It would be unfair on our part not to mention about the commendable contribution made by her to the Indian fashion world as well as its international counterpart. The ease with which she works reflects in her designs as well.

Incidentally she’s one of the designers apart from Ritu Kumar who’s associated with the Indian fashion industry when it was still in it’s nascent stage. Krishna Mehta’s rendezvous with designing began in February 1982.Accomplishing the fashion designing masters in 1978 from the Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Sydenham Collage of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai in 1981 and an extensive training in weaving at the Weavers Service Centre, Mumbai, Krishna joined the family business of garments exports ,way back in 1982. In a span of nine years, she has established herself as one of India’s leading designers. In 1989, Krishna took the fledgling Indian fashion industry by storm with her menswear collection. Her perfectly cut and impeccably finished lines have established her as a respected name in men’s fashion.

• The first menswear designer.
• Krishna introduced her Indo-West and fusion lines for women in 1991 which were also the first of its kind to be seen in the country.
• In order to make her garments within the reach of a larger market, Krishna launched "K2", her label for ready-to-wear garments for women in 1998.
• The brands ‘Krishna Mehta’ and ‘K2’ are available in her franchisee store in Baroda, Ensemble in Mumbai and Delhi and across all ‘Be’ stores in India and Dubai. Her label is synonymous with classic designs of understated elegance. They are relaxed yet bold, in keeping with the pace of the contemporary life.

Krishna Mehta could easily be called the ‘Priestess of Classicism’ who has continued perfecting her designs and styles, realizing the acute awareness of Indian Fashion internationally. Her creations are miles apart from other designer collections and they can very well be recognized miles away at any place on the globe due to her distinctive style.

You can get Krishna at:

A/1,432, Shah & Nahar Ind.Estate, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Tel: +91 22 24915410 / 12

Fax: +91 22 24915414

krishna@krishnamehta.com

Website: www.krishnamehta.com

A product of the London School Of Fashion, Mandira honed her skills in the art of fashion designing from the international malls of London. Fusion being her mainstay; her clothes exude class and wearability that is reflected in her easy silhouettes, minimal embroideries and in straight and structured cuts.

Wirk describes designing as a “passion turned profession”. She rightly believes that design and style are an extension of a person’s personality and attitude. What sets this passionate designer apart is her vision. She uses a variety of fabrics like Silk, Crepe, Satin, Tussar, Blends, Jamavar, Georgette, Zari and Tissue and creates designs that suit the millennium-working woman. Her creations are a symbol of subtlety and many of her designs bear the forte of being seamless in their style. Her clothes have the simplicity of a genius, with attention to every meticulous detail.

Her first break in the fashion industry was with Rina Dhaka in 1999 and Wirk describes it as a great learning experience. She created a furore in the fashion arena with her 2001 Fall/Winter collection ‘Dawn To Dusk’ at Maurya Sheraton. In 2002, Mandira showcased her spring summer 2002 collection at the Lakme India Fashion Week followed by her highly acclaimed Fall/winter collection 2002.  ‘Mandira Wirk’ is a designer wear label that has evolved over the last decade as a brand. March 2005 saw Mandira launching her prêt label ‘MW2’ with her Spring Summer 2005 collection ‘Colours of Spring’ at the Mist, Park Hotel.

The striking young designer has a presence in Munich, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. In New Delhi she retails through her own exclusive stores at "The Crescent" at the Qutub & The MGF Metropolitan Mall.

You can get Mandira at:

S – 6 2nd Floor, ‘The Crescent’ at the Qutab

Lado Sarai, New Delhi

High on aesthetics and creativity, Pallavi was raised in Jaipur where she was always exposed to fine arts and crafts. Her upbringing in a cultural context exposed her to play with the different colors, fabrics and works which can still be seen in her work lucidly.

Pallavi was always determined to pursue fashion and channelize her creative urges by creating something admirable. She headed to the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi in 1998 to follow her passion, and later on completion of her academics, went on to work for Vandana- Mukesh Luthra’s fashion house followed by a brief stint with Malini and Beena Ramani.

In her spare time Pallavi set about assimilating designer clothes from various stores across the country to develop a thorough understanding of trends and patterns that drove this industry. The objective was obviously to get ‘Pallavi Design Studio’ on the road that personified creativity. A humble beginning in Jaipur at the age of 23 by creating demand from friends and family gave her the knack of making the wearable utterly desirable. One thing led to another and within 2 years she set up a fully equipped production unit complete with artisans, tailors and such like.

Pallavi designs sensual clothing that does not scream for attention. She works with both Indian and western clothing and fusion of both remains her forte. Formals, semi formals, and club wear in crepes and georgettes are interplayed with a mix of brocades, tissues, silks and tie-dyes to create a formidable range. What’s more, she has enhanced her skills to highlight embroideries like aari-tari, mirror work, dabka-zardosi, mukaesh, resham, gota patti with sequins, beads and crystals in vibrant colours, the final product being not only appealing but also elegant.

It is serious fashion that she is after. Her aim is to create silhouettes that are timeless and yet very trendy and her vision is to carve a sense of invisible bravado in easy, luxurious and resplendent designs.

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.

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 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

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

Pallavi Mohan believes in making fashion easy yet edgy, affordable yet stylish and fun. She studied art at the Camberwell College of Art & Design, London. After which she pursued a degree in Textile Design from the Chelsea College of Art & Design. Before launching her label “Not So Serious” Pallavi was the creative force for Magnolia Martinique, positioned as the head of product design she has worked with numerous international labels such as Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, Costume International, Miss Sixty, Pinko, Guess Jeans, Paul & Jo, Valentino Group and John Galliano. This experience gave her an international design sensibility and a keen understanding about the demands and functioning of the industry at a global stage.

• 2007, Pallavi launched her private label “NOT SO SERIOUS”
• First showcase at WIFW for AW09 in 2009
• SS10 collection exhibited at Pure, London in 2009
• Showcased at Prêt a Porter, Paris in September 2009