If there are three attributes that denote designer Manish Arora, they would be these: one, his psychedelic colours and kitsch motifs; two, his collaborative projects that only seem to get better with time; and three, his love for Paris.
To mark his 10th anniversary at Paris Fashion Week, the designer has collaborated with Zoya Jewellery from the House of Tata, incorporating their jewellery into his Spring Summer ’18 collection. Two of the signature looks were revealed in an exclusive preview on Tuesday.
Shedding light on the upcoming collection, Manish says, “It’s inspired by a girl who’s ready to love — she’s pampered and spoilt yet big-hearted and sophisticated — and the ensembles are what she would choose to wear from morning to night.” Expect lots and lots of hearts, feathers, dream catchers in Aztec and tribal prints with an Arabic twist, and of course, his signature pink and gold colours.
“It’s the most luxurious collection ever,” discloses Manish, and we can’t deny that one bit — the first look from the collection is a fully sequinned sleeveless midi dress in kaleidoscopic colours that’s handmade on a base of net and took almost three months to make. The second look, a short pastel pink dress with cape sleeves, uses a cotton-based neoprene fabric that is also highly embellished. “Both are evening cocktail dresses that are easy to wear despite the intricate work,” says the designer.
Speaking of the collaboration, Manish says it was born out of a natural synergy in design philosophy and craftsmanship that his creations and Zoya’s statement pieces shared. “My SS18 collection is so in sync with Zoya’s handcrafted jewellery that it feels like they’re made for each other — be it the Krsna collection, the Parisian-inspired Musee Du Luxe collection or their latest Whispers From The Valley collection which will make its debut at the Paris show,” the designer tells us.
Having designed around 150 pieces for the show, the designer is yet to create a shortlist for the show. “Right now, I’m using pieces from Zoya’s existing collections, but I can forsee that I could be designing one of their upcoming collections,” Manish says. “The idea is for Manish Arora and Zoya to co-exist together for a long time.”
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Manish Arora will be showcasing his SS ’18 collection at Paris Fashion Week on September 28.
