Top 10 Fashion Designers of India (2024)

Shubham Anil Jain
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited
Bangalore, India
Email: shubhamajain125@gmail.com

Introduction:
Fashion is a very big term that covers a wide range of concepts. In recent years, the Indian fashion industry has experienced great expansion. It is no longer restricted to India; but also has established a global presence. The specialty of Indian fashion industry is that, it has always been vibrant and dynamic. As it is fact that, fashion here changes every few days. From managing traditional forms of clothing and turning them into a branded new contemporary art of clothing to designing a completely new fashion style and design, they do it all. But what one observes is the fashion, the trends, and not the artistic hands behind the craft and they are hero of picture that is fashion designers.

List of Top 10 Fashion Designers of India:

1. Manish Malhotra:
The name which come on the top of the list is Manish Malhotra, Bollywood’s very own fashion designer and stylist for every celebrity either it’s off screen or on screen. He has started his career as a model, Manish Malhotra put his toes in the fashion design industry and gave a remarkable debut on Gumrah with Sridevi having very less or no experience. It is truth that, he has easily become one of the top 5 fashion designers in India. His garments feature the correct combination of traditional yet beautifully modern aesthetics look to highlight major events like weddings. From Michael Jackson and Reese Witherspoon to Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif and many more in the list, he has styled some of the biggest celebrities of all time.

2. Rohit Bal:
He is specially known for his deep interest in designing as an art form. Also, his attention towards detailing is something that is worth mentioning. He was born in Srinagar; this designer has started designing career since 1990 and initiated his label in the same year. He has held many fashion shows in Paris, New York, Singapore, Geneva and in all over the major cities of India. He has connected with many Indian and international brands such as Christian Louboutin, Kirtilal Jewellers, Zippo Lighters and very recently with international textile company, Reid & Taylor.

3. Anita Dongre:
The inspiration of her designs are Indian culture, heritage and craftsmanship. In 2008, she was honored with an award for Excellence in Fashion Design. Her designs famous under four different brands, namely Anita Dongre, Anita Dongre Grassroot, and Global Desi. Out of these, Anita Dongre brand basically deals with bridal and menswear, Anita Dongre had deep core interest for organic clothes, for western wear and Global Desi for ethnic lovers. She has 13 stores in India and 2 international stores, of which one was opened recently in SoHo, the fashion designer is enough ready to set an example in the world of designing. She is also highly interested towards Indian culture.

4. Sabyasachi Mukherjee:
He is from Kolkata and started his designing in 1999 and his culture and heritage have always heavily impacting his designs. Traditional and Indian is his speciality and he gets his motivation for the scenic views and backdrops of Kolkata. In one of his interviews, Sabyasachi explained his style as ‘personalized imperfection of the human hand’. Within just 3 years of his label started, he was been honoured for the outstanding young designer by Femina British council. In 2002, he showcased at India Fashion Week and later, he also joined in many international fashion weeks like Mercedes Benz fashion week, Kuala Lumpur and Miami fashion weeks. He has in total 18 stores in India and about 6 international stores. His designs include both men and women wear, even apart from the clothing, he designs accessories also.

5. Tarun Tahiliani:
He is known for his superb vision for fusion and different combinations. Tarun Tahiliani is the explorer of multi-designer boutiques in India. As a noted fashion designer, he has gained lot of popularity, name and fame with his meticulous idea of combining the traditional Indian heritage with different European styles. He is prominently known for his best collection of bridal trousseaus. He designed dresses for, Katrina Kaif, Dia Mirza, Lisa Haydon, Esha Gupta, Hrithik Roshan, Arjun Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Sonam Kapoor etc. As well as he has flagship Stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad.

6. Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla:
Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla is considered as India’s most popular Couturiers. With a deep interest in fashion designing both Abu and Sandeep met each other in 1986 and decided to collaborate together and originated the House of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. They are specially known for their various blends of traditional designs with a contemporary effect. They are the ones who re-created the chikan and zardozi art work and once again made it so popular. They have many labels which include, ‘Asal by Abu Sandeep’, ‘Gulabol by Abu Sandeep’, and ‘Mard by Abu Sandeep’. They have designed costumes for Dimple Kapadia, Jaya Bachchan, and Parmeshwar Godrej and their flagship stores are in Mumbai and Delhi.

7. Shantanu & Nikhil:
This combination of brother has been ruling in the fashion industry for over two decades. With a good team that is equally co-operative in terms of fashion as well as finance, Shantanu & Nikhil are truly a force to be recognized with. Their objective of design is to target the urban youth market by collections that feed to their needs specifically. These well blended ranges are the correct combination of vintage and contemporary looks with just the proper amount of athleticism whenever required. One can go in deeper into this sporty side with their famous collaboration with popular sports brand, Adidas.

8. Anamika Khanna:
This designer’s achievement are something to truly be proud of as she is the first ever fashion designer who participated at the Paris Fashion Week. She is also the first designer to have an international label with her called “Ana Mika”. Her designs were featured under the BOF (Business of Fashion) and viewed as amazing revolutionary for mixing Indian traditional textiles with western designs and culture. Anamika’s designs are truly outstanding and have greatly influenced over the latest flow of trends. The much renowned dhoti saree and the idea of using capes in Indian garments are the result of her projects.

9. Ritu Kumar:
At the age of 73, she is one of the eldest Indian fashion designers. She has a background in ancient history and museology, her knowledge of ancient designs and traditional craftsmanship has created a new epoch of designing in India. Undoubtedly, she is one of the top fashion designers who have covered the gap between traditional and modern wear. Also, she is the one who initiated the boutique culture in India. She has more than 50 stores in India and a pair of them in abroad; this designer definitely deserves to be on the list of top fashion designers in India.

10. Masaba Gupta:
She is totally a brand in herself. At the young age of 19, she started “House of Masaba” her own garment brand, just after graduating from college. She is particularly known as the ‘Queen of Prints’ globally she was recognized in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2017. Her specialty includes designing quirky fusion wear that blends the traditions of the past with modernity. She has designed for Maybelline New York, Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and many others. Her Flagship Stores are in Mumbai, Delhi, Guugram, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.

Conclusion:
Indian fashion industry is all about presenting tradition and culture in a modern and western way. It’s all about intricate designs, prints, patterns and attention to detail. The credit of making Indian fashion globally popular entirely goes to the fashion designers of India. Due to importance of fashion in everyday life, for everyone from fashionistas to any regular person, fashion designers in India have become guides or mentor that many look up to. Indian fashion, in particular, has seen good growth over the last few decades, with inclusivity and freedom of expression now being tied to one’s personal style. Now, whether it’s men, women and children alike can easily select from a range of vibrant to subdued styles to put together a wardrobe that feels most like them.

References:

1. 17 Top Fashion Designers in India Leading the Fashion Industry byTrupti Thakkar/July 20, 2022
2. https://shilpaahuja.com/20-top-fashion-designers-india/
3. Who are the Top 10 Fashion Designers of India? By Nandni, May 10, 2022, https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/fashion/who-are-the-top-10-fashion-designers-of-india
4. The 3 Important Facts for Being a Fashion Designer, https://work.chron.com/3-important-being-fashion-designer-10323.html
5. https://studentscholarships.org/salary/638/fashion_designers.php

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