Manish Arora is perhaps one of the most influential designers in India today, and certainly the most influential Indian designer internationally. Since graduating in 1994 from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi he has travelled the world with his distinctive Indian infused surreal designs, appearing at fashion weeks in five different fashion capitals. In 2003, just three years into his label's development, Manish was already a key figure in Indian culture; he was put forward to represent India at Hong Kong Fashion Week. This multi-talented designer was also courted to undertake non-fashion museum projects such as ‘Kitsch’, a show he brought to the UK in 2002.
By this time Manish had launched a pret line he called ‘Fish Fry’, a direct response to the demand for a ready-to-wear line, which along with his mainline, has grown rapidly. This has since diversified into a collaboration with Reebok called “Fish Fry for Reebok,” making him the first Indian fashion designer ever to have partnered a multinational sports brand. Since his Spring '06 collection Manish has been showcasing his mainline collections as part of London Fashion Week, each of which has been met with critical acclaim from the likes of Hilary Alexander and Suzy Menkes.
Manish himself still credits London Fashion Week as being the springboard which propelled him into international markets, and now, following an invitation from Paris, he has taken his collection over the Channel to become the first Indian designer to showcase a collection as part of the official Paris Fashion Week line-up. Since then Manish has created an eyewear line by Inspecs, a range of limited edition Swatch watches and also a signature line for MAC cosmetics. Manish creates all of his garments in house which retail through his flagship stores in India, he is also stocked in Harrods, Dover Street Market, Maria Luisa-France, Saks-Dubai and Villa Moda in Kuwait .