Successful Female Designers!

As big a part of Bollywood, there are those behind the stars who dress them. Many a times behind the scenes, these are the people whose creations adorn the figures of our favorite actors and actresses, and make us 'ooh' and 'aah' over their stylish looks. But how many of them do we actually recognize? In this month's 'woman's special' edition, BollyCurry brings you some of the best and most successful female designers of our time.One of the earliest and most reputed fashion divas amongst fashion buffs, Ritu Kumar, brings a unique style of her own to the Indian fashion industry. Her designs bring together the ancient Indian craftsmanship traditions combined with contemporary fashion, made all the more enriched by her background in Art History and Musicology. The designer was behind the stunning outfits of the three winning Miss India's for their participation in the International Beauty Pageants of Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Asia Pacific respectively. She also launched a sub brand in 2002, LABEL, which caters to today's increasingly independent, discerning and global woman.Known for being the first Indian designer to present a collection in Paris, Ritu Beri is one of the earliest designers to have made it internationally. Her designs, incomparable in their style and elegance, have become a highlight in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, the USA, London and Paris. Her very first line of clothing, Lavanya, created in 1990, was a complete success not just in India, but in the international market as well, with the range selling out very quickly. Her career has only gone up since then, and her ready-to-wear line and an impressive couture collection has the French media raving about her.Rina Dhaka is best known for her themed collections - sheer trousers, crochet, and stretch jersey, woolens and spider web motifs - and is one of India's leading fashion designers. Bursting into the fashion world in the late 1980s, she is counted among the most creative and innovate designers of the country. Dhaka won the prestigious Yuv Rattan Award for her contribution to fashion in 1993, and has held shows in London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Jakarta. Her shows in Singapore, in 2001 and 2002, were major successes, and her works have been featured in international fashion magazines, Vogue and Elle. While her forte remains western, Rina dares to experiment her collections, and has even mixed fur and boots with her Indian outfits.A well-known designer for Bollywood, Neeta Lulla, has achieved acclaim internationally as well as in India. This designer and stylist is the winner of four National Film Awards; Best Costume Design in 1991 for Lamhe, Devdas in 2002, Jodha Akbar in 2009 and Balgandharva in 2012. Not only that, but she has won many other awards, among them the IIFA Best Costume Design Award in 2009, the Bollywood Movie Award for Best Costume Designer in 2001 and 2003, as well as the Kingfisher Fashion Award in 2005 for her Contribution to Fashion. She has showcased her collections all over the world - in the USA, Canada, Rome and Monte Carlo, and is an expert in the field of bridal trousseau designs. With her daughter Nishka, Neeta recently styled Genelia D'Souza's look for her wedding.Surily Goel began her career in Bollywood when she styled clothes for Preity Zinta in 2005's Salaam Namaste. There was no looking back for her since. Trained by the very famous Manish Malhotra, Surily made her debut at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2006 where Salman Khan, Malaika Arora Khan and former actress Neelam modeled her collection, Roses Forever. She went on to style for Preity Zinta once again in Jaan-E-Mann, and in more recent times, they worked together once again when Preity walked down the ramp at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week modeling one of Surily's designs. Preity is not the only Bollywood star Surily boasts in her clientele - Malaika Arora Khan and Sonya Mehra are two others who have been seen wearing her outfits occasionally. The designer has a number of other Bollywood films accredited to her, among them 2007's Saawariya and The Last Lear. 
Author: Aradhna K.
Editors: Khushi P. & Jenifer Y.
Graphics: Amna M.