Tapping onto his innate artistic sensibilities, couturier Abhishek Sharma orchestrates an enthralling fusion of contemporary aesthetics and timeless cultural motifs via his namesake label. With a distinguished portfolio that boasts of collaborations with Indian design luminaries such as Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani, he draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of India’s cultural diversity, weaving together a narrative that celebrates the enduring legacy of craftsmanship and tradition.
Embarking on his creative odyssey in 2014 armed solely with sketches and boundless enthusiasm, Abhishek set out on his quest marked by creativity and a relentless pursuit for transforming dreams into tangible expressions through his designs.
“Since when I was a child, I had great inclination towards fashion and as the years progressed, my passion towards the same grew substantially. NIFT was the perfect platform to give dimension to my childhood dreams. I graduated from NIFT, Mumbai in 2005 and have, since then, worked with celebrated designers of the country,” Abhishek Sharma, Designer and Founder of Abhishek Sharma Label, told Apparel Resources in an exclusive interview.
The essence of Abhishek’s label lies in breaking away from the usual and creating a fashion forward urban canvas for traditional Indian influences. The label celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of India through bold and inclusive designs that incorporate intricate handcrafted techniques that aim to blend Indian ethnic styles with the glamour of Western red carpet fashion, making a bold statement with dramatic flair.
| The distinctive elements that define the uniqueness of Abhishek Sharma label’s designs and craftsmanship include draping techniques that sculpt and enhance the silhouette, drip 3D embellishment, a fusion of contemporary and traditional hand embellishment techniques, customised designs that offer a pure bespoke experience tailored to individual preferences and in-house experimentations with fabric textures and prints. |
Brand USP, Pricing and Assortment
Abhishek Sharma label specialises in crafting a diverse range of clothing for women, men and children pan-India and internationally. Womenswear and kidswear for little girls feature red carpet ensembles, tops, tunics, denim lifestylewear, dresses, draped styles, jackets, lehenga sets, kurta sets, sarees, gowns and anarkali/multikali sets that retail onwards of Rs. 30,000 for kidswear and Rs. 80,000 for womenswear.
For menswear and kidswear for boys, the label offers bundis, jackets, bandhgalas, kurtas and sherwani sets and experimental co-ord sets that are priced onwards of Rs. 30,000 for boys and Rs. 65,000 for men.
The collections are meticulously crafted with a blend of techniques such as draping, fluting, couching, heat texturing and intense beadwork, embodying the essence of serene surroundings of Abhishek’s travels. Each garment is meticulously crafted by skilled artisans who imbue every stitch with utmost care and attention to detail. The fabrics varying from ethereal silk organza to delicate cotton voile, luxurious georgette and whimsical rainbow glass nylon, are carefully curated to evoke a feeling of enchantment and elegance.
| “We inculcate contemporary prints, texture play and fabric manipulation techniques to minimise the use of hand embroidery, making it affordable for a broader audience at an accessible price point without compromising on quality. We offer a price-sensitive pret range for commercially viable consumer brackets,” Abhishek Sharma, Designer and Founder of Abhishek Sharma Label |
What sets the label apart from other brands particularly in the realm of Indian fashion, is its ability and agility to cater to a broad clientele with its size-inclusive silhouettes; readiness towards customisations; bridging the gap between Indian ethnic and western red carpet ensembles; a team providing real-time design solutions with utmost sincerity; one-on-one discussions with the designer; multiple toile fits with embroidery swatches to tangible fits.
“For us, you only don’t adorn our ensembles but you also breathe life into our cordial experiences and space,” Abhishek stated.
The label is committed to sustainable practices, employing zero waste patterns and upcycling distressed fabrics and leftovers to create new textiles and embellishments. In addition to this, the label also empowers its women artisans by ‘providing them with a choice to either work in-house or from home while ensuring wage equity’. “We’re working towards minimising the usage of plastic with utmost seriousness in packaging and shipping,” Abhishek explained.
Materials, Manufacturing and Sourcing
“As a label, we constantly draw inspiration from history, mythology and our surroundings, which helps us establish a sense of belonging to our roots, then we build our concepts on them with a modern twist, revisiting handcrafting techniques and instilling those in trend as well, making it the best of both worlds,” Abhishek said.
Established in 2014 in a modest rented space in Nithari, Noida, the label began amidst numerous dreams and challenges, supported wholeheartedly by Abhishek’s family and friends. Today, the brand has grown significantly and employs 100 individuals, marking a remarkable journey from its humble beginnings.
While the majority of production is carried out in-house, the incorporation of traditional woven textiles and specific embroidery techniques such as chikankari, necessitates sourcing from skilled artisans across India. This approach ensures that high standards of quality and authenticity are maintained in the label’s products.
In terms of fabrics, the label employs a combination of outsourced fabrics and in-house creations, blending ready-to-use materials with experimental textures, surface ornamentations and prints to innovate and upcycle fabrics.
For womenswear, the label utilises fabrics such as silk organza, tissue chanderi net, georgette, cotton voile, rainbow glass nylon and chiffon, whilst menswear sees the use of chanderi, matka silk, khaddar and khadi used to craft distinctive and high-quality garments.
“We predominantly procure our raw materials and fabrics from India. For example chanderi from Madhya Pradesh and chikankari from Lucknow,” Abhishek highlighted.
Abhishek Sharma label comes out with two main collections per year, namely the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, complemented by special festive capsule collections.
The collections are available for purchase at esteemed multi-brand outlets in India and abroad including ENSEMBLE, Aza Fashions, Ogaan, Elahe, ETA and ASHNI AND CO., offering accessibility to discerning customers seeking unique and stylish designs.
AR: What are the label’s future plans in terms of retail expansion and line expansion?
AS: Currently we’re focusing on our newly launched flagship store in Hyderabad while considering opening new retail spaces in coming years. However, we do mean to expand our accessory line to make the experience more exquisite and wholesome than ever.
AR: What unique business strategies has Abhishek Sharma label implemented to stand out in the highly competitive industry?
AS: As a brand, we’ve always stayed true to our USP and clientele and we truly believe, as long as you implement the same amount of optimism, values and ethos into your collections and environment, you will find your unique identity in this competitive space.
AR: What, according to you, is driving consumption of fashion categories in the Indian market?
AS: It’s a mixture of finesse in work, interesting range of silhouettes and the uniqueness of this long standing history of Indian embroidery and handicraft. Along with that, we must say people are more well-travelled than ever and with the influence of social media, they’ve become more acceptable towards our rich culture, fusionwear, styling and experimental fashion, both in terms of Indian and westernwear. That’s driving the consumption in the market is what we truly believe.
AR: What is your take on consumer’s shift in perception from quantity to quality?
AS: The shift could be a reason for them for finding their individuality and expressing the same through a well-curated line of fashionable looks that stands time. The other reason for the shift might be the awareness of a more sensible approach towards their wardrobe with regard to the environment and sustainable practices as consumers.
AR: What is your personal vision for the future of Abhishek Sharma label and what is the impact you aspire to have within the realm of fashion and apparel?
AS: We as a brand, have always aimed to be perceived in a unique light, optimising our creativity while learning from our experiences, constantly evolving with the trends along with maintaining the timelessness of our deliverables.
We’ve always placed importance on providing a wholesome, whimsical as well as dreamy visual imagery and experience of our products to the audience and we aim to continue doing the same.
At the same time, we are working on expanding our accessory line to make the experience more exquisite and international than ever. Apart from that, we aspire to work seamlessly with the same energy, creativity and intentions to bridge the gap between Indian and International fashion in future and definitely etch our mark in the industry.
