The designers reimagined Indian menswear through sharp military tailoring softened by drapes, embellished pinstripes, structured overcoat-sherwanis and jewelled accents.
Shantnu & Nikhil’s Metropolis collection, unveiled at India Couture Week 2025, was nothing short of a sartorial rebellion.
Set against the grandeur of Delhi’s Taj Palace, the collection drew in a star-studded crowd -- Rajkummar Rao, Arjun Rampal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Manushi Chhillar and more -- and a runway where tradition and futurism collided.
The designers reimagined Indian menswear through sharp military tailoring softened by drapes, embellished pinstripes, structured overcoat-sherwanis and jewelled accents.
Pearls were placed defiantly on strong silhouettes, while desert tones, noir, vintage pastels and molten gold brought an air of cinematic nostalgia.
Accessories didn’t just complement -- they spoke a language of revolt.
Shantnu & Nikhil called Metropolis ‘a city where nostalgia brushes up against the future… structured to subvert’ and the garments echoed that ethos with clarity and restraint.
The finale blurred celebrity and couture: actors joined the designers on stage, making it not just a show but a moment of cultural punctuation.
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Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
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