Words fall short when one comes to describe Ashish Soni. He has attained remarkable success in the global fashion world. Creativity of a designer and traits of an entrepreneur have been beautifully gelled together, which makes him a big name in the burgeoning fashion industry. His innovativeness has a strong Indian bond that has been well amalgamated with the western education, to give a perfect balance of Indian and western style creations. Ashish Soni’s instinctive and inventive style of creating garments makes them an elegant piece of attire. The numerous exposures to the various international forums have refined his artistic skills.

Ashish Soni was one of the 25 students who had been selected from a mass of 7000 applicants for a Bachelor’s degree in Design and Clothing technology, from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi. He graduated from NIFT in 1991 and had a whooping start, with the launch of his brand "Ashish Soni" in 1992. Since then, there has been no looking back for this creative soul. In the year 1993, he opened up his own design studio by the name "Ikos".

• He was the first Indian designer to be invited at the Olympus Fashion Week, held in New York.

• He has also exhibited his collection at the London Fashion Week and Tranoi in Paris.

• He has worked closely with the House of Francois Lasage, Paris.

• Ashish Soni has also participated in the Festival of India 1996 in Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore and in AEPC Road Show held in New York, Paris, and London

• His potential of a class designer was also visible when he showcased his spring/summer collection at the Carlton Tower in London in 1998. The event was in collaboration with BVLGARI.

• He was chosen by the Government of India to showcase his exclusive collection to commemorate the Millennium celebrations of Khajuraho in 2000.

Ashish N Soni has been appointed the President of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). He succeeds Ritu Kumar, and was elected by the new board of Governors represented by David Abraham, Monisha Jaising, Rocky S, Anjana Bhargava, Bobby Grover, Jattin Kochhar, Karuna Khaitan, Manish Arora, Manoviraj Khosla, Niki Mahajan, Pali Sachdev, Paras Bairoliya, Payal Jain, Rina Dhaka and Varun Bahl – truly pan-Indian representation of designers

Ashish Soni’s creative, yet elegant styles, flawless artistry and enduring fashion statements, in the stream of both attires and accessories, have won him great accolades in the fashion fraternity. His clients include who’s who of public figures, media personalities, and leading entrepreneurs. His creations are retailed throughout the country, starting from Carma in New Delhi; Ensemble, Vama and Pyramids in Mumbai; Ffolio in Bangalore and Madras to Ogaan in Kolkata. Overseas, Ashish`s creations can also be found at "Fasateen" in Dubai. His collections are also available at Beams in Japan; Penelope in Italy; Tsum in Russia and Villa Moda in Kuwait. He has his Flagship store in Delhi. Following great success, he also launched his flagship store, ‘Ashish N Soni Store’, at ‘The Courtyard’, in Mumbai.

You can get Ashish N Soni at:

E-263,G.K-II, New Delhi

Website:  www.ashishnsoni.com

Being a designer from the fashion Mecca of India – Mumbai, one might expect her to be a holder of professional degree in Fashion. But to everyone’s surprise, she is not…because the brainy woman is an MBA. She completed her education and began designing for her near and dear ones seeing that her creative instincts had already kicked in. Word spread and one mere exhibition rolled in successful to launch the label Archana Kochhar.  

She designs for the woman of today who is well versed with all that’s up-to-the-minute and knows it well to mix fad with tradition. On being inquired on her inspiration, she says “Being a creative and nature oriented human, I am inclined to things that are naturally gorgeous and something which celebrates life. Plus, history is something I keep on referring for my creations -from luxurious lifestyle of Maharajas to rich Venetian arts, French dynasty, Roman drapes and lot more.” 

• Archana Kochhar holds an empire of three exclusive boutiques in Mumbai.

• This decade saw her participation in all major fashion weeks; LFW, BFW, PFW, Source India fashion show etc.

• Her recent line showcased at Bangalore Fashion Week was purchased by Arissa of Vishal Sarees for mass production.

• She has leading industrialists, business tycoons and other famed glitterati on her client list.

Times gone by may lend her an original brainwave but on the fashion arena, it’s Elie Saab who incredibly merges embellishments with interesting silhouettes and celebrated designer Alexander Mcqueen famous for his construction techniques who inspire her to jump the fashion industry queue.

She holds a desire to revive the Indian soul in her fashion line by employing traditional embroideries and home fabrics to support Indian Art and Crafts.

Archana has a lineage of three stores in the city of Mumbai from where she caters to the luxury needs of the fashion conscious buyer and is truly riding up. She was infact invited by Galleries L’Fayette, Paris, to parade her collection with leading international fashion brands like Kenzo, Ungaro, and Christian Lacroix. And not to miss on the fact that our Bollywood glitterati comprising of Katrina Kaif, Dia Mirza, Sameera Reddy, Amrita Rao, Mahima Chaudhary, Minisha Lamba, Urvashi Sharma, Raima Sen, Parizad Zorabian and Jaqueline Fernandes are few among those who rank her as a favourite.

Lending advice notes to each and every fashion forward being, she suggests “Everybody has the right to look pretty and dress the way you want. One should be a smart shopper rather than label slaves. Invest in timeless pieces which can never be out of fashion. Invest in neutrals which one can dress up or dress down with clever accesorization. Recycle your old piece by altering them and create your do-it-yourself looks, by introducing an element of quirk. Support nature by investing in eco-friendly dyed products and organic fabrics.”

You can get Archana Kochhar at:

20, Swastik Plaza, V.M. Road

Next to Kala Niketan, JVPD Scheme

Ville Parle(W), Mumbai – 40049

Designer Anjana Bhargav styles clothes with a lot of fun. Being in the industry for quite some time, Anjana feels that globalization has opened up avenues for young and dynamic women and with it, the options of women designers as well. To be in sync with demand for comfortable, yet stylish outfits for women, designers are trying out all possibilities of being creative. Anjana emphasizes silhouette and is willing to take risks. In one collection, she mixed fur and boots with her Indian outfits, to create a unique look. Every time, Anjana tries to give four to five looks to in her collection. She has been a dreamer ever since her childhood. For her, visuals are always more important than words.

With a formal degree in Textile Designing and pattern cutting with a French Instructor, combined with an inherent sense of aesthetics, Anjana established Studio A, a design studio in New Delhi. Anjana has had several showings in Sharjah, London, Kathmandu, New York and Germany, along with showings of her collections in Delhi.

• Launched her first collection at a fashion show in 1994 with Bina Ramani, one of India’s leading designers and pioneer of the Indian fashion industry. This was soon followed by a solo fashion show “An Indian Summer”, which was held at the prestigious UNESCO Hall in Paris.
• Anjana was recommended by the Ministry of External Affairs to represent ‘Women Entrepreneurs’ at the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Conference held in Paris in the year 2000, where over 300 women entrepreneurs across the globe shared their experiences.
• She has been commissioned to upgrade and develop the curriculum for the Usha International Fashion Institute (Usha International has the largest network of Usha sewing schools across the country).
• Anjana designed and fabricated jackets for the prestigious PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Conference for Delhi Tourism held in April’ 2002 in New Delhi.
• Designed and fabricating uniforms for Hotel Grand Intercontinental, New Delhi and the ITC Group of hotels across the country.

The Anjana Bhargav label reflects silhouettes where each collection has an inspiration, with accessories on garments as her hallmark. Her designs resurrect patterns and skills of ancient arts into the rhythm of modern life, keeping the accent always on comfort, wearability and affordability to suit every woman’s budget.

You can get Anjana Bhargav at:

135, Sunder Nagar, New Delhi

 Website: www.anjanabhargav.com

The Hyderabad based designer, Anand Kabra is a name synonymous with high end fashion, aestheticism and craftsmanship. Regular at the fashion weeks around the country, Anand is greatly influenced by Indian clothes especially Hyderabad designs like Kara Dupatta and Zardozi and it can be seen clearly in his work which narrates the beautiful Indian story.

Born in a Marwari family, Anand enrolled for medicine after school but dropped out after his first year to follow his true calling, fashion. He went to London School of Fashion to pursue fashion designing and there he explored an artist in himself. He got through with flying colors and a ripe perspective to finally start his eponymous label in India.

Over the time the ‘Anand Kabra’ label has been named as one for the quintessential global woman. A free spirited label, unconfined by predictable style statements or territorial boundaries, mirror Anand’s ability to tap into a larger collective sensitivity. The label’s raison deter is its ability to tell a story through vivid colors, vibrant motifs and embellishments. Each season is an exploration of a concept that is executed and interpreted in myriad ways, to wholly encompass a word ‘collection’.

A strong thematic drives each line by the designer narrating an emotion, a motif or a story. A single unifying theme cohesively ties his each collection and this distinction is very much the leitmotif of Anand’s work.  The practical yet extraordinarily creative and innovative collection by Anand sets an awe inspiring balance between a global and Indian sensibility.

The label ‘Anand Kabra’ retails from the big fashion stores like Aza, Ensemble, Ogaan, Elahe, Maiah, Collage and Evoluzione apart from his flagship store in Hyderabad.

You can get Anand’s designs at:

www.anandkabra.com

The talented designer who loves to see the world with his untainted distinct sight to create fashion wonders hails from the city of Delhi and runs a design label ‘Anand Bhushan’  focusing on high fashion popping out of innovative textiles which he is famously known for.

Anand Bhushan is an award winning post graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and a graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, but more than his formal education informs his training and experience as a designer. An understanding of where fashion and textile has been and where it may be going is vital to Anand’s technique and to his creative process. This understanding mingling with Anand’s design sensibility and desire to create something different from the league makes him one of the most celebrated designer of the Indian fashion fraternity.

The label ‘Anand Bhushan’ makes fashion creative but also able and continues to cultivate the modern, edgy take on upscale dressing which the designer has become known for. His garments always reflect a sense of novelty and innovation, presenting out of the box designs for the fashion lovers. Mingling contemporary western silhouettes with the Indian crafts and techniques keeping his distinct approach, Anand is excelled in creating the ensembles which entire world takes notice of with appreciation and reverence.

The designer retails from his store ‘Anand Bhushan’ in Noida.

You can get Anand’s designs at:

www.anandbhushan.com

The Delhi based designer, Abhishek Gupta who graduated from NIFT is a proud winner of the Air France International Young Fashion Designers Award and had had worked with the couturier Rohit Bal before starting on his own.

Abhishek has a line of classic Indian clothes for men and women which he sells under his own name. He pays great attention to cut and structure and his clothes portray a freshness of perspective, simple lines and assiduous detail. He likes to create textures on fabric using traditional and modern techniques to achieve a look that is unique and contemporary yet deeply rooted in Indian Craft. Fine appliqué and cutwork that can be sometimes mistaken for prints and exquisite quilting are some of his trademark techniques.

The designer is recognized for his distinctive style and language which makes gives his garments a formidable quotient. Like an artist Abhishek portrays the world by weaving his thoughts and inspirations to craft the beautiful pieces. Mixing Indian elements with western concepts his collection challenges classic dress codes by channeling together alternative concepts to create a multifaceted prism of cultural hybridization.

The designer is also the proud recipient of “Breakthrough Designer 2004” at the Kingfisher Fashion Awards & “Breakthrough Designer” at MTV Style Awards 2007.

The designer currently retails from his flagship store at DLF Emporio, Delhi and through other premiere boutiques across India like Aza, Evoluzione, Muse, Samsara, Personna and Elahe.

From Michael Jackson to bridal wears, the young designer from Pearl Academy has vowed to take his audiences by surprise. He presents an unusual theme in his every collection that sets him apart from other designers. His colour palette is vibrant and fiery with pink, fuchsia, maroon, red and orange with touches of gold mostly being used for women’s wear. Short pants, knee-length trousers, narrow pants and short dresses embellished with an Indian element, gold pitta work are his forte. Abdul Halder has been successful in fusing innate aesthetics with posh sophistication of today’s cosmopolitan culture. He caters to both men’s and women’s wear. The ensemble for both men and women has been perfected to achieve feminity and chivalry with élan. His couture range comprises of voluptuous evening gowns with volumes and sorted silhouettes. The line is explored in bright pinks, blues, browns, dusty blacks and other dark colours which easily state superiority and bring with them an added sense of royalty.

He mostly uses fabrics like mélange of silk taffetas, chiffons and nets intricately adorned with lots of ruching (gathering), appliqués, cut works and inserts as surface ornamentation on jackets, dresses and gowns. The most attractive element in his men’s wear ensemble is the skill to simulate chiffon ruching on denims. All these add to the viewer’s and the wearer’s excitement. Further the contrasts add deeper effect to the basic colour range. The designer has achieved upbeat sophistication in putting together a complete look with limited but innovative accesorization and has played dramatically with fabrics and surface detailing.

• He started his career designing for the king of pop Michael Jackson in 2002 when he designed a complete wardrobe inspired by the Indian emperors of the past for him.

• Then moved to work with the famous Italian fashion house SB Italia.

• Debuted at the Lakme Fashion Week ’06.

• The only designer to showcase his collection at the United Nation General Assembly, New York 2nd July 08.

You can get Abdul at:

49, Shahpur Jat, Near Asiad Village, New Delhi

Website: www.abdulhalder.com