Manish Arora

Recently commissioned by Reebok Rbk to design is couture sneaker collection, 33-year-old Manish Arora from New Delhi now adds to the increasing number of Indian designers that appeal to the international fashion community.


Bharat Textile says "...A product of NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) Manish graduated from the faculty of fashion Design in 1994. On his graduating year he bagged the 'Most Creative Student' of the year award for his final project.

He also was the first runner up at the Smirnoff Fashion Awards held in Bombay in 1994.

Visualization has always been the designer's signature style and Manish Arora, after emerging from the portals of NIFT also participated in the much respected 'Young Asians Designers Competition' in 1995, held in Jakarta that year. At the show Manish presented 'KAL YUG', yet another highly stylized and humorous presentation. This won him the 2nd Runners up award and also the Most Original Collection award. It was in Jakarta that Manish was offered the job of a stylist for the French Vogue by its editor. But he preferred to stay back and launch his label' Manish Arora'.

Manish has had various shows in different parts of country each reflecting the designer's unmistakable style in a new way. His first solo show in October '98 at The Park hotel was one of the few shows that year that received such rare reviews. He has also been the official designer for the Vimal suiting and shirting campaign for the year 1998-99, and represented India at the Hong Kong fashion Week, held in Hong Kong in January 2000.

He was also a part of exhibition on Kitsch held at India Habitat Center. This exhibition saw the work of various well-known artists of India such as Atul Dodhia, Anjolie Ela Menon, Ram Rehman and many others, among which, his work stood out for its originality. It was at Selfridges (London) in May '02 where he exhibited a similar work of art.

Keeping in view the upcoming market of ready to wear he has launched a new line of women's wear in February 2001 under the label 'FISH FRY', for the same he was also associated with Bacardi for a series of shows in various cities.

It was in the year 2002 that Mr. Martand Singh chose a few leading designers from our country to design clothes made from khadi to revive this age old Indian fabric, it was inaugurated by honorable prime minister of India Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the same was showcased in all the leading cities of our country.

There was a full-page advertisement of Manish Arora for lord And Taylor in the Sunday Times, New York and he was also featured in the Women's Wear Daily for his new collection.

Manish has made costumes for a Bollywood film and for a French Film that is currently being shot; he has dressed the likes of Bianca Jagger. Anoushka Shankar wore a dress that he specially designed for her at the Grammy Awards 2003. He is opening his second Manish Arora/Fish Fry store in Mumbai by September this year and at the same time is also taking part at the trade fair in Paris.

He is retailing at Carma in Delhi, Ensemble in Bombay, Fflio in Bangalore, Zenon & Kali in Kolkatta, Zingara in Cannes (France), Cafe Des Baines in Geneva (Switzerland), Lord & Taylor in New York, Morini in Forte Det Marmi- Italy, Papini in Catania-Italy, Torregrossa in Palerito-Italy, Frank and Fics in Paris and his first flagship store at 1-M.G. Road, New Delhi. He s also retailing through BE: outlets (a division of Raymonds limited) in eight cities in India and Dubai.

It was during this fashion week that Manish has formed an alliance with one of the leading retail stores in the world, Maria Louisa (Paris). It is a store that houses all the leading brands such as Helmut Lang, Alexander Mc Queen, Balenciaga and John Galliano..."

Photos Courtesy of Time Magazine and Mid-Day