How Shubhika Sharma of Papa Don’t Preach became the designer of choice for Shraddha Kapoor, Paris Hilton, and Mindy Kaling

Brides Today: There was a time when pastels and quirky would have been unthinkable for bridalwear, but you made it happen. What made you sure designs like half-lehengas, sneaker stilettos and dhoti jumpsuits would work?

Shubhika Sharma: It was not a thought-out strategy. Luckily, when I was creating my brand, it was in the pre-Instagram era. As much data wasn’t thrown at you, there was room to be who you wanted to be and create art that was an extension of you. As a creative person, I consider it my responsibility to put out things that I think will add beauty, excitement and storytelling to the world. This, instead of strategising on what could sell. Papa Don’t Preach is an extension of my personality, and rebellion is part of our DNA. That was the origin of our colours and designs.

BT: ‘Unconventional’ is a word that follows PDP around. Is that how you’d describe your brand, or is your train of thought a little different?

SS: I believe the people who are attracted to Papa Don’t Preach are unconventional—they aren’t afraid to stand out in a world full of trends. If you look at the West, there are trends like Barbiecore, mermaidcore, etc, which make everybody look like clones of each other. To me, that’s the conventional way of thinking. But the people associated with PDP help me define “unconventional.” I don’t think my designs set out to be that way; it’s the people who have the confidence to stand out.

BT: Your choice of palette is very distinct. Did you always have an affinity for colourful pastels?

SS: When we talk about colours very specifically, there’s nothing that comes out of nowhere. The fact that my roots are Punjabi, that my ancestors were from Pakistan and then New Delhi… There’s a lot of "north" in my blood, even though I was born and brought up in Mumbai. These are just the colours that flow through me. We use a lot of vibrant shades as I always seek a play of colours; I cannot make a monotone outfit. The bright pinks and greens, the yellow pops come in through embroidery, applique work, etc. The only colour I don’t understand is black!

BT: Given the demographic of your audience, how has social media influenced your brand?

SS: Connecting with our Instagram audience was a game changer. We are able to see what the consumer wants in real time. It’s also been greatly beneficial for transparency and telling our stories. I credit our success to our powerful, unapologetic, unconventional storytelling on social media. Pre-pandemic, when there weren’t as many brands active online, we were one of the few doing it the way we were, which brought in an audience that was looking for their version of what India is, not a nostalgic version that’s been shown to them. While others tried to reimagine something from the past, we are a brand of the present and future. I think that resonated with the younger generation.

BT: You’ve dressed dozens of celebrities in India and abroad. How did you reach them?

SS: Instagram played a significant role in helping us connect with international clientele. Even through the pandemic, we were quite active on social media. That’s how we got the opportunity to style Paris Hilton and Chrissy Teigen—it was all through DMs. Art and fashion are universal concepts, both powerful tools of communication. They are things of beauty and craftsmanship that anyone anywhere can appreciate. I believe that’s why a lot of international celebrities found it easy to understand our designs and imagine themselves in them. It transcended borders.

BT: What’s the biggest difference between dressing known names and the common folk?

SS: With clients, there’s a lot more trust in our vision as designers, whereas with celebrities, there’s an extremely strong influence of their own personalities, likes and dislikes, the event that they are going to attend and what they want to portray on that given day. So the approach is different when designing for non-celebrities, and there’s nothing “common” once you get to know anybody. Every bride has a different way of describing how they want to look on their big day. Also, with celebrities, we already have so much data on what they wear, what they like and what works for their body type, which makes it both easier and tougher.

BT: How does western wear align with PDP’s design vision?

SS: Not too many people know that I launched Papa Don’t Preach as a western wear brand. After I returned from London, I launched it as a high-street wear e-commerce brand with dresses, jersey skirts, tunics, etc. There was no room for Indian wear at that time, but I quickly realised that the country you live in and the artisans you work with should influence your art. So two years later, I launched my bridal couture line. But western wear continues to be a part of our collection because India has such a dynamic demographic. We want to be able to make something for everybody. As I always say, when someone walks into PDP, they should be able to leave as a PDP person head to toe, no matter the occasion. That’s why we make bags, jewellery, shoes and western wear.