Combining Indian craftsmanship with Western Goth sensibilities is what flavors his collection. The journey of the label began right after Nitin, graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, in the year 2002. After his graduation he vanished from the city life and took refuge in the laps of The Himalayas, not to be seen for the next four years. There this eccentric artist turned fashion designer, apart from sketching, worked for the upliftment of the crafts of Himachal Pradesh, which resulted in the formation of an NGO by the name of Sewa Himalaya. Inspired by the crafts there he designed a collection called “Lust for Life” of which the craftsmen were an integral part. Nitin Bal Chauhan in 2007 participated at the Lakme India Fashion week as a Gen Next Designer. 

• Awarded NIFT Trophy and Ritu Kumar’s Award for Best Design Collection in FASHIONOVA 2002 
• 6th in Global Garment Design Competition 2002, Milan, Italy.
• Femina, FDCI and British Design Council Award 2004
• Directorial debut feature film “LOST OR FOUND” nominated for “best cinematography” at the Asian Festival of First Films 2006 in Singapore.
• AZA Gen Next award for best designer at Lakme Fashion Week aut/win07
• Lost or Found officially selected for screening at the New York Film Festival 07.
• Winner of “Dream catchers” competition organized by Portico, New York.

Bohemian culture personifies in her style and fashion aura with hand picking its clues from the rhapsody of colours coming alive through the interplay of fabrics and prints. Nikasha Tawadey had set out to be a psychoanalyst but her creative urges saw her designing clothes for the famous. After completing her education in Delhi with Honors in Psychology, Nikasha set out to study psychoanalysis at the Tavistock School in Mumbai. The climatic shift took place when during this course she was she dabbled into fashion designing and year 2003 and the acclaimed designers Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla approach her to retail her line at Selfridges (London). Today Nikasha is the only Indian designer retailing her exclusive Spring Summer collection at Macy’s (San Francisco) under her brand name "Nikasha".

• 2004, the label ‘Nikasha’ was launched

• 2005 participated at the Singapore Fashion week

• Designed  for Anup Jalota`s music video

• Designed for Coke commercial shot with top Pakistani stars

• Dressed the then reigning tennis beauty queen Anna Kournikova

• Preity Zinta has sported some of her chic ensembles in the movie Lakshya

• 2010, Participated at the Shanghai Fashion Week

Nikasha`s collection embodies a vintage feel with use of light silks, chiffons, muls in combination with turquoise, coral, glass, wooden beads all interlaced with lace, satin, ribbon, splashed with a hint of embroidery make every garment look sexy. Simple silhouettes with classic cuts her each design is meticulously styled with eye-catching details. Today her clientele boasts of names like Liz Hurley, Bipasha Basu, Priety Zinta, Raveena Tandon, Sunita Menon, Ria Pillai, Koena Mitra, Tasneem Mehta, Adhuna Aktar, Niharika Khan, Carol Gracias, Madhu Sapre, Gayathri Joshi, Tupur & Tapur Chatterjee, Suchitra Pillai, Sandhya Mridul, Diya Abraham, Binal & Pia Trivedi among others.

You can get Nikasha at:

4, Pandurang Vilas Khar Linking Road, Mumbai-52

www.nikasha.com

Dramatic opulence and shrewd finesse of luxury stitches the finer details of Nari’s (Narendra Kumar Ahmed) design ethos. Narendra Kumar was part of the first ever graduating class from National Institute of Fashion Technology (1990) while it was still being run in conjunction with FIT, New York and Trent Polytechnic,UK.

Narendra started his own designer line under ‘Narendra Kumar’ for men and women and has two flagship stores in Mumbai and in Delhi. After starting his career in designing, Nari was asked to join the international ELLE magazine as their founding Fashion Editor in order to help establish the magazine in India. The designer continues to work with many fashion publications.

• Elle magazine founding Fashion Editor 1996-1999

• Faculty member National Institute of Fashion Technology

• Launched his own ‘Narendra Kumar’ label in 2002 for both men and women

• NK’s company, Arenah Design Studio, undertakes various corporate identity clothing projects such as Marriott Group of Hotels, Taj Group of Hotels, HSBC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Unilever

• NK is the creative Director for Provogue mens and womenswear

• NK has his own line for Westside retail stores

• Bollywood movie projects include Alladin, Fashion, Aa Dekhein Zara, Babul, No Smoking etc.

• Designs personal wardrobes for leading Bollywood actors like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Kangana Raut, Priyanka Chopra, etc.

• 2004, Nari was invited by the French Government to showcase at the International Design Biennale

• MTV style Award for 2004, 2005 and 2006

• 2006, Zoom Television Awards ‘Most Glamorous Menswear Designer’

• Kingfisher Fashion Awards ‘Contribution to the Indian Fashion Industry in 2006

• Participated at the Australia Fashion Week (Australia), LosAngeles Fashion Week (US) and Dusseldorf CPD Fashion Fair (Germany)

The NK line of for both men and women is based on modern cuts and silhouettes but integrates the luxurious aspects of specially woven Indian fabrics and hand crafted detailing to maintain a couture feel to the line. The company works with some of India’s leading textile manufacturers in creating fashion brands and imaging the brands for relevance to the Indian market. . Involved with the fashion business for over 13 years, he has been a Fashion Consultant for some of the top clothing brands in the market such as Raymonds, Reid & Taylor, Wills Sports and Levis.

You can get Narendra Kumar at:

The Courtyard, Shop no.5, Colaba, Mumbai

Outstanding resort and cocktail wear which is the niche of one of the well-known face of the glitz world can be none other than designer Nandita Mahtani. Nandita a graduate from London belongs from a family with business background. She is the second child of the family with an elder sister and a younger brother, who the designer is extremely close to.

The designer has not only executed her magnificent urbane creation at the coveted India Fashion Weeks, the Lakme and the Wills but even coped to achieve international fame at the 2009 Colombo couture fest and the Australia Fashion Week of 2007.

The label Ananya which celebrates womanhood is the outcome of Nandita’s effort which came into action in the year 2000, escorted by her signature label- Nandita Mahtani. The label specializes in tunics, shirts, jumpsuits, kaftans, rompers, dresses and evening tops apart from the brands signature cocktail outfits and loungewear. Both the labels Ananya and Nandita Mahtani have been globally acclaimed and presently certify as one of the prestigious names in the Indian market.

The designer’s creation avows to gratify the musts of a woman when she is in need of an evening wear or wants to just unwind and lighten up. Chic, classy and glamorous are the perfect lexis to define Nandita’s assortments. Simple elementary cuts blended with a touch of reverie and romance exemplifying a very easy fashion in a burly dramatic mode takes her couture to a distinct echelon. Nandita tries to bring an amalgamation of west and east where splendid Indian embroideries are rendered into contemporary cuts conveying an elegant and wearable feminine look in her creation. Her label produces clothes which can be worn by women belonging to any age group.    

Starting from the inestimable Bollywood aces, some of them like Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan, Preety Zinta, Shilpa Shetty, Karan Johar, Gauri Khan, Arjun Rampal, Meher Jessia, Suzanne Roshan, Zayed Khan, Farah Khan, Dia Mirza, Tabu, Mailika Arora Khan, Tara Sharma along with many more to the world acclaimed and Hollywood celebs like Paris Hilton, Madonna, Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Rachel Hunter, Kyra, Tamara Beckhwith, Atomic Kitten and Liz Hurley has graced the designers art. 

The label retails from its self possessed outlet Ananya destined in Mumbai along with the Aza located in Mumbai, the Elahe in Hyderabad and the Samsaara twigs present in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. While worldwide the designer carries her retailing endeavor from the labels flagship store Ananya sited at the up-market Notting Hill in London, T.I.P in Moscow, Studio 8 in Dubai, ROCCO in Bahrain and Gift shop at SIX SENSES RESORTS AND SPA placed in both Maldives and Thailand.

She’s the black horse of Indian design, who never disappoints in terms of wearability. Her clothing easily translates across geographies and other artificial constructs such as age, race and point of view. The Namrata Joshipura line fuses contemporary silhouettes with modern interpretations of artisanal embellishments. She believes in a luxe minimalism that is organic yet infused with colour and detail. She prefers working with pure fabrics like silks that give an organic feel, and draws inspiration from her world; from a phonograph, a tree to her daughter Ananya who bursts into a Happy Birthday song every time anything is cut, Joshipura’s designs reflect her philosophy. She never fails to impress with her very strong sense of fashion aesthetics, which she presents in a simple but very creative manner. There is something always exciting to look forward to in her line of clothing. The versatile designer also designs an accessories line that is primarily distributed in the United States to a variety of stores.

Namrata, a NIFT graduate, launched her clothing line in India in 1996 under the "Namrata Joshipura" label. Her innovative designs rapidly drew the attention of a discerning clientele and the support of the press. Her accomplishments in clothing design led to her selection as India’s representative in several International fashion events. In 1999, Namrata represented India and won second prize at the Asia Pacific Young Designer’s Show, held during Hong Kong Fashion Week. The following year, she was the first Indian designer to be selected to participate in the "World Young Designers’ Award Ceremony" at the London Fashion Week and she later presented her collection at the ‘Indian Show" in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Namrata has also designed the costumes for the award winning Indo-German film "Dance of the Wind" which captured prizes at both the London and Nantes Film Festivals.

Her clothes are retailed in India at her two own stores: The Crescent (Delhi) and D7 (Mumbai).  She also sells to an exclusive list of retailers across India and also internationally.

You can catch Namrata at:

Web: www.joshipura.com

The elements of innovation and restrain work together for Nachiket Barve to design fashion that is cutting edge yet accessible. He belongs to a family of doctors and that’s were germinated the seed of going out of the clan. Though with a keen interest in craft and art it took him to complete his B.Com from New Zealand before he could realize that fashion was his calling. He came back to India in 2000 and did his Post Graduate Diploma in Apparel and Accessory Design at the National Institute of Design [NID], Ahmedabad from  2001-2005.

• 2003, he was awarded a scholarship by the French Government besides studying at Ecole Nationale Superieur des arts Decoratifs [ENSAD] Paris.

• He also undertook an internship with Michael Kors at CELINE, a part of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy [LVMH]

• Did his final project with Couturiers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla

• March 2007, Nachiket launched his label at Lakme Fashion Week through the Gen Next Platform

• Showed at Coterie in New York as well as at the AAPI Convention in Florida in 2009

• 2010 Nachiket won the “Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year” Award given by The British Council and Elle

Having felt the surreal uncanny at seeing his name on his label for the first time, Nachiket’s design sensibility feeds on an exuberant dose of techniques such as cutwork, surface texture appliqué, embroidery, dyeing effects etc. on self developed textile and weaves the essence of his label in Redefining Luxury for a global audience. As he believes in being able to keep pursuing his passion with honesty and skill he aims to develop a wider audience for his label. He takes a walk on the beach to replenish his creative juices and experiences the excitement of being a part of Indian fashion which has and is evolving at a volatile rate.

The label Nachiket Barve retails at all top end designer boutiques in India like Bombay Electric, Ensemble, Evoluzione, Samsaara, Aza, Amethyst, Bombaim, SOh-KOh, Iris, White, Ogaan among others. Nachiket also caters to the finest of Bollywood like Aishwarya Rai, Sonali Bendre, Sonam Kapoor etc.

You can get Nachiket Barve at:

Nachiket Barve Studio 7 Unnati , Shahaji Raje Marg, Vile Parle East, Mumbai 57

www.nachiketbarvedesign.com

Manoviraj Khosla is a name to reckon with in the world of fashion. This maestro had his goals set early as he says, “When I was 14-15 years old I became fascinated with clothes in school. It was an obsession actually. When you have an interest it develops and then you figure you may as well make a career out of it. I enjoyed designing, I loved clothes. That’s basically what it was. That’s how it started.” He then went on to learn the nuances of fashion and design in London.

Khosla came back to launch the ‘Manoviraj Khosla’ label in 1990. Starting with menswear, he moved to womenswear under the same label. Then in 1995 he tied up with the UB Group to launch his second label – the ‘ Kingfisher Line’. This line consists not only of men’s wear and women’s wear but also a stylish range of foot wear. He has also designed uniforms for many corporate houses, restaurants, bars, hotels, school and airlines including Kingfisher Airlines and Nirulas’.

Variety is a hallmark of Khosla’s work – he designs both Indian and Western styles, and experiments with cut and fabrics. The Indian clothes have greater emphasis on style and cut rather than embroidery. Fabrics such as lycra and synthetic knits are used for Indian women’s wear, which gives the clothes a more International feel. Indian men’s wear – kurtas, sherwanis or bandhgala, are all done with minimal embroidery work. Western wear for both men and women are in variety of fabrics and styles, catering to teens and older connoisseur, in keeping with Khosla’s own sense of style.

Currently, you can get your hands on a Manoviraj Khosla creation at his exclusive studio in Bangalore as well as at a number of high-end boutiques across India.

You can get Manoviraj at:

27, Dickenson Road, Bangalore

Karnataka India – 560042

 Web: www.manovirajkhosla.com

Manish Malhotra has dressed the most beautiful women of the Hindi film industry. Known for revolutionizing the fashion scene in Bollywood Manish started his career in fashion designing about two decades ago as a costume designer for Juhi Chawla starrer Swarg. And it did not take him long to earn the repute for working out the entire look of the character as opposed to just the garments. He was one of the first costume designers in Bollywood who would ask for the script before designing the costumes. Manish Malhotra`s list of films includes several blockbusters since Rangeela, where he transformed the then girl next door  actress Urmila Matondkar into a raging sex symbol.

• Manish went on to become Bollywood’s most sought after designer. He has designed for Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Karishma Kapoor, Kajol, Raveena Tandon, Madhuri Dixit, Twinkle Khanna, Shilpa Shetty, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Priety Zinta and the list goes on. 
• Manish says, “I have been in the industry from a time when the system was not as organised as it is today and have single-mindedly worked to carve a niche for a designer in Bollywood.”
• Manish Malhotra won the Filmfare award for Urmila Matondkar’s costume in Rangeela. This was the first time a category for the best costume designer was introduced by Filmfare.
• He then won the Showtime Opinion Poll Award for Karishma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani.
• Followed by the Siemen’s viewer’s choice Award for Dil Toh Pagal hai
• He won the Lux-Zee Cine Award and the Bollywood Award in New York For his Costumes in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
• He has also been graced with Indira Priyadarshini Memorial Award for his contribution to the Fashion Industry.
• In 1999 he was honoured with the Elle Style Awards for the most stylish Designer of the year.
• The Zee Cine Awards and IIFA Awards in 2000 for Mohabbatein.
• Then it was The IIFA Award and Designer of the Year award in 2002 for Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
• He was also honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award by the Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress for his contribution to fashion. 

Manish Gupta has made quite a name for himself in the fashion fraternity of India. Having an artistic mind and a flair for creativity, he moved against the normal flow of work and chose to make a name in the fashion world. This young and talented designer, alumni of Pearl Academy of Fashion, has renewed the way fashion is operated in India. His ingeniously created designs were not only creatively applauded, but also changed the trend in the industry. He brought an age of revival and this time, the revival was for clothes. Flamboyant & pictorial designs are his forte. Manish Gupta is largely inspired by sophisticated designs that compliment a modern women’s grandeur.

• Ranked with the ‘Best Academic Performance’ & ‘Technical Excellence’ tags from Pearl Academy of Fashion
• The label ‘Manish Gupta’ captured recognition in its debut Fall Winter 08 Collection and still is gaining accolades around the globe.
• Selected by Westside to showcase exquisite Designer Prêt summer’09 collection at Lakme Fashion Week held at Mumbai.
• Nomination for the best designer Indian wear category in the first edition of Made In India Marie Claire Awards.

He has always visualized feminity being synonymous with sophistication, élan and elegance. Manish Gupta has flair to integrate uncommon materials and techniques into inventive patterns & shapes that translate into a globally voguish look. With an eternal pursuit for fresh and innovative designs, Manish experiments a lot with creative embroideries, textures and fabrics. In an attempt to create ageless wardrobe his clothes follow a distinct style of flawless tailoring, exquisite embellishments and perfect finish.

One can get his line from various leading designer stores across the country such as ALSO, AURA, AZA, CARMA, COLLAGE, ENSEMBLE, EVOLUZIONE, KAALI, MAIAH, SAMSAAARA, ZENON AND 85LANDSDOWNE

You can get Manish at:

MANISH GUPTA DESIGNS

E-87, SECTOR-6, NOIDA

Website:  www.manishguptadesigns.com

The designer of small intricacies magnified manifold times, someone whose creations are a larger than life portrayal is where Manish Arora begins. He is credited to take Fashion from India off shores like never before and he made the message much like his garments, loud and clear that India has made its mark on the world fashion map and it is here to rule. Born and brought in Mumbai, he was pursuing graduation in Commerce, when he decided to give a dramatic twist to his career path, and applied for National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi and passed out in 1994, after winning the Best Student Award.

Manish designs with an outburst of energy and enthusiasm that nurtures an eclectic juxtaposition of colours, fonts, icons, idols, motifs in his garments and is a creative calling for the bold with quirk essentials. He is known for a rich palette of psychedelic colours and kitsch motifs, in garments that combine traditional Indian crafts with Western silhouettes.

• 1997: Manish Arora launched his Label “Manish Arora” and started retailing in India.

• 2000: Manish represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week and participated at the first ever India Fashion Week held in New Delhi.

• 2001: Manish Launched his second Label “Fish Fry” and showed this collection in six leading cities in India and was stocked at Lord & Taylor, New York. 

• 2002: Manish opened his first flagship store Manish Arora Fish Fry in New Delhi.

• 2003: Manish opened his second flagship store in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai.

• He had a successful showing at India Fashion Week in Mumbai and started stocking at Maria Luisa Paris starting a successful export business.

• 2004: He was awarded the best Women’s Prêt Designer at the first ever Indian Fashion Awards’2004 held in Bombay and MC2 Diffusion Paris started representing the Label for the export business.

• 2005: Manish participated in the Miami Fashion Week, May’2005 where he was presented with the designer’s choice for best collection award. And debut at the London Fashion Week

• 2006: He re-confirmed himself to be a fashion designer of great potential during his second showing in February 2006 receiving rave reviews from coveted fashion journalists like Hilary Alexander, Suzy Menkes, Lisa Armstrong, in all the leading publications.

• 2007: Showcases his collection at the very prestigious “Fashion in Motion” held at Victoria and Albert Museum, London in September-2007.

• 2008: Manish collaborates with renowned Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami for his autumn/ winter 2008-09 collection.

• 2009: Manish is invited by the Ministry of Culture, France, to showcase a retrospective of his work at the Palais Royale.

Manish Arora also collaborated with sportswear giant Reebok to design a collection of shoes under the brand Fish Fry for Reebok.  His associations with some of the giants in the industry have not only been milestones in his career path but also defined the trajectory of Indian fashion. He collaborated with Walt Disney to design a range of garments, then with SWATCH for a limited edition of watches. He again teamed up with makeup & cosmetics giant MAC for designing a signature collection. Today his label is available in 84 stores worldwide.

Manish visions the future ahead, “It has a lot more strength to stand out and fashion grows bolder as would be more about individuality. And soon product will take over name.”

You can get Manish Arora at:

Manish Arora Fish Fry, 412 Emporio DLF Place, New Delhi

www.manisharora.ws