Ace designer Nikhil Mehra was in a car with Saif Ali Khan when the conversation turned to the legendary Mansur Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi before his son took on the mantle, and one of India’s best cricket captains. Some of the most important things he picked up from his father, Khan told Nikhil, were those old-world virtues—discipline, resilience, and tenacity. Shantanu and Nikhil’s new sports line, SNCC, too, finds inspiration in all that old-world charm embodied by the sophisticated nawab, be it in his rakish style on and off the pitch, the flannels he sported, the heritage of the Lord’s Cricket Stadium, and ivy league varsity competitions with their unique regalia, pimm’s, strawberries and cream. This new collection has been constructed under the S&N pret label that the designers launched in 2020 (and which now has 13 stores across the country).
While sports-heritage menswear is a vast market, no Indian brand has explored the universe to any significant extent. As a brand, Shantanu and Nikhil is uniquely placed to do so; the siblings are insiders to the world as players of sport themselves, and members of the clubs they are inspired by. Most importantly, SNCC is a passion project for Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra, an idea that they had been incubating for years. As it finally comes to fruition, the designers are brimming with excitement.
Congratulations on the new collection. What have you planned for the launch of SNCC?
The collection will launch as multiple drops over the coming months. Key looks from the collection will be presented at the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour in Kolkata on 19 November. The products from the initial drop will be available on the brand’s online shopping portal as well as at the stores from 21 November.
What was the inspiration behind the collection?
This brand is not particularly about sport as such but the nostalgia one associates with it. For example, if you see the old Benson & Hedges test matches in Australia or at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, the spectators used to come all dressed up and have picnics as the match was going on, sipping on wine or having a bite of a croissant. There was a lifestyle attached to cricket. We wanted to spotlight those traditions through the collection.
