Manish Malhotra wears many hats... he’s a fashion and costume designer, a stylist, and is now gearing up to make his directorial debut under friend and filmmaker Karan Johar’s production house. From Bollywood to the South to Hollywood, Manish Malhotra has dressed many stars in his creations. Apart from his exquisite designs flaunted by the who’s who of the glam brigade, he is known to incorporate traditional and rural craftsmanship, especially Kashmiri and Phulkari embroideries, in his work. He has encouraged, promoted and motivated Indian weavers to continue their craft, and helped them sustain their livelihood, even during the pandemic.
Few know how passionately he has worked for the betterment of the Indian weavers. “The Kashmiri embroidery has become my brand’s signature now. My interest in Kashmiri embroidery began with the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, Rockstar. I did Nargis's costumes for the movie. Imitiaz Ali (the director of the film) once said to me that since the Kashimiri embroidery is so evident in almost all of Nargis’s outfits, I should probably do an entire collection inspired by the embroidery. I was sold on the idea,” Manish shares.
And, thus, began Manish’s journey with the Kashmiri craftsmanship. He brought a lot of scarves and shawls from Kashmir, and “did some patch work on them with some of my ideas and created a boutique collection”. “I spoke to a friend of mine based in Kashmir and met up with a couple of vendors there. A few years ago, Kashmiri weaves were mostly seen at red carpet events and stores in five-star hotels. So, the process was not only taking the art out of those stores, but making it a part of everyday fashion by turning it into evening wear or even wedding wear. I glamourised it and put it out there... at fashion shows, for people to wear at parties and other celebrations,” he adds.
During the celebrations and red carpet outings, when people wore those outfits, the Kashmiri work came into the limelight and became a part of mainstream fashion. “It’s been an 11-year-long journey with the Kashmiri craft,” Manish says.
The fashion designer incorporates Kashmiri crafts into his outfits by preserving their tradition, and keeping it relevant for both, the community and the consumer. Talking about this process, Manish says, “For anything to stay relevant, it’s important to retain the essence of the work. But to incorporate it in today’s fashion, for people to understand and relate to it, you have to add an aesthetic element too.”
He gave the craft of Kashmir’s Kashida a glamorous spin. “The Kashida is an integral part of Kashmiri craftsmanship. You see it almost everywhere there. We glamourised it and gave it a new dimension, a new mood and feel to showcase it to the world. Whether it was our sarees, lehengas, gowns or kalidaars, the idea was to keep the craft the hero of the outfit and work around it," Manish shares.
His work doesn't stop at Kashimiri weavers. He has been working with Mijwan Welfare Society, an NGO, to support, revive and promote the chikankari craft. Speaking about his association with the NGO, Manish says, "I started that journey with Shabana Azmi, who runs the Mijwan NGO, and the girls who do the chikankari embroidery. I’m so grateful to Shabanaji for including me in the Mijwan project.”
The Indian weavers were one of the worst hit during the pandemic, with many staring at a bleak future. Manish amplified his efforts to help the weavers in whatever way he could. “They are the backbone of our industry. So, we made sure we were there for them in any capacity we could. My assistants and I are consistently in touch with the weavers,” Manish informs, but refuses to divulge details about his work.
Manish’s efforts of putting the Kashmiri craft on the Indian fashion map is slowly paying off, with many modern brides opting to be dressed in their weaves. “A lot of brides opt for the Kashmiri lehenga because it’s also a timeless craft that can be an heirloom piece. I’ve had instances where the entire family has asked to be dressed in different styles, but all with the Kashmiri embroidery,” an elated Manish shares.
Recently, Sara Ali Khan was the brand ambassador of a traditional Indian Manish Malhotra collection. “Nooraniyat is a collection that travels through a diverse palette of fabrics, colours, silhouettes that oscillates between the old-world regalia and the modern repertoire. A collection that sits firmly with the pandemic-induced preferences but also relatable to our aesthetics and our loyalists. Sara is one of the biggest influencers for Gen Z today and she resonated with the collection’s ethos. She is classy and edgy at the same time which is what made her the perfect muse for Nooraniyat.”
Apart from stars who love wearing designs with Indian embroidery, today brides are asking for it too. “Everyone from Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, the late Sridevi, Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Kiara Advani... all of them have worn the Kashmiri collection and continue to do so with all the other Indian embroidery. Recently, Vaani Kapoor donned a beautiful Kashmiri kalidaar from the Taban collection for her movie BellBottom’s promotion.”
Before signing off, we had to ask Manish about his directorial debut, which is said to be a period drama. “It’s a 16-year-old dream that’s coming true. Three years ago, the story idea came to me and I started writing it during the lockdown. The casting is still to be done. It’s a period film that’s based in Punjab in 1947. It’s going to be one of my most cherished projects of my life. I am so ready and excited for it,” he signs off.
