SEASON’S Debut
As the face of INDIA in international fashion, MANISH ARORA is straddling both worlds with consummate ease, finds Sujata Assomull Sippy
On the dot for our interview, Manish Arora enters the lobby of Aman New Delhi, and we head to the bar to catch up, just like we would have done at the beginning of our respective careers. He may have become India’s most recognisable face in international fashion, but nothing has changed about him. This is Manish’s most enduring quality; he wears his success with humility.
He has been showing in Paris for almost five years in a row (before that, he showed at London Fashion Week), and last year, was named creative director of French fashion house Paco Rabbane. In Paris last September, he debuted his collection for Paco Rabbane, as well as his eponymous line which showed a certain maturing and sophistication that proved that the Manish Arora of today combines his unique take on fashion with commercial flair. Already, his debut Rabbane line has been worn by Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and is on the cover of this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar India.
Success is not new to Manish. He has signed deals with international brands such as Reebok, M.A.C, Pommery, and Swatch, to name but a few. “I cannot even remember the exact number…let me count,” he says. He has just lent his touch to the Christmas windows for Paris retail chain Monoprix. According to him, Indian designers still need to make their international mark. “When I go to shops in New York, London, and so on, there’s only one designer I see from time to time, and that’s Rajesh Pratap Singh.” Not wanting to blow his own trumpet, he adds, “I am not in all of the shops, either.”
Of course, success has its share of critics, and as soon as it was announced that Manish was to join Paco Rabbane, the stories started—that his store in Delhi’s DLF Emporio was to shut as he was not doing well in India, and also that he was turning his back on India by not showing in the country. “Our shop in The Crescent at the Qutab is doing really well, too,” he says. Plus, he has a flagship in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony, and another in Mumbai. He has three lines: Manish Arora, which he shows in Paris; Fish Fry, which is also available in stores like Debenhams, and the Indian by Manish Arora line. The last is available in multi-brands across India.
As for showing at fashion weeks in India, he says, “It’s not possible, as the shows here happen a few days after Paris, but I would love to.” And while he admits to focusing on Paris just now, he promises that when he does come back—it will be in true Manish Arora out-there style.