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Shantnu & Nikhil tell News18 how Velora – their first all-womenswear couture showcase in India – shaped their creative vision, explored duality, and charted their future.
Shantnu & Nikhil’s Velora, their debut all-womenswear couture in India, redefined red carpet glamour for modern Indian women.
For designers Shantnu & Nikhil, Velora marked more than a new collection. It signified a new moment for the Maison. Their first-ever all-women’s wear couture showcase in India at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI pushed the brand into fresh, sculptural territory. Known for rewriting the codes of Indian menswear, the duo turned their gaze toward women with an aesthetic that was both commanding and sensual – red carpet glamour reframed for the modern Indian woman.
This shift didn’t feel like a reinvention, but rather an evolution of their design DNA. The collection’s architectural silhouettes, bold corsetry, and fluid drapes reflected an intuitive understanding of duality – strength and softness, rebellion and grace, structure and fluidity, that has long defined their aesthetic vocabulary.
“India’s red carpet environment is changing. Women today are celebrating themselves far more than we’ve seen in the past. When you celebrate yourself so much, you need categories to celebrate with, and red carpet dressing has been a missing part of the Indian retail layer. Velora felt like a natural progression for us,” Nikhil Mehra tells News18, reflecting on Velora’s genesis.
His design partner, Shantnu Mehra, adds, “Duality is in our DNA. It’s the amalgamation of softness meeting power, heritage used as rebellion without losing what it stands for. We’ve always been the anti-trend voice, focused on shape, silhouette, and minimalism.”
Their woman, as they describe her, isn’t defined by trend or appearance but by energy. “It’s not about how she looks. It’s about who she is. She’s confident; she doesn’t need validation. She walks into a room and fills it up,” says Nikhil.
This evolving vision of femininity naturally extended into their latest partnership with L’Oréal Professionnel, resulting in a limited-edition Absolut Repair Molecular gift box – a co-created collectable that merges science and couture. “Once we understood L’Oréal’s DNA, it felt like a seamless connection. The woman at the heart of this collaboration is empowered; she invests in herself. The design, the colour palette -they’re global, inclusive, and reflective of strength and fluidity,” says Nikhil. As Shantnu adds, “It’s not just about what the design says. It’s about what it feels like when you open it.”
With Velora establishing a new red carpet identity, Shantnu & Nikhil are crafting a multidimensional brand language – one that transcends categories but remains rooted in purpose. Their next chapter isn’t just about fashion; it’s about designing for a generation of women who see elegance and empowerment as one and the same.
Delhi, India, India
October 21, 2025, 16:54 IST
