Top Indian & Pakistani Designers and their Specialty

Dress designing is an art as well as a science. A successful dress designer should be able to find the right blend of traditions and aesthetics. Every country has its share of fashion designers. India and Pakistan too have their own. We shall look at some of the top Indian as well as Pakistani designers and their specialty.

The list of the top Indian Designers: India has always had some great designers. However, we shall restrict ourselves to the top five designers.

1. Ritu Kumar

Ritu Kumar is a veteran in this desi clothing industry. Her designer label which launched in 1969 from a tiny studio near Kolkata has now grown to become one of the topmost Indian brands with 27 fashion stores all over the country. She is a pioneer in the Indian fashion industry, a recipient of prestigious awards such as France’s “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” and India’s “Padma Shri”.  Ritu’s specialty is a beautiful mix of Indian aesthetics and modern sophistication that women of all ages love and adore.

2. Tarun Tahiliani

Tarun Tahiliani has several firsts to his credit. He is the brain and body behind India’s first multi-designer boutique, Ensemble. He is the first Indian fashion designer to display his works at Milan Fashion Week. He specializes in mixing Italian pattern cutting and Indian artisanship with digital textile printing. This results in a stylish, contemporary look. His famous designs include the bridal gown for Jemima Goldsmith, wife of famous Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan.

3. Manish Malhotra

His is the most recognized Indian name in fashion designing. He started as a costume designer in the Bollywood film industry and has become one of the top most fashion designers in the world today. His signature design is a superb mix of Indian colors, fabrics, and embroidery. He has designed for many famous celebrities including the dress for Aishwarya Rai’s Miss World campaign. He takes the credit for bringing India’s fashion cultures to the international stage.

4. Bibhu Mohapatra

Born in a modest family in Rourkela, India Bibhu Mohapatra has moved on to study at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He specializes in designing evening-wear for which he has won the 1997 Critics’ Award for the Best Evening Wear Designer of the Year. You could find some of his designs in the wardrobe collection of America’s First Lady Michelle Obama.

5. Priyanka Ella Lorena Lama

She is one of India’s most talented and up-coming fashion designers. Born in 1991, she is a baby in this industry. However, her designs can match the veterans. You can see an unmistakable influence of the Japanese Wabi-Sabi school of thought in her designs. Her designs promote the idea of beauty in imperfection. You can see it in her debut collection ‘Utopia’ focusing on natural silhouettes, silk, and handcrafted aesthetics.

We shall now move on to the top Pakistani designers and their specialty.

1. Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY)

He is a fashion designer as well as a well-known choreographer. He is the brain behind the famous clothing label HSY. This is among the top six South Asian brands. His specialty is bringing the rich Pakistani cultural tradition to the international arena. He has now moved on to designing fashioning jewelry as well with his HSY jewelry brand.

2. Asim Jofa

Asim Jofa is a premier fashion designer in Pakistan, known for his sizzling fashion styles. He is an expert on designing luxury wear and is the owner of the luxury brand Asim Jofa. His specialty is ethnic contemporary designs. He is a certified jewelry designer of US. He is a young designer having a very simple but elegant designing philosophy.

3. Deepak Perwani

He is a reputed and brilliant fashion designer in Pakistan. He is famous for his work on men’s clothing. Today he has started designing women clothing as well. His specialty is the bridal dress line. He has participated in various international fashion shows such as Dubai Fashion Show and Zargali Premier. He is an icon in the Pakistani fashion industry with practically every celebrity patronizing his designer wear.

4. Maria B

Pakistan traditionally does not encourage female talent in any field. However, Maria B is a trendsetter of sorts. She is a brilliant fashion designer in her own right. She stands at the pinnacle of women fashion designers in Pakistan. Her specialty is prêt and bridal wear. Her designs are a fantastic blend of quality, creativity, and glamour. She has her own dress brand since 1999.

5. Zara Shahjahan

She is another women designer who has broken through the ranks. She designs clothes for models participating in fashion ramps. She is a graduate from the National College of Arts, Lahore. Her specialty is the bridal line and formal attires. She is the person behind the introduction of the casual fashion brand CoCo.

Save