For designer siblings Shantnu and Nikhil copied versions of their creations do not matter as they boast of loyal clients

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From signature drape-kurtas and saree gowns to jackets and statement accessories, every ensemble weaves of theirs is a story of heritage and sartorial style. If you haven’t guessed it yet, we are talking about celebrity designers Shantnu and Nikhil, who were in tricity to launch their store.

On what motivated them to bring their bridge-to-luxury store in Chandigarh, the siblings say, “We have always got a lot of orders from customers in Chandigarh and Punjab, mainly Jalandhar and Amritsar. They often complained that they had to travel to Delhi to do their custom-made bridal shopping.”

Calling Chandigarh an ‘aspirational’ city, Shantnu said often designers underestimated the potential that tier II cities had. “But City Beautiful has been on the radar of many ace designers and you would see more big names coming here in the near future.”

Sustainable fashion

About sustainable fashion, they opine that ‘it means different things to different people’. Elaborating, Shantnu says, “We don’t propagate fast fashion. Whatever is left either gets cleared in end of season sale or burnt down to nothing.”

In the design and fashion industry for more than 23 years, they are no longer bothered about their copied versions sold at many places. Shantnu shares, “To get into legal soup with impersonators of a design is a tedious process. Whoever has bought our design’s copy at least knows our name. And, rest assured, by far we have had loyal clients. It’s the customers and clients who make a brand, so we are always thankful for the buyers of original as well as the copied versions!”