Summer is just around the corner which means most of us are hitting the gym to get beach body ready. One of the many perks of booking a beach holiday is being able to splurge on swimwear to look your best when braving the waves or when reclining on a beach chair near the resort’s swimming pool. If you have booked a luxury holiday this year you might want to move away from the simple bikinis and plain bathing suits and opt for designer swimwear. One brand that should be on the top of your list is: Shivan & Narresh.
Shivan & Narresh is India’s first luxury swimwear brand and has an impressive celebrity clientele. The brand has been worn by Bollywood stunner Priyanka Chopra, burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese, musicians Fergie and Nicki Minaj and supermodel Selita Banks, just to name a few examples. The brand recently designed a few vintage swimsuits for the blockbuster Life of Pi by director Ang Lee.
New Delhi designers Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja received a scholarship after graduating from The National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, India and completed their Masters in Milan and Rome, Italy. They launched their designer label in Cannes, France after being discovered in 2006 in Bali at a beachwear awards show. After this milestone Shivan and Narresh moved their studio back to their hometown, India. The aim of their designer label was to make the swimsuit an active part of the Indian wardrobe. Their designs are heavily influenced by Indian culture, the modest feminine cuts, bold colors and handcrafted designs provide the Indian woman with confidence and a feel of luxury and comfort.
Their luxurious designs are gaining a lot of respect on national and international runways and the designers have received several awards for their contribution to the fashion industry. The designer duo often draws inspiration from abstract art and expressionism. Their summer 2012 collection ‘Mosaic’ was inspired by artist Kandinsky’s Bauhaus days and focused on logical geometry. For their new spring/summer collection ‘Zip’ artist Barnett Newman was chosen as the designers’ muse. The collection consists of hand painted linen and cotton dresses and brightly colored swimwear in aquamarines, chocolate browns and cherry reds.
Shivan & Narresh is a Fashion Orientalist favorite. Their beachwear collections contain 100% handcrafted, stitch-free surfaced designs made from Italian fabrics. Their Indian influenced creations like the lycra sari and bikini sari have the potential to become an international hit as it’s a lot more sophisticated and luxurious than a simple sarong/bathing suit combination. The trikini/monokini and vintage style bikinis are becoming a real fashion statement and modest style swimwear is in demand. I love their artistic approach to design and their use of bright colors and quality fabrics: from natural greens to sugar sweet pinks and shiny metallic fabrics.
Shivan & Narresh are doing well on a national level and abroad and I feel we are going to hear a lot more of this designer duo in the near future!
Check out the gallery for their spring/summer 2013 ‘Zip’ collection and their ‘Equus’ Cruise/Resort 2012/2013 collection. Let us know what you think about the bikini sari!
Visit www.shivanandnarresh.com for more about the brand and shop locations or to buy online.