Advani is known for combining elements of Eastern and Western styles in a uniquely elegant way. Designer Abhishek Advani is also very inspired by his family history. His grandfather was a prominent social figure in the 1940s and 1950s in London, who traveled abroad to places like Bombay and Mayfair dressed in his finely tailored English-inspired suits paired strikingly with longer Indian-style shirts.
The designer combines elements that allude to both his family history and their travels. For spring/summer 2016, the Nepal evening jacket, cut in burgundy silk velvet, was designed in response to the designer’s grandfather’s relationship with the Nepalese royal family. The proceeds of the jacket will be donated to the Yongey Foundation and Medical Corps to help repair the destruction of the April earthquake that devastated the region. “There is so much more to fashion than clothes. It’s quite political, cultural, very emotional and can also be quite abstract – all at the same time,” Abhishek said.
The new collection is characterized by clean tailoring and subtle statement garments such as high-waisted tuxedo pants with a side closure that breathe an air of freshness into the historically inspired collection. The clothes are made in London on Savile Row. Advani had a difficult time convincing the Saville Row tailors to do make his signature collar with the collar up, and then sewn down, or a double-breasted jacket with just one button, as it is very atypical to English dressing. It’s not quite Indian dressing, either. It’s somewhere wonderfully in the middle.
Advani’s designs have garnered some serious attention, as of late. Last December, he did a pop up shop at Art Basel Miami Beach gaining a following in the art community. Actor Eddie Redmayne is a fan of the tuxedo jacket, and the line was shown at Pitti Uomo and Paris Men’s Fashion Week.
