Top 10 Indian Fashion Designers Everyone Should Know

The fashion industry is getting bigger and bigger in one of the most vibrant countries in the world, India. In fact, India’s apparel market will be worth $59.3 billion in 2022, making it the sixth largest in the world, comparable to the United Kingdom’s ($65 billion) and Germany’s ($63.1 billion), according to data from McKinsey’s FashionScope. Thanks to a growing middle-class, a powerful manufacturing sector and a strong tradition in apparel design, India is set to become a worldwide fashion powerhouse. Here we present 10 of the most prominent fashion designers, many of whom have opened the doors of Indian traditions in clothing to the rest of the world.

Rohit Bal

Rohit Bal is one of India’s most successful and respected designers. He was born in 1961 and professionally he has been trying to combine traditional patterns and craftsmanship with modern sensibilities. His designs are especially popular with Indian society and celebrities.

Time Magazine named the designer “India’s Master of fabric and fantasy.”

He is famously known for his application of Lotus and Peacock motifs, and for the dramatic construction in his clothing.

Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani is a noted Indian fashion designer. He is very private with his life, so the year of his birth is unknown to the public. With his wife Sailaja ‘Sal’ Tahiliani, he launched Ensemble, India’s first multi-designer boutique in 1987, followed by Tahiliani Design studio in 1990.

He is best known for his ability to infuse Indian craftsmanship and textile heritage with a tailored silhouette. His signature is to combine traditional aesthetics with modern design. Over the years, he also became known for his bridalwear.

Abraham & Thakore

Abraham & Thakore is one of India’s most thriving and respected design resources for fashion.

This design label was initially launched in 1992 by David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, graduates of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad who were later joined by Kevin Nigli, a design graduate of NIFT New Delhi.

Abraham & Thakore

Arjun Khanna

Arjun Khanna is one of India’s most well-known and avant-garde fashion labels; over the last 21 years, the designer has revolutionized men’s fashion with elaborate detailing, excellent tailoring and rich, opulent designs.

Having been the design director for the ‘Raymond Suiting Campaign’ since September 2003, Arjun Khanna’s latest designs feature slim fit suits for black-tie evenings, and tailored band galas for festive occasions as well as designer kurtas and designer sherwanis for weddings, for the groom, father of the groom and best man.

Meera and Muzaffar Ali

Muzaffar Ali (a painter and filmmaker) and his partner Meera Ali (an architect) are a designer duo who created a fashion label Kotwara in 1990, mainly with a purpose to revive traditional craft from the Awadh region of India.

The designers are innovators and the innovation stems from an understanding of the ethos of the region and the understanding of the modern-day relevance of the traditional crafts. Since the start, the designers have also re-invented classical crafts from different parts of India like Kashmir, Bengal and Kerala.

Raghavendra Rathore

Raghavendra Rathore is an Indian fashion designer. He was one of the first designers to use the “Brand India” positioning for a fashion brand. He also operates in interior design, wedding and events design, accessories and jewellery.

Rahul Mishra

Rahul Mishra is an Indian fashion designer based in Delhi. He received the International Woolmark Prize in 2014 at Milan Fashion Week, becoming the first Indian designer to win the award. The winning collection was marketed in stores around the world. In 2008, he was granted the MTV Youth Icon of the Year by MTV India.

Rahul Mishra

Anjana Bhargav

Anjana Bhargav is an Indian fashion designer. She has a formal degree in Textile Designing and pattern cutting with a French Instructor and a course from prestigious St. Martins College, London, combined with an inherent sense of aesthetics. Anjana has had several showings in Sharjah, London, Kathmandu, New York, Germany, Miami and Hong Kong along with showings of her collections in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Niki Mahajan

Niki Mahajan is a fashion designer from New Delhi, India, who “loves ancient crafts with a modern twist”. She is the founder and creative director of fashion label Niki Mahajan. She is recognized for her colorful, clean-cut silhouettes and complex handwork, and has 110,000 followers on Instagram.

Manav Gangwani

Manav Gangwani is one of the most creative, innovative and promising designers in Delhi. Manav designed the décor for Louis Vuitton event in Oct’2007. His designs were also displayed along with Louis Vuitton products.

India is increasingly a focal point for the fashion industry, reflecting a rapidly growing middle class and an increasingly powerful manufacturing sector. These forces, together with strong economic fundamentals and growing tech savvy, make India too important for international brands to ignore. Indeed, India’s ascent is one of ten trends the fashion industry should watch in 2019.