Manish Malhotra

Malhotra has been reported to have been inspired by Indian craftsmanship and promotes regional handicrafts and workmanship from rural India through his association with the ‘Mijwan Welfare Society’– an NGO founded by Late Kaifi Azmi and headed by Shabana Azmi and Namrata Goyal. In March 2017, the Philadelphia Museum of Art featured outfits from the Manish Malhotra 2013 couture collection – Thread of Emotion, in an ongoing retrospective spotlighting the Phulkari technique at their Joan Spain Gallery.

At the Lilavati hospital, Manish Malhotra put up a show to support the ‘Save the Girl Child’ campaign where Bollywood divas Madhuri Dixit Nene, Malaika Arora Khan, Mandira Bedi, Lara Dutta etc. walked the ramp for him.

He also worked with Google on launch promotions for ‘G Suite’ – a set of intelligent apps designed for modern professionals.

Malhotra also made a contribution towards ensuring underprivileged children their basic rights. He made a generous donation of a Manish Malhotra garment at the CRY gala dinner 2017.

The idea behind putting family on the forefront was simple: To represent the legacy the late Kaifi Azmi left for his daughter Shabana Azmi, who now heads the NGO of Mijwan Welfare Society along with her god daughter Namrata Goyal. In 2017, he put up his sixth Mijwan show at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma walked the ramp for him and the collection showcased an amalgamation of classic chikankari in modern silhouettes, renewing the vintage charm of elaborate jackets, cocktail dresses, saris, crop tops, fluid skirts and evening gowns—with rich zardozi, romantic sequins and fringes.

Again on 23 April 2016, at the Pratham's Annual Gala, held at Hilton America's, Manish Malhotra raised $1.8 million to eradicate illiteracy in India. His collection ‘The Regal Threads’, which emphasized the use of Indian heritage weaves from Benares and Gujarat, India; was showcased at the event.

In August 2016, Malhotra's show for Lakme Fashion Week's Winter-Festive edition was shot for a Virtual Reality fashion experience by Etihad Airways. The Virtual Reality video was released earlier in January 2017 at Etihad’s Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi.

Malhotra introduced a new dimension to his summer collection in 2015 with ‘The Blue Runway’ at the Jabong Lakme Fashion Week 2015. The show was in association with the WEvolve campaign and World Bank as the partner. WEvolve is a global campaign bringing men and women together to end inequality using the power of art and media to inspire action and change. The highlight of the show was the finale segment where the models were seen carrying messages of change and positivity on placards that read – gender, equality, society, empower and justice. The show derived its name, ‘The Blue Runway’ from the color palette it featured – different hues of blue from powder to midnight. Also the collection was designed to be worn in any part of the world with the women's line including flowy gowns, jacket-saris, off-shoulder and halter crop tops, and skirts as and long shirts in structured and easy styles.

Malhotra has been involved with Mijwan Welfare Society since its very first show. Mijwan Welfare Society was founded by Kaifi Azmi that promotes the village based small-scale industries and supporting it with marketing skills and strategies and it also facilitates viable self-employment. The women of the Mijwan village have sustained themselves by learning chikankari embroidery, which Malhotra has transformed into his signature Indian wear. Kaifi Azmi Embroidery and Sewing centre was set up in 1994 and Manish Malhotra adopted the school in 2012. He showcased his 2012 Mijwan collection at the India Fashion Week held at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai to promote Mijwan's female population and their craftsmanship. In 2015, having completed 4 years of working with Mijwan Welfare Society, he put up a show on 4 April 2015. The collection was called, The Legacy and the list of showstoppers included five parent-child duos: Amitabh Bachchan and Shweta Nanda, Anil and Sonam Kapoor, Shatrugan and Sonakshi Sinha, Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan, and Javed and Farhan Akhtar.

On 20 February 2014, Malhotra along with 20 models from Mumbai showcased his latest creations and couture in a binding show. The show was in association with Oman Cancer Association and Dar Al’ Atta’a to support cancer awareness. The show was held on 20 February 2014 at the lawns of the Intercontinental Muscat. The RO20,000 raised during the event were donated to the Oman Cancer Association. Manish, through this show, brought to life India's regal heritage with the royalty in chiffon saris, flowing anarkalis, kalidar lehengas and double-breasted bandhgalas.

Malhotra has made contributions to the India's largest education NGO, Pratham, once in 2013 and then in 2016. Manish Malhotra celebrated 100 years of Indian Cinema at the ARTiculate the Pratham Ball 2013, at London and raised 3,00,000 pounds for the Indian Education Charity. His collection was inspired by the three main eras of the Indian Cinema, spanning from 1913 to 2013. It took the audience through the black and white era of "Mughal-E-Azam" and "Awara". Also, actors Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta who were already in London shooting for their film, Humshakals; walked the ramp for Malhotra.

Manish Malhotra made his UK Catwalk debut at a gala fundraiser in aid of the Angel! Foundation in association with Rivaage Boutique, on 23 February 2013. This event was held at The Grosvenore House Hotel, London. Manish Malhotra selected Angel! Foundation as the charity of choice for his UK launch to highlight the shocking inequality and attitude towards women in India. Angel! Foundation is a charity which works towards empowerment of Women in India. Manish in support for the Angel! Foundation said, "I work in an industry where women are revered and respected. I have had the privilege of dressing some of the most beautiful and powerful women in the world, but when I step out of the door and into the stark reality of India, I see the injustice and inequality all around me. The Angel! Foundation is providing an invaluable service to these girls and women. The charity helps them raise their self-esteem, confidence and ultimately value themselves enough to get a voice."v

Manish Malhotra worked towards promoting the regional handicrafts of India in 2012. He associated with craftsmen of Kashmir who had been creating intricate embroideries for his label and created the Kashmiri Heritage Collection which was showcased on the third day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. His collection was Kashmir inspired and it was a tribute to the craftsmen from Kashmir working for him since a year.

To support the 'Save & Empower The Girl Child' campaign held at JW Marriott in Mumbai on 11 April 2012, Manish Malhotra put up a show where many celebrities walked the ramp with their daughters. The collection embraced traditional Indian crafts like Chikankari and Kashmiri embroidery. It traced the birth of the Indian Girl Child from soft shades to vibrant hues signaling her arrival into womanhood.

NDTV in association with Aircel embarked upon a unique programming initiative to support its ongoing "Save our Tiger" campaign by telecasting a 12-hour nonstop program from 11 am to 11 pm, in March 2010. Malhotra was among the many generous donors like Amitabh Bachchan, Diya Mirza, Priya Dutt etc. the campaign raised about Rs. 10 crore and had a great impact on the policies.

Malhotra worked on a traditional outfit design for Michael Jackson, during his visit to India in the late 1990s. He has also worked for Jean-Claude Van Damme, Reese Witherspoon in Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair, Kylie Minogue, and Jermaine Jackson and wife Halima. He also designed the wedding outfits for the Princess of Riyadh.

Manish Malhotra (born 5 December 1966) is a former Indian model turned costume designer and stylist, widely known for his works in Bollywood, Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Hollywood, and television. In 1998, he ventured into modelling and runway fashion designing with his couture Reverie-Manish Malhotra. He received appreciation for his glamorous ensembles using traditional colours, craftsmanship, textures and embroideries presented at his first runway show in November 1999. In 2005, he launched his couture label Manish Malhotra which offers bridal, couture, diffusion and men's wear collections and retails at two stores in Mumbai and New Delhi. The label also retails at multi-brand boutiques across India and in Dubai.