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Replete with his sig-
nature psychedelia,
apocalyptic dressing,
Jazz Age fl appers and
Hollywood glamour,
that Manish Arora ti-
tled his autumn/win-
ter 2019-20 show Fi-
nally Normal People
might be perceived as
an oxymoron by most. But for Arora,
this state of extravaganza is business
as usual. “Sure, in some people’s eyes
what I do would seem to be maximal,
but for me it’s my normal,” he says
laughing. “Sometimes people like me
need a lot more to express.”
And his tableau of expression has
spanned the gamut—from the more
spiritual oeuvre in autumn/winter
2018-19 to the Candy Crush-infl ected
elements of A/W 2014-15. He’s de-
signed dresses that have a working car-
ousel (worn famously by Katy Perry)
and others festooned with glow-in-the-
dark hand-sewn butterfl ies. “What’s
happening in Indian fashion today is
the perfect example of maximalism—
with the kitsch, over-the-top element
of the weddings. My aesthetics are
unique, they are personal, and I guess
that’s what makes them different.
They are an amalgamation of fashion
and art, but expressed through the me-
dium of clothing.” His references in
fashion are unsurprising—the drama
of Thierry Mugler’s shows, the quirk of
Jean Paul Gaultier, and the larger-
than-life collections at Comme des
Garçons have all infl uenced him at dif-
ferent points in his career.
What would he classify as his most
outrageous outing? The Circus collec-
tion showcased at Paris Fashion Week
spring/summer 2009, he replies. The
iconic carousal dress from the collec-
tion, worn by Perry, is currently on
display at Camp: Notes On Fashion at
The Met in New York. “All my work is
a refl ection of my mind and inspira-
tions from my personal experiences.”
He adds, laughing, “Dressing at Burn-
ing Man every year is my most out-
there personal experience.”
While others mistakenly categorise
his clothing as kitsch, Arora says the
word he fi nds himself going back to is
‘unique’. “I make fashion to spread
happiness,” he had told Vogue India in
2012 , a concept that he says holds true
today. “Happiness, and that life is
beautiful, are the two things I think of
when I design clothes. I don’t think
fashion to me is about being intellec-
tual. I don’t want to be an intellectual
in fashion. I have a simple focus: No
pathos. But there is a lot of emotion.
There’s a difference.”
It has been two decades since Arora
started his label, but he refuses to live
by any timelines. “Unlike other de-
signers, I’ve never really considered it
a linear course. I’ve divided my career
into several parts. A new career began
when I started showing at London
Fashion Week in 2005 and then an-
other when I debuted in Paris.” That’s
not to say he isn’t cognizant of the les-
sons he’s learned along the way: “Lon-
don really gave me the courage to go all
out, and I realised that colours were
my strong suit. It made me refi ne my
sensibility. Paris has taught me howevery millimetre of fabric
can really change the en-
tire look.”
It’s only now that Arora
feels he has really come
into his own space. “I have
taken it up a notch, it’s
stronger than before. This
is a brand that won’t be
liked by everyone, and that’s fi ne—
because that would be boring. You
build your own tribe and that’s where
the magic happens.” ■HOW TO DO
MAXIMAL BY
MANISH ARORA
Katy Perry and Ranveer Singh,
according to the designer, are
modern icons of maximalism.
Here’s his cheat sheet to nailing
over-the-top style- You must be over-confi dent of
your look and your aesthetic. - When in doubt, always go for gold!
There’s a reason it signifi es winning. - Neon is always a must in my
books. No such thing as too many
electro hues. - Makeup must be expressive. For
my most recent collection, the mood
board for makeup was created to
give an impression that the models
had walked right out of an Antonio
Lopez illustration. - Don’t let accessories let you down.
They should elevate the look to out-
of-this-world proportions.
Manish Arora