries. Our vision is centred on reimagining beauty, and reinventing crafts and techniques to a never-seen-before standard of finesse and excellence,” they tell us. 
Today, the Ambani family own some of the most exquisite designs the duo has created. “Nita Ambani possesses a deep love and appreciation for the most refined couture—she is a discerning champion of craftsmanship, original design and excellence. The Ambanis possess absolute masterpieces of our work,” they attest, and these include Isha and Shloka Ambani’s bridal lehengas as well as Radhika Merchant’s engagement ensembles.
Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s archival pieces showcased at ‘India in Fashion’ at NMACC reflect this very ethos, representing their pathbreaking work with different techniques alongside the constant experimentation and honing of their design expression. We present a deep dive into them. 

The cotton chikankari anarkali (1998)
The designers first launched classic chikan in 1994 after two years of rigorous R&D, and this is an early example of their mission to reinvent chikankari as high fashion. The cotton anarkali features an elaborate calendar of blocks, each using a different motif and chikankari stitches including bakhiya, phanda, murri, makra, kaura, jaali work, turpai and darazdari. It took 35 karigars over 5,000-man hours to create it. 

The architectural coat (1990)
As the name suggests, the coat has been inspired by India’s architectural legacy, one that has been a constant source of inspiration for the duo. Forty eight karigars worked on this pièce de résistance for 4,500 hours to deck it with three-dimensional resham embroidery, using 60 different threads, while also quilting the pure chamois satin fabric. “We see this as an example of how our wild imaginations have resulted in original and innovative design that have broken borders and defied convention,” say Khosla and Jani. The timeless piece has been paired with a waistcoat, chamois slip and fully embroidered pants. 

The Devdas mirror ghagra (2001)
Jani and Khosla created their first couture mirror ensemble in 1989. Twelve years later, came this gharara hand-embroidered with real mirrors and zardozi work, which was worn by Madhuri Dixit-Nene in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s onscreen saga Devdas. A movie for which the duo received the National Award for Costume Design as well. The flared 10-kilo, 10-panel ghagra took a team of 50 highly- skilled artisans two months to make, becoming the most talked-about piece from the repertoire created for the film. Ironically it didn’t eventually feature in the movie but was part of the ‘The Fabric of India’ exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, in 2015. “Embroideries from Gujarat have always fascinated us—we work on both thread and mirrorwork techniques from the state. We love reinventing traditional mirrorwork, which is quintessentially folksy, transforming it into fabulous couture,” they say. 

The chikankari farshi and dupatta with badla kurti (2005)
Created in 2005 as a master sample—by 75 karigars over 10,000-man hours—this set was one-of-its-kind. It used the most delicate chiffon and georgette embroidered with intricate chikankari on the farshi pajama. Worn with a badla kurti and draped with an oversized statement chikan dupatta, it continues to serve as the epitome of couture. Nita Ambani went on to acquire it for her personal collection, the designers reveal.
The zardozi catalogue anarkali (1993-2009)
The stuff of legends, this anarkali (a signature silhouette of the duo) is a relic, 16 years in the making. It was made with kalis created between 1993 and 2009, with each zardozi panel inimitably showcasing the the years of experimentation taken to perfect it. It is the designers’ tribute to the regal finesse of the craft, shot on Shweta Bachchan for their book India Fantastique Fashion. It took 50 karigars 11,000-man hours to create this work of art. 

‘India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination’

is curated by British author, journalist and costume expert Hamish Bowles, and designed by Patrick Kinmonth with Rooshad Shroff. The exhibit is on view at Pavilion 1, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai, up to June 4, 2023.