INTERVIEW: MANISH ARORA talks to FILEP MOTWARY

(photo courtesy of Neil Katz)

As Manish Arora showed his first collection in New Delhi in 1997while the Indian press recognized him as the Rising Star of Indian Fashion.After he won Best Women's Prêt Designer Price during the Indian Fashion Awards 2004 he successfully debuted at the London Fashion Week in September 2005. Recently he was invited by Didier Grumbach, Manish Arora shows his Spring/Summer 2008 collection for the first time during the Paris Fashion Week in October 2007. For his Autumn/Winter 2008-09 collection he collaborated with renowned Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami, Indian contemporary artist Subodh Gupta and Walt Disney to design a range of garments part of his collection. A new collaboration just started now with MAC and REEBOK…

FilepMotwary: Manish, your S/S09 collection’s main theme was around the idea of a “circus”. In all your collections, shocking colours rule the game. Yet, this time the tones were lower and more relaxed. Do you feel your growing “older”?
Manish Arora: No I wouldn’t say that I am growing older, however one does evolve with every collection.

FilepMotwary: The first time I met you was at AREA, an independent and more contemporary showroom in Paris by Geoffrey B.Small. I was there when Maria Luisa came to see you. Is this how your world recognition started?
Manish Arora: I think my work was already being recognised before that but yes Maria Luisa did discover me in Bombay.

FilepMotwary: This season you were invited by the President of the French Fashion Federation, Didier Grumbach to present your collection in Paris. How did it go? Please share the experience from the moment you received the invite till the point when the first model appeared on the catwalk?
Manish Arora: Didier Grumbach invited me to present my collection in Paris 3 collection ago. I was extremely happy and excited when he invited me. It was my chance to show my work on the biggest platform for fashion in the world. There was a lot of preparation, excitement and nervousness but it all went great.
FilepMotwary: Paris Bourse building was dressed in Manish Arora during the Paris Fashion Week for SS/09. Could you give us more details? And also, how do you feel that you actually “dressed” one of the more important buildings in Paris?
Manish Arora: I was approached by the people at Tranoi and felt it was a great opportunity to show my work on a different platform. It was a fun project and I really enjoyed doing it.

FilepMotwary: Where do you see yourself at this point, compared to the stardom of your career?
Manish Arora: I am still learning, still curious and I still have a hunger to make beautiful things.

FilepMotwary: Do you think that a good fashion designer can also be good in other things? If yes, what?
Manish Arora: Definitely yes, creativity can flow in many other creative avenues. Now having designed footwear for Reebok, signature collection for Mac cosmetics, swatch and my eyewear collection I feel that there is so much one can do.

FilepMotwary: How much time do you spend alone? How does your family support what you do and how important is teamwork for you?
Manish Arora: Teamwork is very important, you need to have people you can count on around you. When I travel I am most often alone. My family has always stood by me and been supportive of my life and work.

FilepMotwary: Are you afraid of the Global Financial crisis? Has it affected your work?
Manish Arora: Well we are all a bit wary of it I think, it’s a major situation that’s affecting many people and businesses. As for me, so far it hasn’t really affected our orders or clients.
FilepMotwary: What is love for you?
Manish Arora: Love is something special and personal.
FilepMotwary: How far do you mix tradition of Indian culture with the European? Where does the rid thin line start that separates praising one’s roots and offending them.
Manish Arora: I have an equal mix of both. My culture and roots play a very important factor my collection but without the European mix it would be incomplete. Indian culture has always been very easy with mixing and lending itself to other cultures so it would take a lot for me to offend it.

FilepMotwary: What is fashion intellectualism for you?
Manish Arora: Every designer has a thought process behind their collection, if one wants to call it intellectualism they can.
FilepMotwary: Is there a message you would like to give?
Manish Arora: Just that take fashion less seriously, enjoy it and play with it.

FilepMotwary: Can Fashion be a protest?
Manish Arora: Yes fashion can be a protest because people have always used the clothes they wear as a way to stand for something weather it be teenage rebellion or freedom fighters.
FilepMotwary: Your future projects?
Manish Arora: There is collaboration with SWATCH coming up next year and we have designed the packaging of NIVEA SOFT. Their boxed will be covered in prints by us whom will also be out next year.

http://www.manisharora.ws/

Note: The interview is part of the fifth Fashion issue of ISTEROGRAFO.Cyprus edited / Curated by Filep Motwary, doming out on January 11th 2009. M.ARORA is represented by Totem

Comments

[alok kaushik]

Excellent!
I m really impressed by this interview.
thanks