Manish Arora

A report on Luxury in
India and the
sociological links

Efforts by:
Akshita Bhardwaj
Ekta Maurya

Manish Arora

Residence
Nationality
Occupation
Religion
Labels

New Delhi, India

Indian
Fashion designer
Sikhism
Manish Arora, Fish Fry, Paco Rabanne Indian

Manish Arora (Hindi: ) (Punjabi: ) is an Indian fashion designer based

in New Delhi. In early 2011, he was appointed creative director of the womenswear
collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne, although he left the company in
May 2012.

Early life and education

Born and brought up in Bombay and New Delhi, he had a humble beginning, which he
incorporated into his style. Manish was actually at first pursuing a career in Commerce. He
took a chance on faith and applied to the prestigious and selective National Institute of
Fashion Technology in New Delhi and got through. And not only that, he graduated in
1994 with the Best Student Award. Not many people do that, especially with the ideas
engraved into young minds of his time.
If you think about it, it's all very inspiring and fairytale-like, in a way that the protagonist
finally gets his "Prince Charming" in the form of exuberant success in the fashion world,
with the help of his fairy god mother's magic - courage to deviate from commerce, and
diligence to succeed in fashion.

Career
In 1997 Manish Arora launched his own label "Manish Arora" and started retailing in
India.Three years later, Manish participated in the first-ever India Fashion Week held in
New Delhi and represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week.
Arora launched his second
label, "Fish Fry", in
2001.This colorful,
sportswear-styled line was
created in association with
the athletic apparel
m a n u f a c t u r e r
Reebok.During 2002
Manish opened his first
flagship store, Manish Arora
Fish Fry, in New Delhi and
in the following year opened
a second store in Mumbai.
Another successful showing
at India Fashion Week
(2003) led to a stocking
deal with the fashion house
Maria Luisa (Paris) and the
beginning of a successful
export business.
During 2004 he was
awarded the Best Women's
Prt Designer at the first
ever Indian Fashion
Awards' 2004 held in
Bombay and MC2 Diffusion
Paris started representing
the label for the export
business. The following
year Manish participated in
the Miami Fashion Week in
May 2005 where he was presented with the designer's choice for Best Collection Award.
He had a successful debut at the London Fashion Week in September 2005 and received
an overwhelming response from the press as well as the buyers. He opened a new store

at Lodhi Colony Market in New Delhi in December 2005. Arora exhibited some of his work
at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for an exhibition called "Global Local" in
association with the British Council, India.
A fashion jury in a leading Indian publication Outlook designated him "Best Indian Fashion
Designer" and featured him on the cover of its March 2006 issue. Manish opened his first
Manish Arora franchise store in Villa Moda, Kuwait and another Manish Arora Fish Fry
store at Crescent at The Qutub, New Delhi in 2006.

In 2007 the first Fish Fry for Reebok concept store opened at the Garden of Five Senses,
New Delhi, and Arora teamed up with make-up and cosmetics giant MAC for designing a
signature collection. He has also collaborated with Swatch for a limited edition of watches.
In 2008, once again, Reebok launched the 'RBK Fish Fry Collection 2008', an exclusive
lifestyle range designed by Manish Arora.
"Indian by Manish Arora", a brand designed for the growing Indian market for women's
wear, is licensed to another fashion company. Manish was invited to show his collection at

the Fashion in Motion exhibition held at Victoria and Albert Museum, London in
September 2007.[3] By 2009 Manish owned four stores in India and sold his collections to
more than 80 retailers worldwide. The designer has also entered into a joint venture with
BIBA Apparels Pvt. Ltd. to further expand the label.
In 2012, Arora previewed his jewellery line in association with label Amrapali comprising a
range of hand jewellery, neckpieces and pendants.
Some of his work was displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in the Fabric of India
2014-15 Exhibition.

Style
Manish Arora is regarded by many as "the John Galliano of India".[9] He is known for a
rich palette of psychedelic colours and kitsch motifs in garments that combine traditional
Indian crafts like embroidery, appliqu and beading with Western silhouettes.
It is not too difficult to describe
Manish Arora's style. He
undoubtedly loves colour, and has
combined it with his astute
craftsmanship in a creative way to
exhibit his effervescent style. He
uses psychedelic prints not just on
clothing, but extends out to giving
the 65 year old Ambassador car a
new look on his TV show (yes he
has a TV show), Adventure of the
Ladies' Tailor on Discovery's Travel
and Living. He painted on to it old
Indian cinema posters, winning the
title of The Most Awesome
Ambassador, informally.
He is probably the only famous
designer who handcrafts his
designs, giving him another "edge",
as if he didn't have enough of that
already. It's also made him pretty
popular with the western celebrities,
with Katy Perry becoming his first
famous overseas client. Arora's
'merry go round' dress worn by her
at the 2008 MTV Awards won both

attention and praise, two things that don't go together too often anymore in today's world.
Evidently, Arora finds inspiration in the ordinary to produce the extraordinary. Sonam
Kapoor, too, is one of his most loyal customers, although she may be criticised for her dull
wit after that infamous episode on Koffee with Karan, she must be given due credit for her
sense of style.

Inspiration

Taking inspiration from his surroundings; Indias nature, music, cultures and people all
offered insight into Aroras designs. Here he develops clothing with bold colour,
personality, embroidery and appliqu beading.
Manish Arora appreciates the idea of trends, but believes further in an individuals
personality and own sense of style. Known for elaborate and avant-garde creations, Arora
uses vivid colours and motifs, paired with traditional Indian beading and embroidery.
Arora says that elements such as the whimsical costumes, acrobatic-based performances
and unpredictability are a direct parallel to his playful designs.
Similar to my work, there are so many ingredients in Thai curries . . . which work together
to form a masterpiece, Arora says. Every time I eat a curry, I strive to achieve the same
sense of balance in my designs.

Cost

The price range for his clothes are:

For Indian wear :
$126-$10000+
For western wear:
$150-$15000+
These are the price ranges for the Ready-to-Wear garments.
The haute couture garments costs way more than this as RTW. Even though his
collections are costly (luxury garments), Indian people spend a lot during the wedding
seasons and money is not a constraint for the families belonging to upper middle class and
above.

Sociological Link
Though Mumbai is the film city of India but Delhi is the fashion capital and as Manish Arora
has roots from both these cities, he is inspired by the designs and ideas that both cities
offer.
His contribution to the society is his colourful yet elegant silhouettes that defines a
persons personality and tells the world that he/she stands out from this world but are not
cut-out as they have not lost their individuality into being someone else in the society.
His works are well-known in India and around the world. His contribution to the
acknowledgment of Indian motifs and inspiration in the world is what makes him different
than other luxury brands operating in India.
His bridal collections are most liked by Indian families which do not think twice to buy
without noticing the price. The fact that he is known to the world and his collections are
filled with colors and hues (preferred by Indians) are what makes him the heart and soul of
Indian fashion market.
Some of his Indian collections are:

Manish Aroras bridal collection

His International connections are strong as he is the only Indian designer who performs in
Paris Fashion Week and has an impact on audience with his perfect silhouettes. His
unique designs and make-up fills a dramatic yet joyful image in the international
customers.
Even Ketty Perry rocked the MTV Awards with her Merry-go-round dress. He is an
hardworking talent with the capabilty to make the world a trendy and colourful place.
Some of his International collections:

THANK YOU!!!