Anamika Khanna

Anamika Khanna (born in Jodhpur, July 19, 1971) is an Indian fashion designer with her own label. She has been covered by the Business of Fashion (BOF) magazine as the Indian designer who has blended traditional Indian textiles and techniques with Western silhouette and tailoring.^[1] She is the first Indian designer to have an International label: Ana mika.^[2] She is also the first female Indian fashion designer to display her collections at the Paris Fashion Week held in 2007.^[3] Ana mika was offered an exclusive contract by British Retail Giant Harrod’s after her participation in the London Fashion Week, 2010.^[4] Her philanthropist side was evident when she helped raise large amounts for the Tata cancer hospitals children’s wing and for the Akshay Patra Foundation, with a show in London.^[5] Anamika Khanna was one of the three designers who presented their collections in Khadi at the fashion show held by Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in coordination with Gujarat State Khadi and Village Industries for Narendra Modi’s made in India project.^[6] She is among the first Indian fashion designers to present their collections in Pakistan as part of the Bridal Asia event. She collaborated with the brand Bvlgari to launch them in New Delhi and did a private event with them in Singapore.^[7]

Anamika Khanna has been instrumental towards the modernization of Indian craft through her modern wear made from Indian textiles. She has reinterpreted the Maharashtrian nine-yard sari to create dhoti-pants.^[8] They are actually dhoti style saris and have become the signature creations of Anamika Khanna. They have been worn by leading Bollywood superstars like Sonam Kapoor on multiple occasions.^[9] Anamika Khanna has set a new trend through her draped saris. She is well-known for introducing the tulip drape, the wavy drape, and the two-pallu-in-dhoti drape.^[10]

Anamika Khanna has designed collections for a number of Bollywood movies like ‘Mausam’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Aisha’, and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. She will be creating the design for the lead actress of the movie ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ scheduled for release in the year 2015.

Her collections featuring Trousseau, Prêt and Couture have been worn by Bollywood superstars. She operates from her studio situated in Kolkata.^[1] Anamika Khanna’s creations are sold in stores across India.^[11]

Career

Anamika Khanna’s career started in the year 1998. In 2003, Anamika Khanna was invited to Pakistan for showcasing her bridal collections as a part of Bridal Asia.^[12]

In 2004, she became the first fashion designer to launch an international label: Ana mika.^[13] In the same year, she showcased her collections at the Lakme Fashion Week Grand Finale.^[14]

Then in 2005, Anamika participated at the Will’s Fashion Week (WFW) where she displayed her collection titled The Botanist at WFW’s Spring/Summer edition.^[13]

In the same year, she took part in the London Fashion Week. She got exclusive contracts from British major Harrod’s and was covered by the magazines: Glamour (Paris), Vogue (October, 2005 edition in UK) and Vogue Best Buy.^[15]

In 2007, Anamika participated at the Paris Fashion Week along with Manish Arora.^[16]

In 2008, Anamika took part in the HDIL India Couture Week.^[17] Here, Anamika presented her signature cowl-shaped dresses that closely resembled the dhoti worn by Mahatma Gandhi.^[18] Sonam Kapoor walked the ramp for the first time and she was wearing a golden cowl-shaped gown embellished with zardosi with a top adorned with Mukesh work.

In the same year, Anamika Khanna participated in the Will’s Lifestyle Fashion Week Grand Finale Autumn/Winter edition.

In 2009, Anamika Khanna became the finale designer at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Fall/Winter edition.^[19]

In 2010, Anamika Khanna took part in The India Premier London Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter collection.^[20]

In 2011, Anamika Khanna showcased her creations at the Lakme Summer Resort.^[21]

In 2012, Anamika Khanna at the Delhi Couture Week showcased her signature dhoti-pants together with sari drapes and floor-length jackets.^[22]

In 2013, at the PCJ Delhi Couture Week, Anamika Khanna’s collection had shararas, capes, gilets, vests and coats with a color combination of black, white and gold. Tribal jewellery designed by Suhani Pittie, Anamika’s sister was also a part of the collection.^[23]

In 2014, the India Couture Week took place in Kolkata and combined clothes, art and philosophy.^[24]

Fashion Shows with Anamika Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), 1999 In 1999, the first ever Lakme Fashion Week was held in India. It took place at Taj Palace, New Delhi and a total of 33 designers participated in it. Anamika Khanna was among the designers who presented their collections.

Wills Fashion Week, 2005 In 2005, Anamika Khanna presented her spring/summer collection titled The Botanist at the WFW. Her collection consisted of clothes made from muslin and chiffon.

Paris Fashion Week, 2007 In 2007, Anamika Khanna presented her designs at the Paris Fashion Week. Jean Paul Gaultier and Elie Saab were among the designers who presented their collections.^[25][26]

HDIL India Couture Week, 2008 Anamika Khanna’s collection involved her signature dhoti-pants. The clothes were created using fine cotton, chiffon, satin and georgette. The focus of the collection was on cuts and drapes.^[13]

Lakme Fashion Week, 2009 Anamika Khanna at the Lakme Fashion Week for 2009 presented a bridal collection featuring modern silhouettes, flawless embroidery and a wide variety of colors.^[27]

The India Premier London Fashion Week, 2010 Anamika Khanna participated in the Autumn/Winter edition of The India Premier London Fashion Week, 2010 along with other Indian fashion designers.^[28]

Lakme Summer Resort, 2011 At the Lakme Summer Resort, 2011, Anamika Khanna presented her collections that consisted of kurtas embroidered with chikan work, pajamas, lehengas, churidars, Jodhpuri pants and mojris.^[21] Her collection was primarily black and white.^[29]

Delhi Couture Week, 2012 At the Delhi Couture Week, 2012, Anamika Khanna presented a collection that comprised Kashmiri embroidery, zardosi and Parsi gara. In addition to dhoti-pants, her collection also featured floor-length jackets and waistcoats.^[30]

PCJ Delhi Couture Week, 2013 The PCJ Delhi Couture Week took place at the Leela Palace hotel in New Delhi and Anamika Khanna’s collection featured clothes created from traditional wedding wear but capable of being worn anywhere in the world.^[31]

India Couture Week, 2014 The India Couture Week, 2014 took place in Kolkata and Anamika Khanna presented her collection called ‘Luxury 2014’. It consisted of embroidered vests, lace capes/kimonos, lehengas, saris, and churidars.^[32]

Lakme Fashion Week, 2015 Anamika Khanna was the finale designer at the Lakme Fashion Week, 2015 and Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor Khan walked the ramp while dressed in outfits that she designed (a black cropped top with a pair of wide-legged pants for Deepika while a black, silver and white ensemble for Kareena).^[33]

Indian Couture Week, 2016 Anamika Khanna showcased her collection at the Indian Couture Week, 2016 with Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor as the show stopper. She was dressed in a loose blouse and a hued floral embroidered half saree.

Awards, nominations, achievements and associations

Awards

In 2004, Anamika Khanna won the Texcellence Award in the category of Outstanding Boutique among all the female fashion designers. In the same year, she also won the Kingfisher Award in the category of Fashion Designer of the Year.^[34] In 2006, Anamika Khanna won the FICCI Ladies Organization’s Young Woman Achiever’s Award.^[35] In 2007, Anamika Khanna received the Marudhar Gaurav Award from the Rajasthan Foundation, Kolkata.^[35] In 2008, she was given the FICCI Ladies Organization Woman of Substance Award.^[36] In 2010, she received the Bharat Nirman Award.^[36] 2011 saw Anamika Khanna win the Audi RITZ Icon Award.^[37] In the same year, she received the She Award.^[36] Anamika Khanna has also won the Export Council Award.^[38] Hello! Hall of Fame Awards 2016 presented Anamika Khanna with "Designer of the Year award" for her unparalleled contribution in the realm of fashion.^[39]

Nominations

2003 saw her being nominated under the Breakthrough Designer of the Year category at the MTV Youth Icon Awards. 2004 also saw her being nominated under the Designer of the Year category at the MTV Lycra Style Awards and under the Designer of the Year category (Women – Prêt) at the F Awards. In 2005, she was nominated for the MTV Style Awards under the Designer of the Year category.^[35]

Achievements

In 2006, she was selected by the Elle magazine as one of the 50 Style Icons of the Year. Verve Magazine included her in its 2006 Verve Power Issue as well as in its list of 50 Powerful Women in 2010.^[35][40] She was also featured in the Verve Perennial Stylish People list. India Today selected her as one of India’s 25 most powerful women in 2011^[36] while Femina included her in its list of 50 Most Powerful Women in India as well as in the list of 100 People Impacting India the Most.^[36] Anamika Khanna was also included in the list of 25 most beautiful people by the Hi! Blitz magazine. Anamika Khanna has been recently nominated for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.^[41] She has been listed in the Business of Fashion elite list of 500 people shaping the global fashion industry.^[1]

Associations

Anamika Khanna showcased her collection at Bvlgari’s India launch in 2014.^[42] Anamika is also associated with Bvlgari Singapore. Anamika Khanna – The Trend Setter Anamika Khanna has modernized Indian craft through her collections featuring the usage of zardosi, dhoti-pants, shararas, and lehengas. Her collections can be termed as decorously Indian but Goth, Punk and Bohemian at the same time.^[8] She has set forth a new trend in draping saris through three different drapes: The tulip drape, the wavy drape and the two-pallu in dhoti-style drape.^[43] She also introduced a number of trends in terms of adorning oneself at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer, 2015. Some examples include lip colors like dark burgundy and geometric shapes in the form of golden leaves starting from the temples and ending at the inner side of the cheekbones.^[44]

Bollywood and Anamika

The B-town and Anamika Khanna creations much go hand-in-hand. Be it red carpet events, parties, movie promotions or private get-together celebs are often spotted in finely crafted Anamika Khanna couture. Not only at home ground, even International platforms have been graced by Anamika Khanna couture.
In 2013 Sonam Kapoor wore a traditional lace sari by Anamika Khanna and a long embroidered jacket at Cannes red-carpet gala while she again stunned in an Anamika Khanna saree reincarnation in dainty pink on red-carpet in Cannes 2014.^[45] Cannes 2016 once again witnessed Sonam Kapoor in two of Anamika Khanna's creation, she wore a pristine ivory outfit when she touched down at Cannes ground^[46] and another of the designers creation while attending the Press Meet on Day 2 by the Frecnch Riveria.^[47] Needless to say these are not the only times the fashion icon has worn the designer. The designer has been one of the favourites of the Bollywood fashionista. From Cannes to events back home, Sonam Kapoor has sported various creations by Anamika.
Bride of Shahid Kapoor, Mira Rajput chose to wear Anamika Khanna lehenga at her wedding, she chose not just one but four outfits from the designer at her wedding.^[48]
Its not just B-town's divas that are smitten by Anamika Khanna creations. Singing sensation, Kanika Kapoor, recently hosted a Diwali bash for delegates of Dolce & Gabanna, she chose to wear Anamika Khanna at the special occasion.^[49]
Bollywood actresses in movies like ‘Mausam’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Aisha’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.^[50] Her designed outfits was worn by Sonam Kapoor in the upcoming movie ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ starring Salman Khan.^[51] Anamika Khanna has designed the outfits that Simi Garewal wore in her talk show: ‘Simi Selects: India’s Most Desirable’.^[52] Anamika Khanna designed the 10 kg velvet lehenga that was studded with pearls, gold and silver and was given as a gift by Simi Garewal to Lady Gaga – her celebrity guest at her talk show: ‘Simi Selects: India’s Most Desirable.^[53]

References