It is not easy to carve your niche, but fuel of passion drives you everywhere. Such is the story of this Indian fashion designer who started with Rs 500.
Fashion is one such realm where creativity knows no bound. Sky is the limit to weave your ideas, encrust your canvas with the colours of your imagination. And, several Indian fashion designers are making it big out there. Today, India boasts of ingenuous representation at the global stage as well. This is the story one such designer who is a self made person. Like everyone else, he too experienced his fare share of ordeals and overcame them with the fuel of passion.
Who started with mere Rs 500, today talks in millions. It’s the hard work and creativity that shine through. The dream of this Indian designer birthed at his home when he saw his mother draping sarees and ofcourse Bollywood often influences us in some way or the other.
He was once a model who accounted for nearly Rs 2000, reportedly, via modelling gigs. This is the ace Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra.
Manish Malhotra’s journey through the years
Manish never went to any design school. He is a self-taught fashion designer whose love for restyling his mother and movies made him who he is today. I wasn’t a very good student & found academics boring. In the 6th grade, I remember joining a painting class–I enjoyed it so much! From watching films, to painting, & being surrounded by mother’s clothes, my love for fashion grew. I used to even give fashion advice to my mom on her sarees! When I got into college, I started modelling, & began working at a boutique. I was there for a year & a half & earned Rs. 2000 from modelling jobs, which was decent at the time. But, I couldn’t afford to go abroad & study fashion, so that was my school in a way. I’m completely self-taught–I used to sit & sketch for hours!” he said speaking to Humans of Bombay.
The Punjabi boy studied arts at Elphinstone College in Mumbai, where he focused on cinema. His first tryst with styling and designing in Bollywood was with Juhi Chawla for a film called ‘Swarg’. Reportedly, that did not go very well for Malhotra. But, he did not stop. Photographer Rakesh Sreshtha supported and persuaded him to continue to work more on modelling shoots. Eventually, Manish came in contact with names like Sridevi, Sunny Deol and others.
Things to a turn when he worked in ‘Rangeela’ in 19995 and won a Filmfare Award for Costume Design as well. “Rangeela was a turning point for me — I won my very first Filmfare award for it! But there were challenges — I remember producers would get so irritated when I’d ask multiple questions about the storyline. The only brief I had was to make the heroine look glamorous. But I wanted to do more! That’s how my name started going around. I started travelling the world, designing clothes, and then launched my own label in 2005,” he had said.
And ever since then, there has been no stopping. From Dil toh Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabatein, Kabhi Khushie Kabhi Gham to Student of the Year, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, the list of his work is endless. He has won several awards for his work too.
Manish Malhotra, a celebrity favourite
With over 30 years of experience today he is styling even 4th generations of few celebrities. Almost at every big or small event, one can spot a Manish Malhotra with ease. Several reports indicate that the designer has a net worth of over Rs 230 crores. Manish has launched four other new ventures – Manish Malhotra Beauty, Manish Malhotra Jewellery, a Film Production company, and Home decor.
On September 20, 2024, he made history as he became the First Indian Designer to showcase his collection at Exclusive Harrods Collection at the Penthouse.