Shantanu, with an Economics degree, went to the US to do a Master's in Business Administration, with finance as his major subject. After working in the US to get on the job experience and acquire managerial skills, he came back to India to apply to his company what he had learnt.

``The degree in Business Administration has helped me and my brother, Nikhil, understand the market, its needs and the various intricacies involved in effectively marketing our product,'' says Shantanu. ``And I feel that my business skills have lent a professional touch to the company.''``I always wanted to go in for designing clothes,'' says younger brother Nikhil Mehra. After doing his schooling from Modern School in New Delhi, he enrolled for a course at the Pearl Academy of Fashion. ``And when I felt the need to learn more, I went off to the US in search of more knowledege,'' he says.

In the span of the one year that Shantanu and Nikhil have been designing, they have carved a niche for themselves, which has resulted in sales to Sheetal and Instyle in Mumbai, Deepam in Bangalore, CTC Plaza, Gyans and Finesse in Delhi. To gauge their success, it must be mentioned that their exports now cover most of London and are also touching the US and Canada.``While Nikhil does the designing, Shantanu too creates his own line of formal wear for men. We are looking at the 24-45 years' range while designing for men. Basically, the collection is more of formal wear like the sherwani, which while retaining its original cut, is now turned into a fashion piece,'' say the two brothers. The duo works with handlooms and other fabrics on the sherwani and has incorporated western cuts to it, they add. The concentration is more on quality, fit and effect. There is a collection of formals for college going students too, where the range is Rs 1,750 to Rs 3,800, Nikhil adds.

Talking about the future plans of their company, Shantanu says that a trousseau line for brides is under construction and it is likely to cost Rs 14,500 upward. Their bridegroom line has just taken off, where starting from the sherwani to accessories to footwear, they try to provide everything that could possibly be needed, in the price range of Rs 9,500 to Rs 14,500.

Also, they intend to have a section where a customer can design his/her own clothes, ``though we would try modifying them for better fit and chic looks'', say the Mehras. The brothers have designer sarees too, in the range of Rs 2,800-Rs 14,000.

Brimming with confidence, Shantanu and Nikhil are now planning a fashion show in the winter.

Nikhil enjoys the honour of having been part of the St John Knits designing team and creating a suit for Hillary Clinton.

He was the winner of a competition where his dress was picked up by none less than Sigourney Weaver!