Fashion Designers : Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla

Place of Birth: Mumbai (Abu Jani), Kapurthala (Sandeep Khosla)

Contemporary styles and the revival of bygone works of art molded neatly into modern fashion brocade! This is what Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are all about. The duo has made it to the fashion circuit with their sheer talent and inventive potentials of a designer. "The boys", as the duo are famously known, have made ethnic apparels with a fresh flavor of trends that comes on year after year. To bring in a resurgence of traditional works of art, the duo has traveled to the remotest area, grasped the art and beautifully executed it in their finest of collections. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are among the few people who have made it big globally. The duo was the first to bring out its collection at Harrods. 

Sandeep Khosla is a son of Kapurthala, an erstwhile Principality of Punjab. He attended The Doon School, one of India's most prestigious public schools, where he excelled at the extra curricular, including theatre, tie and dye, batik, drawing, painting and carpentry.

An initial foray into the family leather business where he specialized in carving on leather and dying techniques, to experimenting with fabrics bought from his stipend, which incorporated a mixture of tie and dye, harem pants and satins, is how the Fashion bug first bit Sandeep. A brief stint with an exporter afforded him hands on experience at working with a variety of fabrics and learning the A,B,C's of garment manufacturing. He left Kapurthala to live in Delhi for a year, where he launched his own label "Limelight, which retailed at a popular boutique called ‘Appearances’. A decision to move to Mumbai found him, by sheer coincidence, working with Xerxes Bhatena, the same designer who had given Abu his first break. August, 1986 brought a chance meeting with Abu at a mutual friend's home. And the rest as they say is History.

Sandeep is a born extrovert and possesses an entrepreneurial flair. He gravitates towards risk-taking, something which has helped propel the ambition shared by the duo. He is an Art aficionado and is an inveterate Traveller and CInema buff.

field of Fashion design.

Initially, Abu worked with designer Xerxes Bhatena, a successful film costume designer. He worked with him for five years before branching out on his own. Abu designed all the costumes for the acclaimed musicals Grease Lightning and Alyque Padamsee’s, Evita. The garment export trade came next where he was exposed to embroideries for the first time. It was here that the seeds of a lifelong passion for the finest stitch were sown. The mid 1980s saw Abu freelancing as a ghost designer for several prominent ladies who specialised in exhibitions of pret a porter fashion. His reputation was growing and one of his clients, Gopi Magnani offered to fund a boutique for him. The Summer of 1986 witnessed a chance meeting between Abu and Sandeep. It took only hours for them to strike a creative and personal rapport that they have referred to as "magnetic". A pull that made them decide instantly to combine forces. Their first collaboration a signature collection, which they named, ‘Mata Hari’. And with it the birth of India's leading Couture House. 

Abu Jani is a man of reticence and zen-like self-containment. He credits Sandeep Khosla for being the one who dared to 'Go for the bigger dream " since he is cautious by nature. A style icon himself, Abu is passionate about Fine Living, Food, Horlogerie and Antique Jewellery.

Career and Success
Fearless in taking risks, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla started with a humble beginning and launched their creative line 'Mata Hari'. Soon, the magic of traditional and modern art captivated the interest of all and they launched themselves into the international forum. Their launch into the global forum was with a range of shawls, under the brand name of 'Shakira Caine' mark at Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus and Harrods in London, along with Bergdof Goodman in New York and Knightsbridge in UK. The twosome is also the most sought after in charitable functions such as 'Art of Giving' Charity and the British Council's 'Enduring Image Exhibition'

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's designer label "Jashan", launched in 1989, was previewed at the 'Save the Children' Charity fundraising ball in London. In December 2003, they won the national award for designing some of the fabulous attires for the movie Devdas, which they had designed for Madhuri Dixit, Shahrukh Khan and Jackie Shroff. In India, they are surrounded by the Indian Bollywood stars. In a span of nine years, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have established their first London store, while their British profits have doubled. In 2007, they appeared in Business Week's list of the 50 most powerful Indians. 

Brand and Clientele
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's have created a rage for their designs both nationally and internationally, equipping the authentic and ethnic materials in a contemporary and modern style. Their clientele list includes the who's who of the film fraternity, of both Bollywood and Hollywood. Besides British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife, the designer duo also has dressed celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Darcey Bussell, and Sophie Marceau, as its international clients. 

Apart from creating apparels, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have also ventured into the platform of interior designing, making a mark in this aspect as well. They have designed homes of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Nikhil and Shewta Nanda. The duo has its retail flagship stores at Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. The beautiful and stunning designs of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla bring in a feel of traditionalism, within the realms of modernity. 

Filmography
Some of the movies Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are associated with are:

• Umrao Jaan
• Devdas
• Lajja
• Khoon Bhari Maang
• Pyaar ka Saaya
• Izzatdar