We always believe in reinventing and negating gender binaries: Nikhil Mehra

Ace designer Nikhil Mehra believes their label 'Shantanu & Nikhil' resonates well with the contemporary generation because they never surrendered to the traditional and constructed design notions. Nikhil said they launched their brand with an aim to negate "gender binaries" and the idea worked well for them.

"We have always followed an anti-trend path and our couture creations stray away from traditional and constructed design notions. We always believe in reinventing and negating gender binaries and it only furthers our eclectic design connotations," Nikhil told PTI. The designer duo, who will be showcasing their couture collection Recruit SS'19 at the grand finale of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019 Sunday, said the new range is a step ahead in the direction of providing timeless designs to the future generations.

"Recruit SS'19 couture collection reflects on what the young Indians experience and it is a starting point of what will be carried forward to the empowered future generations. "We are constantly innovating from our nostalgic past to recreate that with futuristic design representations. This collection has been inspiring for us, even though it arises from our 'India Story', it represents futuristic design connotations," he said.

The Lakme Absolute 'Ultimate' Finale will be held at the prestigious Sophia College here, with Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan walking the ramp as the showstopper. Nikhil said the collection is the beginning of an eclectic storytelling for them which will define the future course of their label. "'Shantanu & Nikhil' is known for its edgy tonal collection. However, in this collection, we used red as the primary colour to communicate Lakme's Matte Reinvent theme. "Recruit, our SS'19 collection, focuses on the emotions that has led to the empowerment of the modern Indian woman which is well aligned with Lakme's Matte Reinvent aspect," he added.

Going forward, the designers would like to create designs which focuses on rich heritage of India. "We are looking to further our anti-trend India Story through various tangents and create avant garde creations that speak profusely about the rich heritage of our country. Collaborating with brands from different genres is another aspect that will resonate our brand story well in the coming year," he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)