Lifestyle
Three Pageant Icons Reunite at Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla's 40th Anniversary Store Launch
By Sanya Panwar
Designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla celebrated 40 years of their fashion label on September 6 with the opening of a new flagship store, Mubarak Baug, in Mumbai. The event brought together several of the designers' longtime muses, but one reunion stood out in particular.
On September 9, the Miss India Organisation shared a video on Instagram featuring three former pageant titleholders together at the event: Madhu Sapre, second runner-up at Miss Universe 1992; Suzanne Sablok, Miss India Universe 1989-90; and Anna Bredemeyer, runner-up at Miss Asia 1976.
The clip used a split-screen format contrasting the women's appearance at the recent event with archival images from their pageant days. In the present-day segment, Sapre wore a printed jacket-kurta set over a black top, Sablok appeared in a blue Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla sharara set, and Bredemeyer wore an ivory and gold kurta-jacket ensemble. The throwback visuals showed Sapre in her Miss India sash and crown from 1992, Sablok adjusting her crown while wearing a purple sequinned saree from her reign, and Bredemeyer in a vintage photograph wearing her sash.
Sapre won Femina Miss India Universe in 1992 before finishing as second runner-up at Miss Universe that year. She also shared a post on Instagram on September 8 about attending the event, writing that she and the designers "share a long history of several fab shows" and expressing hope for more collaborations in the future.
Sablok was crowned Miss India in 1989-90 and represented the country at Miss Universe 1990, where she reached the Top 10 as a semi-finalist. Bredemeyer, while not officially a Miss India titleholder, is regarded by fashion historians as one of India's earliest supermodels; she was runner-up at Miss Asia in 1976.
The Instagram post drew numerous comments from users recalling the three women's pageant legacies, with some praising their lasting influence on Indian fashion and beauty pageantry. A few commenters also noted historical details about the pageant organizations active during Sablok and Bredemeyer's era, mentioning names such as Eve's Weekly and Bombay Dyeing.
Over four decades, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla have dressed many of India's cultural icons, including Jaya Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, becoming known for their elaborate, tradition-rooted designs. The anniversary event marked a moment of nostalgia as three women who once represented India on international pageant stages came together again, this time in the label's signature couture.