The Best 10 Fashion Designers in Mumbai
Home to innovative trends, exquisite designs, and evolving talent, India is home to some of the world’s most prolific fashion designers.
With a niche that is unparalleled, these fashion designers have disrupted the foundation of Indian fashion to its core and structured it into a bountiful, ever-evolving world of style.
They possess unmatched skill, a deep comprehension of textiles, a unique understanding of hues, and an ever-evolving mind that illustrates Fashion in India as prestigious and highly coveted.
Mumbai, the land where dreams come true, is home to a plethora of models, actors, and fashion influencers. Subsequently, it is a testament to the talent that lies within this avant-garde city.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
In the summer of 1999, Sabyasachi Mukerjee graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India. A few months later, he inaugurated his legendary label, which started with a workforce of just three people. Having won the Femina British Council’s most outstanding young Designer of India award in 2001, he subsequently completed an internship with Georgina Von Etzdorf -a diverse designer in Salisbury. After which he returned home with not only ideas, but also vigour to succeed in the industry, consequently retailing at all the major stores in India.
With his simplistic design philosophy-‘Personalized imperfection of the human hand’, Sabyasachi has received global acclaim for his groundbreaking work in the industry. He is ever inspired by his hometown Kolkata, with his brand deep-rooted in traditional diversity and the cultural heritage of India.
His independent creativity and arduous passion have revamped the way traditional Indian wear was initially perceived.
Sabyasachi’s creations display portrayals of ancient medieval ages, calling it- ‘International styling with an Indian soul’. His designs are an amalgamation of unique fabrics and textures, with patchwork and exquisite embellishments; all in a vivacious colour palette.
These intricate details harmonise to bring about exquisitely elaborate illusions of grandeur. His collection showcases ornate anarkalis, sarees, and suits along with a mixture of traditional and contemporary gowns.
Particularly, Sabyasachi’s wedding attire has given bridal wear a new meaning by enhancing silhouettes of Indian culture laced with glamour, exuding opulence and royalty escalating his brand to an astounding level of success.
At Sabyasachi, the artistry, brand identity, and creativity are woven together to create a fabric of magnificence, bringing together years of tradition and skill resulting in opulent resplendence.
Sabyasachi Couture Pvt.Ltd Ador House.6K Dubash marg Opp: Lion Gate, Kalaghoda Mumbai – 400001 Ph: +91 9082745249 / +91 9820162029 Email: mumbairetail@sabyasachi.com
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra’s inestimable designs have been showcased in hundreds of movies, making him a prominent name in the Indian fashion design community. With a superstar team of 700 professionals, specialists, and design mavens spread across India and the globe, his illustrious label has been thriving for 14 years, bringing us countless awe-inspiring creations.
Manish Malhotra was born in London and then brought up in Mumbai. He began as a costume designer in 1990, and has since speckled the nation with stores and has styled an overabundance of stars.
He also designed costumes for Indian Movies and has been modernizing Indian conventional apparel through his unique sense of style and design.
In 1998, he launched his label showcasing intricately woven outfits with precise embellishments and exquisite embroidery. He played an enormous role in displaying Indian fashion on a global platform. His outfits possess magical capabilities of seamlessly transferring to the international arena. He has had the illustrious honour of designing a custom-made outfit for Michael Jackson and the Princess of Riyadh.
His client list sparkles with noted celebrities such as Jean Claude van Damme, Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue, Nick Jonas, and Naomi Campbell just to name a few. He has reinvented the designing capabilities of a craftsman by exploring true style and breaking through barriers of cultural confinement.
In Bollywood, he is widely known for successful makeovers of actors by providing them with a style narrative that is not only individualistic but carried over off-screen as well, giving them a true voice of style. He believes in finding inspiration in everything around him, be it a segment of nature or a piece of architecture. With a keen eye and unmitigated natural style, he is a true fashionista for the people.
He is the original fashion influencer and the first designer to truly break through the shackles of tradition and make a bold statement, carving his stance as a luxury designer.
Masaba Gupta
After graduating from SNDT Women’s University of Mumbai in 2009, she launched her self-named brand that very year.
Subsequently showcasing her as a next-gen designer at Lakme Fashion Week. Known for her unabashed sense of colour and style, and breaking through barriers of confinement in attire and projection, Masaba took the fashion world by storm.
Her label is an unorthodox merger of culturally relevant Indian sensibilities and explosive modernism creating a unique, avant-garde line.
Steeped in innovation and abundant creativity, the house of Masaba produces eye-catching prints and styles that have garnered her critical acclaim.
The label works strenuously to bring out pioneering prints, keeping in mind the simplicity that Masaba was founded upon.
Having won accolades such as Best Emerging Designer in L’Oreal Paris Femina Award and PETA India’s Most Talented Designer of 2013, her sense of style has truly made a mark in the industry.
House of Masaba
406, MORYA HOUSE PREMISES CO-OP SOC LTD OFF NEW LINK ROAD, ANDHERI (WEST), Mumbai Mumbai City MH 400053 IN
Tarun Tahiliani
A household name in the realm of fashion, Tarun Tahiliani has marked himself in the community as an emblem of style. With brazen concepts and unmatched quality, his designs have garnered attention worldwide.
His creations are laced with unadulterated Indian zeal, with his ubiquitous talent luring masses internationally.
He has adorned a plethora of celebrities, making each statement iconic. The designer’s signature style is metamorphosing indigenous, regal drapes into contemporary, opulent attire that has no limit with its applications.
Major starlets have donned Tarun Tahiliani originals on many occasions. His designs can be described as an epitome of femininity, grace, and style. His bridal lehengas, conceptually designed sarees, and exquisitely embellished anarkhalis are some of his trademarks.
His creations feature luxury fabrics such as chikankari, tulle, banarasi, and silk. An eclectically gifted designer, Tarun Tahiliani loves incorporating digital prints, semi-precious stones, florals, and intricate embroidery.
His designs are peppered with elegant Mughal touches that transcend effortlessly to an age of royalty and opulence showcasing baroque embroidery, and sophisticated thread -work. Unstinting extents of chikankari bandhani, brocade, gotta and zardozi can always be spotted in all of Tarun Tahiliani’s collection.
His awe-inspiring designer gowns are also heavily in demand. He intricately combines tailored silhouettes with elegant designs resulting in breathtaking attire.
His couture breathes impeccable craftsmanship and elegance in simplicity, making him one of the most sought-after designers in Bollywood.
Ritu Kumar
Ritu Kumar is known for her exquisite utilization of colour, her deep comprehension of textures, and mystifying weavings all amounting to attire that is highly sought after. She has also been attributed to pioneering ‘boutique culture’ in India.
Ritu Kumar was born in Amritsar, and in 1964 she graduated from Lady Irwin College, Delhi, and attended university at Briarcliff College, New York.
While she had shops in India, Ritu Kumar opened branches in New York, London, and Paris as well. At the time, her company’s annual turnover peaked to the highest ever of any Indian fashion outlet, assessed at about 10 billion.
She began her stint as a fashion designer in Kolkata almost 40 years ago. She had a team of four hand-block printing aficionados in a nearby village that served as her executors of her vision.
From humble beginnings such as this, she has surpassed true success in the industry by becoming a household name with more than 30 stores across 14 cities in India.
Pioneering in the art of Indian fusion, she has received plenty of accolades. She received the prestigious Padma Shri award, and the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini award for her part in the advancement of the Indian fashion industry. Over the length of her career, she has been granted with many other honors.
She was also bestowed with the honour of the position of one of the founding members of the All India Artisans and Craft Workers Welfare Association.
Her work transcends cultural barriers and mirrors contemporary mindfulness in a traditional palette. She has a deep understanding of antiquated beauty and has the unique ability to untilise customized artwork, weaving this merger into fabrics of eternal regality.
Ground Floor,
Kwality House, Kemps Corner,
Mumbai – 400026, Maharashtra
Tel.: 022-23825621/ 23825622
Email: ritukempscornerri@ritukumar.com
Anita Dongre
Anita Dongre graduated from the SNDT Women’s University with a fashion designing degree. She offered her bridal collections to the best designer boutiques in the country for 12 years. She then launched the House of Anita Dongre, which was previously known as AND designs India Ltd. She saw the need for affordable, upscale western wear suitable to the Indian sensibility. With attire that was so seamlessly transferrable over a large audience, it soon became a household name. Anita Dongre then began Global Desi-an indo-western brand that showcases bold, vibrant attire that bellows boho-chic.
Anita Dongres bridal designs are crafted for the modern bride, with a receptivity of sustainable fashion and the acknowledgment of handmade customization. Lavish heritage techniques and the finest silks interweave in Anita Dongre’s Couture. Inspired by Rajasthan’s archaic majesty and traditional craftsmanship, she showcases custom-made Gotta patti lehengas, hand-woven Benarasi creations zardosi embellished designs and that are desired all over the globe.
Anita Dongre, Ground Floor, Everest Classic Building, Linking Rd, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400052
Phone: +9107045690822 / +91070456 90821
Manish Arora
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Manish Arora graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology.
In 1997, he started his label “Manish Arora” and began retailing in India. He then showcased his creations in the very first India Fashion Week. He also had the great distinction of representing India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week.
In 2001, he launched his second label “Fish Fry”, collaborating with the sportswear goliath Reebok, by designing chic athletic apparel. In the same year, he inaugurated his first-ever flagship boutique called ‘Manish Arora Fish Fry’. In the span of his career, he has been bestowed with a handful of accolades not only in India but globally as well.
In 2003, after showcasing his designs at the India Fashion week, he landed a deal with Maria Luisa in Paris, catapulting his venture in exports.
He continued to collaborate with mavens in the retail sector such as Swatch, MAC, and Reebok for his unique collections. Over the last decade, the very idea of women’s wear has morphed into an eclectic global non-withholding sensibility.
‘Indian by Manish Arora’ continues to tastefully dress the modern-day Indian woman.
He diversified his business by launching a jewelry line and also partnered with retail maven Biba.
Manish Arora is known for his sense of boldness in hues and wildly attractive designs that also provide the subtlety to be everyday wear. His recognition of fast evolvement in the fashion industry has lead him to create bright, accessible designs that are true to every season and every trend.
Indian by Manish Arora, Shop 5, Juhu Vasant Bahar, opposite Hotel Sea Princess, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai.
Neeta Lulla
Neeta Lulla is an illustrious fashion stylist and costume designer. She won the National Film Award from the President of India on more than 2 occasions for Best Costume Design in a Film and several other accolades for brilliance in the arena of fashion and costume designing. With a career spanning over more than two decades, she has worked tirelessly in a myriad of films and adorned some of the biggest stars in the industry.
Neeta Lulla gained international critical acclaim and cemented her importance in the industry with her exquisite creations of grandeur. Her designs in Devdas and Jodha Akbar were a true revelation in the realm of costume design in Bollywood. She has a unique ability to mirror the times of yore, mimicking expertly, the charisma and regality of the era.
The industrious designer then went on to launch her flagship store in Mumbai. Her gorgeous duplex store, adorned in ivory and dull gold showcases not only her bridal wear but also her diffusion line, which is called Neeta Lulla Nishq.
From the sophisticated guise in Chandni and the minimalistic shades of Yuva to the regal presence of Paro and most recently Jodha, the gifted designer has far surpassed expectations, making her an industry aficionado. Stark illusions of grandeur and exquisitely intricate designs coupled with fabric and design that is unparalleled, Neeta Lulla is truly a highly coveted artist in Bollywood.
6 RNA Classic, S V Road, Santacruz West, Mumbai 400054
Contact
+91 9930735750 / +91 22 26055580
store@neetalulla.com
Rohit Bal
Rohit Bal has cemented his reputation as an elite fashion designer with women’s and men’s fashion alike. He first studied in Srinagar and then later started at St Stephen’s College and graduated with a degree in History. He then catapulted his career by joining hands with his brother Rajiv Bal. Together, they came out with their first collection in 1990. Having won countless accolades over the years, Rohit Bal is a household name in the realm of fashion. He is also known for his style.
He went on to launch his line of clothing in 1990. From then on, he has gone on to become one of the most coveted designers and stylists in Bollywood. He has garnered incredible fame in the realm of fashion design not only in India but globally as well.
He has showcased his collections in many prestigious events in the biggest cities of the world. Rohit Bal merges Indian and western sensibilities. He moves away from the ordinary by avoiding over-embellished fabric, making his dresses elegant yet stately.
Having made his stand in the industry, his name is synonymous with fashion. A truly iconic Indian designer, he is the ambassador for Omega watches. His clientele includes industry mavens such as Madhuri Dixit and Sonam Kapoor while also having attracted international celebrities such as Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, and Pamela Anderson.
His trademark is his usage of peacock and lotus motifs. He often uses lush fabrics such as brocade or velvet. While his designs are elaborate and stately, he particularly has a knack for avoiding garishness or over embellishment, making his creations intricately tasteful.
Gaining inspiration from everything around him, Rohit Bal’s designs defy the norm and venture into the liberating zone of fashion. Embellished with luxuriance, complexity, and sartorial magnificence, Rohit Bal outfits are a class apart.
Bibhu Mohapatra
Bibhu Mohapatra hails from Rourkela, Mohapatra. In the year 2008, he launched his flagship label. His evening gowns and dresses have garnered a lot of attention. He has a star-studded clientele including the first lady of America- Michelle Obama.
While growing up with his family in Odisa, his love for luxurious Indian fabric and vibrant hues started to develop and get stronger. The early exposure to garment and textile creation inspires him to this day permeating throughout his designs with the intricacies of his childhood interweaved in his dresses.
Having moved to the US in 1996, he received his master’s from the Utah state university. However, his instinct for fashion took him to New York in 1999, where he studied in the prestigious FIT. While he was studying here, he refined his proficiencies as an assistant designer at the iconic American fashion label, Halston.
After launching his eponymous label Bibhu Mohapatra, in 2009, his label was showcased and sold in popular retail outlets such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Lane Crawford. His designs were also sold across Europe, Russia, North America, and the Middle East. In 2014, he came out with a fur collection licensed by BC international, which is presently being sold at Saks on Fifth Avenue.
Illustrious celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, Glenn Close, Lupita Nyongo, and many others have worn his designs. In 2016, he launched his Jewelry collection in collaboration with De Beers called ARTEMIS.
His artistry revels in the sensibility of elegance and subtlety while illustrating sartorial splendor, making his creations hard to match.
These are some of the design mavens in Mumbai that showcase magnificent artistic sensibilities while truly portraying to the world, who they each uniquely are through their designs. These celebrated designers have graduated from prestigious establishments and their innate talent has been honed in and refined; The JD Institute of fashion technology in Mumbai offers Indian design education that matches growing industry needs and equips each student for success just as they envision it, grooming them to be the most sought after fashion designers of the next generation.
