Haute couture and gourmet cuisine—two distinct paragons of art with a devoted following of their own. It should come as little surprise that designers Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra, who are credited for always pushing the envelope, have chosen to bring the two together with their new collaboration, Journey of Couture to Cuisine. The designer duo’s latest project has them teaming up with a slew of reputed chefs from around the country, including chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent, chef Dhruv Oberoi of Olive Bar & Kitchen, chef Lokesh of CAARA and chef Bani of Miam Patisserie.

Given the creativity and visual impact that both disciplines function on, extending their language of expression from high-fashion outfits to gourmet dishes came as a natural progression for the designers. “We have always worked on nostalgically reinventing Indian history through the art of the cloth and instead, this time, food, flavours, age-old Indian spices, ingredients and plating gave us a new way of depicting modern India. Couture and cuisine play an integral part of the celebratory aspect of our weddings, and this concept is tailor made for today’s millennial brides and grooms. Every ensemble and delicacy narrates ceremonial values to help the couple choose the perfect silhouette and flavours for each occasion,” says Shantanu.

Along the way, the designer duo picked up on the striking similarities that both the fields possess. “It is uncanny how the food fraternity chooses their dishes based on Pantone shades and fashion nuances. The chefs we have collaborated with believe that food serves the soul not only through the palate, but also through the eyes. Aesthetics in food need to be in cognisance with the flavour, aroma, and presentation—just as how the design values of an outfit correspond with the fit, design values, cuts and drapes. The collaboration of the two worlds proved to be very similar in the context of design, precision, layout, texture and colour tones,” Nikhil elaborates.

Vogue spoke to Shantanu Mehra about their latest collaboration. Scroll through our slideshow for all the details.

Indian Accent
“Indian Accent chef Manish Mehrotra’s muse was the Neo Drape lehenga that serves as a contemporary piece imbued with rich Indian heritage, courtesy its silk that was sourced from the streets of Benares and gold-inspired threadwork. The Baked Beet, Candy Walnut and Goat Curd dish represents the celebration of happiness with a fine blend of rich colour and layering that mirrors the drapes and tonality of the ensemble.” -Nikhil Mehra

Source: Vogue