In this day and age of dynamic environment and fast-paced market, nothing is permanent. Everyday a new brand is born and another ceases to exist. Creating a legacy for a brand is more challenging than it was before. The most basic survival instinct would be diversifying into a different sector to establish an overall presence. If not a need to survive, brands diversify to broaden their reach or create a cohesive ethos for the brand.
The Indian market has been witness to some unparalleled talents, and out and out brilliant collections and designs. But keeping a tab on the ever-changing character of the market, some designers decided to branch out. We mention some of the best designers India has and their expansion ventures.
Manish Malhotra and My Glamm
Manish Malhotra has been quite a big name in the fashion and Bollywood industry. He’s been in the business for a good stretch of two decades. Throughout his career, he has had done many collaborations with Chandon, Hindware and Forevermark to name a few. But the best among the lot is his diversification project into makeup and cosmetics.
The 52-year-old designer launched his cosmetic venture, partnering with Indian cosmetic company MyGlamm in November, last year. The collection line stands true to his name, his reputation and legacy. The collection with MyGlamm is not only a creative outbreak, but also an encouragement to Indian brands to deliver on international standards.
Just like his designs, the make-up collection has sophisticated packaging with classic black and rose gold components! The Bollywood glitz has been passed on to his makeup assortment too. The collection consists of a plethora of options, from eyeshadow palettes to nail varnishes, and a varied shade range to choose from. There are more products being added to the line regularly. The best part? There are a host of products with a neutral undertone, thus, suiting everyone.
Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla x JanaviÂ
India is synonymous to festivals and celebrations, bright colours and vibrant designs. Generation long legacies of handicrafts have kept up the spirit and significance of the rich culture we have. Spearheading this rich, luxurious heritage is the designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. Ever since their eponymous label launched in 1986, there hasn’t been any turning back. The duo has been celebrated for elaborate silhouettes and intricate designs. The designers, in their three-decade career, have had many laurels to their names. But more than that, the designers are invested in reinventing the long forgotten or very seldom used traditional techniques, pulling them back to their former glory.
One such collaboration of the Couture house is with Janavi, an Indian luxury brand that celebrates the heritage of Kashmir with some of the most anfractuous pashmina shawls. The collaboration was born out of the sheer need to commemorate the festive mood and rich culture we possess. The Capsule collection consists of embellished cashmere and pashmina shawls. Inspired from the Mughal era and the Art Deco period, iconic motifs like exotic birds and elephants are extensively used. Gold and silver silk thread embroidery is seen on various beautiful pastel backgrounds. Techniques like Zardosi have been given a twist by using crystals with it. We also see sequins and oversized or bugle beads. These two brands fit together as neatly as the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
Shantanu & Nikhil for Journey of Couture to CuisineÂ
Shantanu Mehra and Nikhil Mehra are a power-packed brother duo. One heads design while the other heads business. Their partnership is the ideal scenario of a successful business and their label Shantanu & Nikhil vouches for the same. Established in 2000, the duo has been creating designs and collaborations that are world apart. Among the various unique and creative assosciations, there is one which stands out of the lot. Amalgamating the two worlds of Fine Dining and Haute Couture isn’t often seen. Daring to do exactly that, Shantanu & Nikhil partnered with four very accomplished chefs to create a dish around their designs.
Chef Manish Mehrotra (owner-chef of Indian Accent) looked at the Neo Drape lehenga as his muse and created a dish using beetroot and other pink hues, and a golden leaf to match the pink and gold combination of the dress. Chef Bani (owner of Miam Patisserie), inspired by a mauve cocktail bride dress, created a multi-tier cake keeping the theme for a contemporary bride. Chef Dhruv Oberoi’s (head chef at Olive Bar and Kitchen) inspiration was an Indi-chic ensemble’s silhouette, brooch and the leather, creating a picturesque dish of a mulberry and almond popsicle.
Chef Lokesh (Executive Chef at CAARA) went with an Indi-chic anarkali. Sourcing a special type of marble from Rajasthan to be used as the plate as well as his canvas , Chef Lokesh created a tempting dishes using beetroots and incorporated the frills of the dress with yogurt sponge and carrot foam.
JJ Valaya Homes
Home décor is the second-best diversification stream that every other designer thinks of. Reason? The vast scope of creativity and business. According to a TechSci Research report, ‘India Home Furnishing Market By Product Type, By Region and Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2010 – 2020’, the home furnishing market in India is estimated to cross INR 40,000 crore by 2020. A significant rise is seen in the demand for contemporary designs, branded and custom designed furniture along with an increase in availability of innovative and affordable home furnishing products in the country. The best home décor diversification we believe is by JJ Valaya, the celebrated Indian fashion designer and an important Indian luxury brand.
Expanding his repertoire from fashion to home, the couturier launched Valaya Home where in he started designing homes, hotels and other such spaces. Valaya Homes became synonymous with uber luxury and unparalleled sophistication. He treats a home décor project like a collection. Cohesive, relatable, and relevant, experimenting with the client’s brief and creating something new and innovative. He even has a core team helping the client with specifications and suggestions. Calling travel his biggest inspiration, the designer also launched ‘The Home of the Traveller’, his first flagship home décor gifting store on MG Road in Delhi in 2014. The 6,000 sq ft store has items specifically curated by JJ Valaya and TJ Valaya (the designer’s older brother) of home décor furnishings and lifestyle accessories along with rare and collectible items.
Sabyasachi Fine Jewellery
Sabyasachi Mukherjee is one of the few Indian fashion designers to gain immense international recognition. While he was recently invited by Business of Fashion to talk about the dynamics of fashion and the wedding business, he remains firmly stuck to his roots and values. The fashion designer has had a great year with all the A-list celebrities donning his wedding ensembles for their most important day. The list of the brides he has dressed include Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone, Isha Ambani and Shloka Mehta to name a few.
Sabyasachi has had a long list of triumphant collaborations and associations in various sectors of the industry. His two-time collaboration with Christian Louboutin is public knowledge now. He has also collaborated with Asian Paints, Taj Suites, Bombay Dyeing, Pottery Barn to name a few. With the wedding business in India amounting to an approximate of $50 million, it was a rather obvious diversification venture.
Sabyasachi Jewellery has been an out spurt for his creativity with all things blingy and shiny, offering a plethora of options for heritage jewellery, fine jewellery and men’s jewellery. The designer has successfully tapped into various eras and cultures to create his designs. The heritage jewellery emulates the tastes of traditional royalty. The fine jewellery is a line of contemporary designs for the modern woman, with collections that are more trendy yet classic. Although his jewellery line hasn’t yet gained the level of attention his other collaborations enjoy, the jewellery brand displays exuberant designs, meticulous precision and craftsmanship with precious and semi-precious gemstones, metals and pearls – characteristic of the vibe Sabyasachi gives with his fashion too.