“Life is constantly changing all around us and we cannot sit idle and let it pass us by,” says Rahul Khanna, one half of the Rohit Gandhi +Rahul Khanna label which is now twenty years strong in the fashion industry. “So far, it been a dream experience and it’s just getting better and better.” What’s more much like their brand, the bonds between the two designers have also grown deeper and stronger.
Though it has been two decades since the two started out and a totally different fashion world then as compared to the current scenario, Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi say their core ethos and values haven’t changed. “When we started out it was a more relaxed and less competitive space, fashion was not yet commercial and designers mostly got into this professional out of passion. All that has now changed and every aspect of fashion has become hugely professional. But we are glad we started out at the beginning of the fashion industry’s growth curve because it’s a great learning as well as fun experience.”
While most designers depended on couture for their growth, Rahul explains, “It is our contemporary prêt wear for both men and women that is our signature and it brought us our success. We are today well known for silhouettes and detailing, structured tailoring, and geometrical lines. Often our designs draw from our interest in modern contemporary art. Now that we are well established in this segment, we have expanded into couture this year.” Their inaugural couture line was showcased this February over an evening titled ‘An Evening of Reflections’ (AW18). The garments shown were intricately embellished ensembles for men and women that relied heavily on the opulent and distinctive design aesthetic of the brand. The show was an extravaganza of forty handcrafted ensembles.
Their impeccable and elegant detailing with sharp tailoring that has got Rohit and Rahul many celebrities known for their style quotient such as Alia Bhatt, Malaika Arora Khan, Zayn Malik, Sonakshi Sinha, and Shahid Kapoor as their fans. In fact the Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna bespoke men’s couture with its precise fit and contemporary styling continues to be hugely sought after from the day their label launched to date.
Recalling their initial days the duo say they started out as a small unit with both of them playing several roles ranging from an accountant to a CEO! They say that being totally honest with each other and staying focused on what is best for the brand is what helped them weather many a storm. Despite being different personalities, there is, between them, a sense of shared sensibilities and that has what has helped them bond even though they are each other biggest critic! “When it comes to the crux we both agree on whatever is best for our label and put aside personal choices.” says Rohit.
Talking about the challenges that they faced when they started off and the turning point for the brand, the designer duo recalls, “We started off as a small unit without a workforce or external support. But that has only made us stronger because we had first-hand knowledge of every aspect of the business and we learnt to balance the different requisites of our profession. When we realised that our designs are finding favour in international markets, it was big high for us and by year 2000 we were showcasing in Paris and New York where we got very good response. That was something we never expected. Over the years they have collected accolades like, ‘Best Prêt Collection’ for Men and Women apparel on numerous platforms on various occasions and have also been awarded the prestigious ‘GQ- Designers of the Year’ title.” The duo is the only Indian designer label with an extended reach of over 80 stores all over the globe and has two stand-alone stores within the country
Both Rohit and Rahul attribute their success to their strong belief in their aesthetics and their willingness to innovate and take risks to ensure that the brand reinvents itself constantly over the years. Emphasising that today fashion is completely globalised and the awareness is at a never before level thanks to social media which introduced luxury, couture and high-value products to everyone and raised the bar for style and finish and quality. They say the challenges for a designer to stay ahead of the curve is immense. Looking forward the two designers are as excited about the future as they were twenty years ago. They say, “There is so much scope for creativity these days and we are thinking of diversifying to areas other than fashion. We are already seriously in the art market. Though we started out as collectors, today we have a large presence in the art market as well with our gallery, Palette.”
Rahul concludes, “There is too much happening in our brain. We love creativity and get inspired by art. Art started as a hobby but today it’s become a parallel profession for us. Between art shows and fashion shows, our life is hectic but we would never have it any other way. We have had a couple of offers from Bollywood but it did not interest us because that is not our style. We are also planning on entering into the Interiors market and have tied up with an interiors company. Everything we do, our DNA remains the same. It all has to do with our design aesthetics and creativity that is our defining element”.
Also note…
Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna have participated in over 13 fashion weeks and continue to participate at the Tranoi Femme trade show in Paris from the last 3 Seasons. They have been awarded on numerous occasions and Fashion awards which include ‘Best Prêt Collection’ and ‘Best Menswear Collection’.
The designers have 4 stand-alone stores in Delhi and Bangalore and also sell from multi-designer stores and boutiques nationwide. Internationally the label is stocked at leading stores of namely Pupi Solari, Designers Best, Liliane Romi, Bettina, Elisa Rivera, Bongenie in Europe, Baby and co., Zvezda Designs, Anthropology in the US, in Japan Isetan, Sun Motoyama, Keefer, Art Work and Co.; Alberta in Brazil, That’s it and Callaghan Collezione in South Africa and Harvey Nichols and Alaas Boutique in the Middle East.
