So your brand was spotted on ‘And Just Like That...’? Cool! Now what?

Anjali Patel Mehta, founder of Indian resort wear brand Verandah, was on a digital detox in Sri Lanka when Alex Bovaird, costume designer of cult satire series The White Lotus reached out to her. “I switched on my phone after five days and had an email with 13 selections for season three,” she recalls. 

Patel Mehta hadn’t been able to make the deadline for season two (which released in 2022) and sheepishly admits that her no-Netflix policy these past 14 years meant she hadn’t been up to speed on Mike White’s pop culture phenomenon back then (rectified now, naturally).

Eventually, her signature kaftans were then seen on key characters Sritala Hollinger (played by Thai actor Lek Patravadi) and Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell) on the latest season of the show, which was shot in Thailand. “In India, Verandah is fairly under the radar. It’s a very ‘if you know, you know’ secret among a certain section of travellers. So, after being put on a show like this, a lot of people went like ‘who’s this brand?’” admits the designer, adding that followers and eyeballs aside, the biggest uptick was in direct-to-consumer business globally.

More recently, earrings from Hyderabad-based Ridhi Asrani’s eponymous label were spotted on Sarita Choudhury’s character, Seema Patel in the latest episode of And Just Like That.... “I’ve been a Sex and the City fan growing up. When And Just Like That... introduced a key Indian character, I felt a deeper connection, which encouraged me to reach out to the costume department. They looked up my brand and reached out with a selection. It was as organic as that,” explains the jeweller. Following this screen time and collaborative Instagram posts with superfan page @justlikethatcloset, Asrani has clocked in orders from SATC stans across the globe. “But it’s not always for the piece seen on the show,” she clarifies. 

Couturier duo Falguni and Shane Peacock saw the ripple effect of Sarah Jessica Parker wearing their lehenga on the show’s maiden season back in 2022 too. “Indians and the diaspora loved it, but it also encouraged a lot of non-Indian brides marrying into Indian families to shop from us,” says Falguni. “‘SJP wore this brand’ was a great stamp of credibility for them, especially as these shoppers didn’t know much about Indian bridal wear otherwise,” adds Shane.  

Ditto for Antwerp-based Nue Fine Jewellery, run by Mumbai-raised jeweller Priyanka Mehta, whose pieces have been a recurring presence across various seasons of Emily in Paris after the show’s jewellery stylist discovered the brand via Instagram. “Since we deal in fine jewellery, it definitely gives customers confidence to purchase from us,” she says. In season four, which released last year, Lily Collins wore about 20 Nue pieces, “the highest number of pieces used by one brand on the show,” adds Mehta. Since then, her jewels have been on Emily (Lily Collins), Camille (Camille Razat), Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Marcello (Eugenio Franceschini), including several custom designs worn in pivotal scenes, which makes her designs feel like they are part of the storytelling. “The signet ring I custom-made for Gabriel has become part of Lucas Bravo’s everyday jewellery now,” she adds. Mehta has a dedicated page on her website to retail all the pieces worn on the show. 

Patel Mehta agrees that these associations instil confidence, not just in the minds of customers but stockists too. Verandah now retails at over 100 stores globally, including Joseph in London and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, and the designer admits that her partner stores do feel The White Lotus appearance is a great anecdote for clients to know.   

Falling right at the intersection of fashion and celebrity, such placements are a valuable vehicle for brands to further their reach, especially independent labels trying to make their mark in a cluttered marketplace. With appearances that are prominent enough, it can also help Indian brands trying to go global.

 But that payoff also ultimately boils down to how cleverly brands can capitalise on this opportunity beyond the organic traction it generates.

For Asrani, it led to an exploration of new stockists and discussions with other international shows. Mehta is using the momentum to build a stronger client base in the US for Nue but admits to a slower trajectory as she handles all PR and marketing outreach herself. Verandah has been touring their global markets, with pop-ups in London, Miami and New York, ever since the show came out.

“There is a shift in the narrative; the lines are blurred now. You can be from anywhere in the world as long as your product is of a certain quality,” says Patel Mehta. So, while associations with cult TV shows can serve as a monumental jump-off point, “you do need to have provenance, product, and depth too. It’s all about how you build your brand seriously.”