Fashion designer Anita Dongre, the woman whose creation Duchess of Cambridge – Kate Middleton picked for an outing and who has unveiled two stores in New York, said the Indian diaspora has influenced fashion across the world.
“The Indian diaspora has influenced worldwide fashion, making borders just a little bit thinner in the world of fashion,” said Dongre.
About her foray into New York, she said, “We wanted to reach out to our overseas consumers. The US has a lot of young women who buy from us online or when they visit India. When we thought of having a presence overseas, SoHo in New York was an obvious choice,” Dongre told IANS. “The Grassroot collection that is available in every store and online will be the same.”
Anita Dongre was born and raised in Mumbai, India. She studied Fashion Design at the Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic of SNDT Women's University in Mumbai. In 1995, she founded House of Anita Dongre Ltd, which is recognised today as one of India’s premier fashion brands.
The fashion house comprises a portfolio of brands — AND (Western wear for women), Global Desi (boho chic for women) and the luxury brand Anita Dongre offering bespoke bridal, couture, luxury prêt (Grassroot), menswear and handcrafted gold jadau jewellery (Pinkcity).
The designer, whose Bollywood clients include actresses like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Dia Mirza, has helped put Indian designs on the map. After taking the fashion week’s audience to Rajasthan through her collections, she is all geared up to showcase her latest work at the India Couture Week tomorrow.
“Rajasthan is the backdrop to some of my most cherished memories. It’s the place I go back to season after season to draw joy, colour and grandeur from — everything that is so intrinsic to a bride’s special day,” she said.
She recently introduced Grassroot, an eco-friendly brand tributing the handcrafted traditions of India. Collaborating with a trusted network of trusted NGOs and artisans across India, Grassroot is a platform for these artisans to showcase the treasure house of Indian crafts which Dongre makes relevant by fashioning into contemporary tales and presenting them as luxury pret to the world. The essence of Anita Dongre Grassroot is to revive, sustain and empower craft and artisans.