Those who swear by fashion as a definite way of life knows how much of a deal it is to arrive at a style game that is in sync with the modes of the world. Be it heavily ethnic, contemporarily chic or uber modern, fashion requires you to exhibit and implement your creative senses in ways that are unique and differentiated from the rest. Here are the top 10 fashion designers in India every fashion fanatic must follow-
Masaba Gupta
Source: The Indian Express
Young, spunky and quirky- Masaba Gupta’s designer creations are very much an impersonation of herself. One of the youngest features in the top 10 fashion designers in India, Masaba Gupta’s fashion game is sleek and pretty as she dabbles in an enchanting fusion of the traditional with the modern.
It isn’t just her designs that are easy to carry off and are in sync with the commonplace nuances of every day life. It’s also about the fabric that is extremely lightweight and high on flair. No wonder, Gupta’s Indian influences imprinted on the comfort of cotton or muslin, are finding more takers with such ease.
The 2013 PETA India’s Most Talented Deigner, Masaba’s creativity bodes well not just in the looks but also in the artistically meaningful names of each of her collections. Uniquely Indian and traditionally modern, Masaba Gupta is definitely one of the most unconventional fashion minds you would come across.
Manish Malhotra
Source: Twitter
One of the most prominent names that strike you as being one among the top 10 fashion designers in India is the suave Manish Malhotra. From being synonymous with showcasing fusion costumes in Indian movies to helping Indian fashion embark on the global stage, Malhotra is one man who is acclaimed for being a brilliant fashion designer.
Whether it be experimenting with the brightest colors or the most royal of tradition elements of Indian wear, Malhotra has scaled the diversions between traditional and modernity. The famed King of Couture, Malhotra’s designs sport intricacy and extravagance in embroideries, making his creations a luxurious treat to behold for the eyes.
Ritu Kumar
Source: VOGUE India
Ritu Kumar is another designer from India with a remarkable presence in the world fashion circuit. A recipient of France’s Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and India’s Padmi Shri Award as also the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for her contributions to fashion, textiles and craftsmanship, Kumar has virtually transformed traditional elements of aesthetics into something more modern and sophisticated.
Indian fabrics and Indian influence find heavy favor in Kumar’s design and fashion style. Ritu Kumar is also the official designer for Miss India contestants in India as well as at the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Asia Pacific pageants.
Her immense understanding of art history led her to establish a label that is progressive, traditional and contemporary. Steeped with her love for all things Indian, Kumar’s sartorial stance is all encompassing of the diversity and beauty that the rich Indian heritage takes pride in. Ancient patterns find glorious expression in her high end designs of boutique couture that she introduced to India.
Anamika Khanna
Source: DNA India
The first Indian designer to present her label at the Paris Fashion Week, Anamika Khanna is a name that has been a phenomenon in the fashion circuit since long now. Her distinct style and signature innovative designs is what makes her one of the most prominent among top 10 fashion designers in India.
Khanna is also the first Indian designer to have an international label by the name Ana Mika, in collaboration with another reputed fashion designer Manish Arora. The label was also offered an exclusive contract by British Retail Giant Harrod’s after her participation in the London Fashion Week.
What makes Anamika Khanna’s style statement a wonder to do up is the versatility and endurance of trends that she puts into fore. Whether it be the dhoti sarees or the cape trend, her repertoire of innovative fashion exploits has the fashion pundits raving about her style game. Western touches of contemporary style rev up Indian traditional fashion statements in all those unique designs Khanna has on offer.
Manish Arora
Source: Pinterest
For someone whose eponymous fashion label made a phenomenal debut at the London Fashion Week, Manish Arora definitely packs a punch as being one of the frontliners among the top 10 fashion designers in India. With an extensively diversified color palette further enhancing the magnificence of his intricate designs and exquisitely Indian feel to a contemporary collection, Arora’s creations speak color and spunky in their every interpretation.
Vibrant motifs are an equally enchanting feature of his curated style compilation. In fact, Arora’s cool and candid fashion statement has led him to be favoured by reputed brands and international magazines. Minimalism has never been made so lofty as Manish Arora managed to, that too in style!
Tarun Tahiliani
Source: Hindustan Times
Another designer who has made it a point to remain true to his roots even when going global is Tarun Tahiliani, the Karl Lagerfeld of India. His creations are an opulent show of traditional beauty bordering on the appeal of contemporary elegance.
The first ever Indian designer to have showcased his work at the Milan Fashion Week, Tarun Tahiliani is also credited with introducing Ensemble-the first multi designer boutique in the country. With an intense focus on handiwork that seeks to stand out in his creations, Tahiliani sure is one of the finest when it comes to designer manifestation of Indian culture in the country.
Tahiliani’s trademark design staple is a mix of the Indian textile heritage with European tailored silhouette. Italian pattern tailoring find inclusion in his default cynosure leaning towards Indian craftsmanship further enhanced by modern technologies. Naturally, his creations hold a place of their own, meticulous and magnificent, but spectacularly artistic and gorgeous.
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
Source: Telegraph India
The Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla is one of India’s oldest and most celebrated Couture Houses and is a brand particularly coveted for its formal, occasion and bridal wear. Heavy embellishments, traditional designs and an extensive use of glittering mirrors and stunning whites largely dominate the collection of this designer duo who have been together since 1986.
Their use of the finest fabrics provide an even more exquisite feel to the intricately embroidered and heavily designed masterpieces of design and creation. Perhaps there’s no any other that can do ethnic fashion as fine as this duo.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Source: Anandabazar Patrika
A graduate from the prestigious National Institute of Technology, Femina British Council’s most outstanding young Designer of India awardee Sabyasachi Mukherjee is another of the top 10 fashion designers in India. Royal, statement making creations are the trademark of his design journey that is a massive hit particularly with his breath takingly gorgeous evokation of bridal trousseau.
Fine detailing and exquisite patterns find life in his vibrantly crafted fashion pieces that is heavily influenced by his native Kolkata roots. With an eye for the soulful designs that Indian tradition partakes of and the innate understanding of western styles, Mukherjee dwells at perfectioning the imperfections in his designs that has come to be celebrated and lauded for their grand stature and regal essence.
However, it isn’t just traditional elements and designs that are the forte of this young designer. He also dabbles with indigenous Indian fabrics and with his skillful use of Indian fabric Khadi has helped it in attaining a foothold in the international platform.
Sanjukta Dutta
Source: Sanjukta’s Studios
An engineer turned fashion designer from Assam, the land that has forever been abuzz with youthful creativity and timeless beauty, Sanjukta Dutta is another of the Indian fashion designers who have caught international attention. Her debut at the 72nd edition of Cannes Film Festival further cemented her position as one of the acclaimed designers of the country.
Dutta is known for her experimentations with and devotion to popularising the Mekhela Sador- a traditional dress of the Assamese women folk. Empowering rural artisans and reviving the Assamese handicraft industry while redesigning this piece of Assamese beauty has been another objective of the talented designer. Dutta has also been the 2018 recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Excellence Awards in the ‘Best fashion designer’ of the year category.
Apart from Cannes, Dutta’s designs were also showcased at the 2019 Gurugram International Couture Week (GICW). She was also one of the designers at the Lakme Fashion Week and a host of Bollywood celebrities including the likes of Preity Zinta, Karisma Kapoor and Bipasha Basu have donned her creations.
Rohit Bal
Source: Livemint
Time Magazine described him as “India’s master of fabric and fantasy” and it isn’t for nothing that Indian designer Rohit Bal has been subjected to such adulation. Exquisite detailing and maverick craftsmanship are the hallmarks of Bal’s creations that are steeped in a wide range of varied influences.
Rohit Bal’s designs are a brilliant mix of the traditional and the urban, transitioning in a way that makes the creation a phenomenal one to behold, rather than just a fusion of sorts. Undoubtedly, this one among the top 10 fashion designers in India has an intense understanding of how art can transform mere pieces of clothing to intricate specimens of aesthetic masterpieces.
