“It has been a journey. We brought Indian fashion here because we needed it ourselves and saw this gaping hole in the market,” says Shirin Vinayak, owner of Shehnaai Couture along with her husband Sanjeev. “Today, it isn’t just a luxury for South Asian-Americans, it’s a necessity. We’ve seen glamorous times and trying times–other stores have come and faded away–and we’ve fought to stay at the top of the game. We represent both established and emerging designers from India and Indian designers from the US. Walking the runway at the fashion show tonight are outfits by designers Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma and Rabbani Rakha from their India Fashion Week collection, Saanshé from her Bridal Asia collection, and Mitan Ghosh and Bubber Couture.”
The fashion show also featured four cancer survivors who walked in Saanshé lehnga sarees and kurtas that were subsequently auctioned off with monies being donated to the American Cancer Society. Designer Sabah Arenja Vig of Saanshé, who flew in from India to attend the event said, “It’s hard enough to go through cancer treatments and these women deserve a moment to celebrate their strength. I was honored that they chose my collection.”
Shirin adds, “It’s befitting that we dedicate our show today to these wonderful ladies fighting their battle with cancer. We support their journey with all we can and we hope, that by bidding at our silent auction today, our guests will too.’
Lilly Rivera of BridalGal did the makeup for the survivors while Kanwal Batool and Sanjana Vaswani created gold rose hair-dos and dusky eyes for the models to enhance the structured femininity of the collection. Bollywood DJs’ DJ Amrit added, “I chose to mix a number of upbeat songs to showcase the light side of the Spring/Summer colors while also acknowledging the fusion cuts of the clothes.”
Shehnaai Couture is the brainchild of entrepreneurial couple Sanjeev and Shirin Vinayak. The studio first opened in Long Island in 2004 and as their client base grew, the couple moved the Studio to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue where they have remained since. Shirin attributes the success of Shehnaai to her strong relationships with India’s top designers coupled with her unique NYC fashion sense. This style sensibility has resonated with Shehnaai’s fashion-forward clientele and today has made the studio a benchmark for Indian designer fashion in the US.
Photos by Andy Chang
