India Fantastique

Fashion (Volume I); Interiors (Volume II)

Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla

Publication date: 3rd September Price: 95.00

Abu and I thought long and hard about how we wanted to celebrate our milestone, and also about how we would use this celebration to set the vision for our creativity and ourselves in the next twenty-five years. It soon became clear that a book, or rather two as it turned out to be, was the ideal vehicle. Sandeep Khosla India Fantastique is a beautiful insight into the world of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, Indias most celebrated couturiers, showcasing their creativity in all its myriad forms, from fashion to furniture, and celebrates their twenty-fifth anniversary year. Together, they have built a 25-year partnership that has included designing for leading actors and actresses, working with directors on costumes for epic Bollywood films, and building a brand that exudes luxury, artistry and Indian tradition. Their world unites Indias ancient cultural heritage with original contemporary design. Known both for their fashion creations for men and women and for interior design, their reputation extends far beyond India: many international celebrities wear Jani-Khosla creations, among them Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Sophie Marceau and Sarah Brown. The first volume of India Fantastique displays dozens of the duos impossibly elegant designs created over the past 25 years, including closeups of exquisitely crafted details. The second volume focuses on their extensive work in interior design. Their hallmark maximalism runs riot in privately commissioned interiors, which incorporate art, artifacts, antiques and vintage textiles. Paramount in both books is Abu Jani Sandeep Khoslas rediscovery and revivification of once moribund traditional crafts including chikan (whitework) and zardozi (gold thread embroidery), and the glorious ways in which they make use of local artisans and reinvent their heritage by redeploying Indian antiques, artefacts and vintage textiles. Stylishly packaged in a slipcase, this two volume publication is an unparalleled showcase of the designer duos exuberant fashion and interiors. With over 600 pages bursting with specially commissioned and styled photography, this is a sumptuous feast for anyone who is passionate about design. It is certain to become a collectible.
All information is provisional and subject to change

Extent Fashion: 368pp Interiors: 248pp Size 32.0 x 25.0cm Illustrations Fashion: 402 illustrations, 300 in colour Interiors: 167 illustrations, 162 in colour Binding Slipcased hardbacks Price 95.00 ISBN 978 0 500 970362

Press Office Contact Collette Hutchinson Thames & Hudson Ltd 181A High Holborn London WC1V 7QX T +44 (0)20 7845 5022 F +44 (0)20 7845 5050 E c.hutchinson@thameshudson.co.uk W www.thamesandhudson.com

EXHIBITION An exhibition of the designers work will be held at Sothebys, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1, from 3rd to 5th September, to coincide with the launch of India Fantastique. Designed to literally bring the volumes to life, the exhibition will be a 3-D showcase of their 25-year careers, featuring masterworks of couture, craft, textiles and art, juxtaposed with sumptuous photographic highlights from the books. ABU JANI & SANDEEP KHOSLA - THE MEN BEHIND THE BOOK AND EXHIBITION Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have dressed Hollywood stars of the calibre of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Freida Pinto and Sophie Marceau. They are stocked internationally in Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London, and Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in New York. Their position in India as the Couturiers of Choice for the countrys A-List is acknowledged without reserve. The two met by chance in 1986. Abu was born in Mumbai and started out as a costume designer in the film industry. Sandeep was born in Kapurthala, Punjab and started out in the family leather business. The decision to work together was taken instantly and their first collection, Mata Hari, arrived just four months later. Their mission...to create the finest. A seemingly impossible dream. Neither possessed any formal qualifications, neither had money to invest. What they did have in abundance was raw talent and an unswerving belief in their own creativity. And in India. We are unabashedly Indian in our aesthetics. And passionately in love with the rich cultural, historic and design legacy of our Land. Design is our way of paying homage to that beauty. By taking it into the 21st century. Abu Jani Classical Elegance is their signature style. The finest fabrics, impossibly fine hand-embroidery, delicate embellishments and flawless finishing are their hallmarks. They are known as the Masters of Revival and Reinvention, taking ancient techniques and craftsmanship and elevating it to standards never seen before. Chikankari, Zardozi, Tharad, Mirrorwork are just some of the old that they have now made new. They are also the countrys most sought after when it comes to interior design. Their projects, a dazzling tableau of magnificent maximalism. Its never about the furniture alone. We want to create a home. So every single thing counts. The Art, the carpets, the silver, even the ashtrays. Sandeep Khosla Twenty-five years in design has seen them achieve many a dream. And as they bask in this moment, there is no greater tribute they can pay to their journey than dreaming anew. Always bigger, always better...