‘This is an all-inclusive age’

Designer Manish Malhotra is quite a busy man. In the last three weeks, the designer has launched his lavish new store in Hyderabad, opened the Lakme Fashion week with Katrina Kaif as his showstopper, and showcased his latest curated line of jewellery from Raniwala 1881 at the runway.

Apart from the ongoing movie and wedding projects, Manish dedicated his time in collaborating with the Jaipur-based jewellery brand to knock off his long-time dream and add traditional bridal jewellery to his already glittering portfolio. Talking about this venture, the designer reveals, “I’ve always been a great fan of jewellery. I started the entire concept of look in movies way back in the 90’ and loved creating jewellery pieces for the actors; we used to create silver matching beads on the jewellery, put little crystals and break the big pieces and string together with other materials to make it complements the garment. Costume designing has helped me understand the importance of the overall look and emancipated my love for jewellery. Our new collection for fall/winter ’19 is called Maahru which means splendidly opulent.”

The designer mentions that his latest festive line is crafted for lighter occasions and destination weddings. Breaking away from the traditional warmer hues of red, the collection brings a fresh palette to occasion-wear in the classic chromes of white, ivory, beige, ochre, grey, salmon and the signature gold of the label, which will exude the young, and new-age vibe. To complement this clothing line, the designer’s new jewellery collaboration fits in perfectly. Speaking of which, Manish adds, “We think of the person and the trend both at the time while we are conceptualising the jewellery. The idea is to discuss and make something that is consumer-friendly — like old designs but with a contemporary take on it. Besides this, I love the delicacy of hanging diamonds, rubies and emeralds, etc.”

Manish, who is often seen in all-black outfits at social events, is a fan of accessories and shares his style philosophy in the age of all-inclusivity. He says, “In this day and age, you need to have one of everything. This is an all-inclusive age. Hence, everything exists in this day and age. Trends are not that much of importance than the wearer, theme, season, occasion and location. Everyone knows my love for scarves, and besides this, you will see my duffle bag at all times and a pair of dad sneaker which I’m quite fond of at present.”

Not just fashion, but India’s favourite designer is expanding his outreach as he is on an ongoing collab spree with other lifestyle avenues like makeup and décor. As an established fashion brand blending with another top-notch label, the designer likes to adhere to a few basics. He mentions. “We always look for quality and experience in our partners and the collaboration only takes place when the partner has a similar adherence to the core of our label. I’ve mentioned about my association with Raniwala 1881, similarly, Seetu Kohli who is our partner for Manish Malhotra Home is one among the most appreciated interior architect in the country today and she is impeccable with her work. My Glamm, our make-up partner is also modern, upbeat and trendy. The only challenge I could see that when two minds meet, there is massive creative flow and to restrict all those and keep it in synergy is a challenge sometimes. But I always believe an association has a better impact not only on the design but eventually shapes up the design thinking and process.”

While the designer is busy working and socialising with his celebrity friends, he doesn’t forget to share personal moments from his life on social media. Although, he chooses not to name names, but Manish finds most of his current Bollywood clients with very distinct. “I only see the advantage of social media. Earlier, one couldn’t have even imagined reaching out to millions all at once. So, I love this age of access and proximity. On my page, my followers get a peek of my life quite often along with some previews and work that I do daily. It’s a pleasure to work with different personalities and different minds. What I like today is that every actor has a very distinctive and unique sense of style and they exude different style. Red carpet, festive occasions, family gatherings, weddings, cocktails, parties — I like everything. It is boring to do only one, and I would never want to pick one over others,” he sums up.