Anamika Khanna is an eminent name in the Indian Fashion Industry. To this Indian fashion designer goes the credit of being the first Indian designer to have attained an International level. She is the owner of the fashion label, "Ana mika". From showcasing her collections in various National and International fashion platforms to designing for many Bollywood films, Anamika Khanna's contributions to the Indian fashion industry deserves a bow. At the onset of the UK-India Year of Culture in 2017, she was one of the privileged few to be invited by the British Royals, the Queen of the United Kingdom and The Duke of Edinburgh, to Buckingham Palace on the momentous occasion.
Anamika had ingrained an idea of sustainable reinvention as a mantra for her craft. Back in the day, when she was asked to produce and showcase a garment, she experimented with fabrics and textures. Anamika's designers are often surprised on seeing her work process which involves a lot of work from scratch. Anamika developed her instinct with time and has come a long away from sticking to trends. Initially, however she was bent on experimenting and exploring the ongoing trends. In short, it can be said that she dedicates time to create timeless and beyond- season pieces which do not have any timeline attached to them. She once mentioned that she loves to create pieces which one can take out after 25 years and style up and re-wear them.
The year 1998 saw the beginning of Khanna's career. Her first event came in with an invitation to visit Pakistan to show her bridal collections as a part of Bridal Asia. She then launched her international label: Ana mika, in 2004. The same year she showcased her collections at the Lakme Fashion Week's Grand Finale. The following year, she displayed a collection of her's which was labelled as "The Botanist" at the Will's Fashion Wee Spring/Summer edition. She received exclusive contracts from British department store Harrods and was covered by the magazines: Glamour (Paris), Vogue (October 2005 edition in UK) and Vogue Best Buy.
She went on to participate at the Paris Fashion Week along with Manish Arora in 2007. In the year 2008, she participated in the HDIL India Couture Week, where she presented her signature cowl-shaped dresses that closely resembled the dhoti worn by Mahatma Gandhi..
In 2009, she was the finale designer at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Fall/Winter edition. In the following year, she participated in The India Premier London Fashion Week's Autumn/Winter collection. In 2011, she presented her creations at the Lakme Summer Resort. In 2012, at the Delhi Couture Week she showcased her signature dhoti-pants together with sari drapes and floor-length jackets. In the year 2013, her presentations at the PCJ Delhi Couture Week included shararas, capes, gilets, vests and coats with a color combination of black, white and gold.
In the year 2014, Khanna showcased her collection at Bvlgari's India launch. The designer is also associated with Bvlgari Singapore. She introduced a number of trends in adorning oneself at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer, 2015. Some of them include lip colours with dark burgundy and geometric shapes in the form of golden leaves that starts from the temple and ends at the inner side of the cheekbones.
Khanna's works are not bound to any timeline. This sentiment has been reflected by many of her dedicated clients and fashion connoisseurs. In the year 2014, fashion journalist Bandana Tewaria was on a trip to Tokyo for a pre- fall show. She wore a wore a black Anamika Khanna dress with a gold zari-work border, which at that time was Khanna's staple for many of her global fashion outings. They were effortlessly stylish and comfortable. Tewaria commented on Khanna's style that, "For anyone who believes in true style, an authentic sense of sartorial sensibility is based not only on beauty but functionality and longevity. For a designer like Anamika, a passing trend is not only a consumerist trick-of-the-trade that she refuses to subscribe to, she also believes that it is disrespectful to her creativity if her designs are seen to have a limited shelf life."
Anamika likes to ensure that her fashion doesn't consume. She likes her wearers to be able to adapt and innovate and make her fashion into their own. She likes to encourage her audience to adapt her clothes and walk out of the monotony. This perspective of her speaks volumes of her confidence as a designer. Anamika says, "I'm not insecure as a designer. I want you to feel beautiful wearing my clothes, but that only comes when you put yourself in them and not me as a brand."
She has to her credit many national and international awards that reflect her outstanding creative aspect. Some of them are the Texcellence Award for Outstanding Boutique in 2004. She received the Kingfisher Award for Fashion Designer of the Year in 2004. In 2006 she won the FICCI Ladies Organization's Young Woman Achiever's Award. She also received the Marudhar Gaurav Award from the Rajasthan Foundation, Kolkata in the year 2007.
Other awards received by her includes the FICCI Ladies Organization Woman of Substance Award (2008), the Bharat Nirman Award (2010), Audi RITZ Icon Award (2011), She Award (2011), Export Council Award, Hello! Hall of Fame Awards – Designer of the Year award (2016), Fashionably Yours Award by T2, The Telegraph (2017), Indian Affairs Fashion Designer of the Year 2017 at the 8th Annual India Leadership Conclave & Indian Affairs Business Leadership Awards and Vogue Women of The Year Awards – Designer of the Year (2018).
Also Read: How To Make An Effective Travel Itinerary
Also Watch: