The unstoppable Manish Malhotra
Designer talks fashion trends, upcoming collection and Bollywood projects.
Malhotra poses with Bollywood bigshots Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone at PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2013. PHOTOS: FILE
NEW DELHI:
Celebrated fashion designer Manish Malhotra believes that innovative silhouettes with an essence of local craftsmanship, culture and a touch of modernity can work wonders.
The 48-year-old has time and again gone out of his way to revive heirloom crafts like chikankari, phulkari and Kashmiri embroidery via his creations. His work is a hit among Bollywood celebrities, who proudly flaunt them on national and international platforms.
In an interview, Malhotra, who is among the leading designers of India, said, “My aim is to reinvent these crafts with a new thought and bring them into the limelight. Like I always say, a floor-length anarkali can look as glamorous and modern as a cocktail gown.”
The suave designer, who ventured into mainstream designing in 1998, is known for his playful use of colours and his collections are testament to his deep understanding of colour contrasting.
“I have always loved colours and that has reflected in all my collections. I think it has been a while since men have accepted unusual colours, especially in Western wear,” he said.
“For example, a pink shirt was suddenly a staple in everybody’s wardrobe and still continues to be so.” He has noticed that gradually, “everybody is ditching the classic black bandhgala for a deep blue bandhgala.”
His latest collection comprises pink churidars, salmon pink bandi jackets, colour blocking shirts and traditional kurtas in summer colours for men. “It’s a refreshing change,” he said.
For women, his collection’s highlights are a lot of sheer, lace, metallic, exquisite floral and unusual pastels.
He shared that the effective use of lace and sheer fabric, although tricky for most body types, depends on how well one plays around with them. “An element of transparency mixed with textured fabrics works better for some body types as opposed to sheer fabric garments,” explained Malhotra.
He hopes to surprise his patrons and fashionistas with his upcoming collection, which will open the forthcoming Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) in Mumbai on March 12.
The creative talent, who has dressed the likes of Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is busy with Bollywood projects.
“Right now, there is Happy New Year, where we [Malhotra and team] are styling Deepika Padukone. Then, [we will be styling ] Detective Byomkesh Bakshi by Dibakar Banerjee.”
“I always try to push my creative capability with everything I do. This time, I am trying to push the envelope a little more for my LFW collection,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.
Celebrated fashion designer Manish Malhotra believes that innovative silhouettes with an essence of local craftsmanship, culture and a touch of modernity can work wonders.
The 48-year-old has time and again gone out of his way to revive heirloom crafts like chikankari, phulkari and Kashmiri embroidery via his creations. His work is a hit among Bollywood celebrities, who proudly flaunt them on national and international platforms.
In an interview, Malhotra, who is among the leading designers of India, said, “My aim is to reinvent these crafts with a new thought and bring them into the limelight. Like I always say, a floor-length anarkali can look as glamorous and modern as a cocktail gown.”
The suave designer, who ventured into mainstream designing in 1998, is known for his playful use of colours and his collections are testament to his deep understanding of colour contrasting.
“I have always loved colours and that has reflected in all my collections. I think it has been a while since men have accepted unusual colours, especially in Western wear,” he said.
“For example, a pink shirt was suddenly a staple in everybody’s wardrobe and still continues to be so.” He has noticed that gradually, “everybody is ditching the classic black bandhgala for a deep blue bandhgala.”
His latest collection comprises pink churidars, salmon pink bandi jackets, colour blocking shirts and traditional kurtas in summer colours for men. “It’s a refreshing change,” he said.
For women, his collection’s highlights are a lot of sheer, lace, metallic, exquisite floral and unusual pastels.
He shared that the effective use of lace and sheer fabric, although tricky for most body types, depends on how well one plays around with them. “An element of transparency mixed with textured fabrics works better for some body types as opposed to sheer fabric garments,” explained Malhotra.
He hopes to surprise his patrons and fashionistas with his upcoming collection, which will open the forthcoming Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) in Mumbai on March 12.
The creative talent, who has dressed the likes of Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is busy with Bollywood projects.
“Right now, there is Happy New Year, where we [Malhotra and team] are styling Deepika Padukone. Then, [we will be styling ] Detective Byomkesh Bakshi by Dibakar Banerjee.”
“I always try to push my creative capability with everything I do. This time, I am trying to push the envelope a little more for my LFW collection,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2014.