Manish Arora
Encyclopedia
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
fashion designer based in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. In early 2011, he was appointed as creative director of the womenswear collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne
Paco Rabanne
Francisco "Paco" Rabaneda Cuervo, more commonly known as Paco Rabanne is a Franco-Spanish fashion designer. He fled Spain for France with his mother when the Spanish Civil War broke out...
.
Early life and education
Born and brought up in Bombay (now MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
), Manish was studying to graduate in Commerce, when he decided to change his career path and applied for the National Institute of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology is a prestigious fashion institute in India. It was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and is a premier institution in design, management and technology, developing professionals leadership positions in the...
in New Delhi. He graduated in 1994 after winning the Best Student Award.
Career
India Fashion Week
The India Fashion Week , is an event organized and promoted by the Fashion Design Council of India and sponsored by Wills Lifestyle.It is a fashion week and held in the national capital of India, New Delhi annually....
held in New Delhi and represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter http://www.hktdc.com/hkfashionweekfw is the second largest fair of its kind in the world, and the largest in Asia organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council . It is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in January every year. The...
.
Arora launched his second label, "Fish Fry", in 2001. This colorful, sportswear-styled line was created in association with the athletic apparel manufacturer Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
. 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 Prêt 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
Miami Fashion Week
Miami Fashion Week is an annual fashion week held in Miami, Florida, United States. Miami Fashion Week, not to be confused with the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami, is held every year during the spring in Wynwood Arts District of Miami. Miami Fashion Week was started in 1998 and is the world's...
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
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week is an apparel trade show held in London, England twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.-Organization:...
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
Lodhi colony
Lodhi Colony Lodhi Colony Lodhi Colony (Hindi:लोधी कालोनी] (Urdu:لودی کالونی) is a Central Government Officers and Staff Residential Colony in South Central part of New Delhi, built in the 1940s, and lies close to Lodhi Road.-History:...
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
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
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
Villa moda
Villa Moda is a Kuwaiti luxury department store, featuring fashion and clothing items from top designers. Villa Moda was founded by Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, the 35-year-old nephew of Kuwait's Amir....
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
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
Garden of Five Senses
The Garden of Five Senses is a park spread over 20 acres, in Saidul Ajaib village, opposite Saket, near the Mehrauli heritage area in Delhi, India. The park was developed by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation , Government of Delhi at a cost of Rs 10.5 crore, over a period of...
, New Delhi, and Arora teamed up with make-up and cosmetics giant MAC
Make-up Art Cosmetics
Make-up Art Cosmetics, better known as M·A·C or MAC Cosmetics, is a manufacturer of cosmetics founded in Toronto, Canada and headquartered in New York City, New York.-History:...
for designing a signature collection. He has also collaborated with Swatch
Swatch
Swatch is a brand name for a line of wrist watches from the Swatch Group, a Swiss conglomerate with vertical control of the production of Swiss watches and related products...
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
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in September 2007. By 2009 Manish owned four stores in India and sold his collections to more than 80 retailers worldwide.
Style
Manish Arora is regarded by many as "the John GallianoJohn Galliano
John Charles Galliano CBE, RDI is a Gibraltan-born British fashion designer who was best known as head designer of French haute couture houses Givenchy and Christian Dior , and his own self titled fashion house.-Family:He was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father, Juan Galliano, and a...
of India". He is known for a rich palette of psychedelic colours and kitsch motifs in garments that combine traditional Indian crafts like embroidery, appliqué and beading with Western silhouettes.