When All The Stars hitmaker SZA walked on stage to accept the Best Female R&B Artist award from BTS at the American Music Awards (AMAs), the interaction turned out to be one of the night’s most talked-about crossovers. Between the Snooze singer fangirling over the group during her speech and recent conversations around a possible collaboration with BTS member V, fans were already celebrating the exchange online.
But alongside the music moment, another detail drew massive attention – SZA’s striking royal blue ensemble created by Bengaluru designer Niharika Vivek. Featuring a structured embroidered corset, dramatic cut-outs and flowing pleated drapes, the saree-inspired gown brought together Indian craftsmanship and contemporary red carpet glamour. “It was surreal. In fact, when I first saw the message from her team, I had to verify that it wasn’t a scam,” laughs Vivek, recalling the moment when SZA’s team first reached out.
The designer reveals that the concept was created with SZA’s growing relationship with India in mind, while still staying true to the label’s signature aesthetics. “The concept for this piece was originally designed with a different event in mind. We knew that she has been building a special relationship with India and so we wanted to put her in something that screamed quintessentially Indian at the first glance but had our classic twist to it,” she shares.
Earlier in February, the singer had made a surprise appearance in a saree at the Maha Shivratri celebrations hosted by Sadhguru
in Coimbatore.
The draped corset style itself was requested by SZA’s team, with the design built around that direction. One of the key elements, interestingly, was the use of heritage fabric. The corset was crafted from a 50-year-old vintage Kanjivaram saree paired with satin silk drapes. A hip cut-out was added to emphasise the saree inspiration while maintaining a contemporary silhouette.
Colour also played a defining role. The rich royal blue shade was chosen after the team shared SZA’s preference for vibrant tones. “We were told she loves bright colours. We hadn’t seen her in a blue this shade very often, so we knew it would be a moment for her,” Vivek says, highlighting how the fit subtly echoed the visual mood of SZA’s album SOS, which features the singer seated on a diving board over open water in a minimalist setting. Released in 2022, the album notably went on to win Best Progressive R&B Album at the 66th Grammy’s in 2024, with Snooze also winning Best R&B Song. It also spent multiple weeks at No 1 on the Billboard 200, while becoming one of the longest-running No1 R&B albums by a female artist in recent years.
The designer studied her past style, too, to zero in on the final look. “Her team gave us complete creative liberty, which let us explore her style history and arrive at something we knew would resonate with her,” she shares. SZA’s response later confirmed the success of the design, as she commented, ‘THIS DRESS IS INCREDIBLE… literally want 30 more like it in every colour lol thank you SO MUCH’, on one of Vivek’s Instagram posts
from the night featuring the singer herself.
While Vivek hasn’t met the artist yet, she hopes that will change soon, especially after the overwhelming response to the look. “This feels like just the beginning,” she added, hinting that more international collabs could be on the horizon as the label looks to take its craftsmanship further onto global stages.