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PAPA DON'T PREACH

About Us

Born in 2010 in the pulsating city of Mumbai, PAPA DON’T PREACH – true to its name, brought to the world an unapologetic rebellion with a sense of humour and riotous play.
We rose to prominence chasing a vision to infuse innovation and consciousness into everything we create. This materialized into an ever-expanding repertoire of luxury, RTW and bridal couture alongside an award-winning line of accessories.
The crucible of our designs, seeks out intentionally unconventional styles and trans-seasonal collections that don’t subscribe to an almanac of fleeting trends. We extend our creative non-conformity to mirror the standards of 100% inclusivity in gender, race, sexual orientation and size. Wherever our clients find themselves on the spectrum of humanhood, we want to meet (and dress) them there.

From ‘Preach it Forward’ for small businesses to ‘Care for Karigars’ for artisan welfare, our social campaigns are an extension of our values. We reassess the wellbeing of our artisans through third party organisations like Team Dasra, which help us evaluate and execute welfare programmes and awareness camps to enable our teams with financial literacy and healthcare.

The same rules apply to all we set out to do, from heels to half-lehengas, each design that is hot off the Papa Don’t Preach Press was + is + will be 100% intentional, inventive, ethical and inspired by everything that isn’t real.

And this will be our legacy*.
*No Conditions Apply

Shubhika Sharma

Designer & Creative Director

A student of journalism, Shubhika’s heart was always in fashion. Her social conditioning veered towards careers that were conventionally known to “make a difference.”

Stitching, sewing and self-expression through textiles is where her mind went when it wandered. Her first brush with the fashion industry was at 19 when she managed a boutique alongside her education. At 23, she opened the doors of Papa Don’t Preach to the world. Although it was originally envisioned to be a high street fashion brand, Shubhika pivoted the business model to reflect the needs of the Indian market and ‘do as the romans do.’ Shubhika’s fresh spin on the playful side of Indian silhouettes is now globally renowned for the way that the brand dismantles rigid design guidelines and shines a light on contours of contrasting elements.
After a conscious decision to drop the “women’s” wear and size labels from their brand identity, Papa Don’t Preach became recognised for its ‘creative rebellion,’ by those who thought that being free to be 100% yourself was anarchic.The question of how fashion can make a difference turned into a quest. Armed with a spirit for story-telling and lead by a pure desire to create cruelty-free, ethically-made ensembles, Shubhika harnessed the brand’s values of inclusivity and equality and extended it into multiple campaigns, productions and initiatives that prioritise and embrace a gender-free, multi-racial, size-friendly lifestyle.

The freedom that fashion grants you, can be used to empower, express without fear and dissolve boundaries. That is the ideology that made Papa Don’t Preach what it is today. An ode to an unconventional, multidimensional existence.