Anita Dongre On Styling Kate Middleton, Sustainability, And Setting Foot In The Middle East
The award-winning Indian designer expands her fashion empire to the region. She speaks to Bazaar Arabia about her success story, most significant career moment, and future plans here…
Known for her elegant, traditional, and intricate Rajasthani designs, Indian fashion house Anita Dongre has been a go-to choice of brand for many in the country and globally. After launching her own company over 12 years ago, Anita Dongre has seen significant success in the ready-to-wear and bridal industry.
From her viral Kate Middleton moment, where the royal was spotted wearing one of Anita’s designs while on a trip to India, to the importance of sustainability and cruelty-free fashion, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s Anahita Ghai speaks with the award-winning creative here…
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (HBA): Can you tell us a bit about the story behind your brand? When did you launch it and what was your biggest inspiration?
Anita Dongre (AD): We launched the Anita Dongre brand about 12 years back, and I specifically started with a wedding wear line. But interestingly enough, I used to do ready-to-wear earlier from the beginning of my career. I’ve wanted to express myself through the change that the Indian woman was going through. And the Indian woman has changed in the last decade specifically so, and I get really excited to see the change that women are going through not just in India but all over the world, including the Middle East market.
Because today women are economically independent, they are taking their own decisions. So you know, in the past, women didn’t make the decisions even on their own wedding attire; your mom or your mother-in-law chose it for you. Today’s bride chooses her own clothes. Today’s bride has the most fun at her wedding, today’s bride dances, so I think we were the first Indian designer label for wedding wear where I created pockets in my lenghas because I think clothing also has to reflect the change that the wearer is going through and you have to reflect the change that’s happening in society around you. So I wanted to see all that in the clothing. So everyone was very surprised when I started doing wedding wear and questioned it. And I would reply with I want to make outfits that I would get remarried in again, you know, just because I want to celebrate this new Indian woman.
HBA: You have worked with various Bollywood and International celebrities. What would you say is one of your most memorable projects and why?
AD: Everything I do is special to me; in fact, every day is special to me, but if I take one moment that changed the brand’s history, it’s when Kate Middleton wore us now because our website crashed. I was the seventh most Googled person in the world that day. So it had this momentous change for the brand. She had just landed in Bombay, India, and that was her first appearance in the country; all the images went viral. I had the opportunity to meet her a few months later in Buckingham Palace. She’s lovely and down to earth, and it was great speaking with her; she loves India.
HBA: I saw that you have recently launched vegan accessories and are a big advocate on cruelty free. Could you share a bit about the line and why it was important for you to get into this sustainable eco-friendly space?
AD: Sustainability is very, very important to me. This is why seven years ago when I moved into my new design headquarters in Mumbai, we invested in this piece of land ten years ago; it’s on the outskirts of Mumbai next to these lush green hills. It’s a 90,000 square feet huge space with a lot of sunlight and air, and we hardly use air conditioning there. We recycle our water there; we grow vegetables on the terrace of the building; it’s our way of living.
So, Sustainable spaces have always been important to me; we are always mindfully working with companies that work on sustainable fibers, even in our textiles. Social sustainability is essential to me, which is why we work with artisans in villages in India. Preserving craft is crucial to me; vegan is my lifestyle. I’m vegan. I have never used leather, and I have never bought leather; that’s why I’ve obviously never come up with a handbag line. And I’ve been looking for companies that would create leather substitutes, and we came across one such product, and we will be doing many more. So there’s another hand-painted line that we are launching in a couple of months. So craft sustainability environment are always close to me, and I want to work in fashion, and I want to I want to bring my personal lifestyle principles into what I do at work.
HBA: Which is your favourite product from the vegan line?
AD: I think the elephant belt. I have been wearing it very frequently for the last couple of weeks. I love belts, and I finally got my own vegan one.
HBA: Your brand has a unique USP of doing traditional ethnic wear but also day-today ready to wear. Why did you decide to go beyond bridal and traditional wear into the RTW space?
AD: They just came at different phases of my life, and I enjoy doing both ready-to-wear and bridal. I also have my other sub-label, which is grassroots. It’s an easy breezy everyday wearable brand and includes sustained crafts like this printed garment. So the textile will always be craft oriented. I honestly enjoy doing both.
HBA: Why did you decide to open a store in Dubai? What’s interesting about the Middle Eastern market?
AD: Actually, Dubai should have happened for us three years ago. To be honest, if it wasn’t for COVID, we should have been in the city by now. When we opened in New York five years ago, I had told my son Yash that within a year of settling down in New York, we got to be in Dubai. So actually, four years too late. Better late than never.
HBA: Do you feel the Middle East market is similar to the Indian market? Are there any similarities?
AD: I’m looking forward to starting the store and meeting my customers there. And I want to really understand the women who are in Dubai. For me, that’s so important. So I will spend a few days here when the store launches. So many women from the Middle Eastern Region shop at our stores in Bombay; we’ve been selling to them for quite a few years. But coming here to her doorstep will be a lot of learnings for us.
Cities like Dubai and New York are all global hubs. We get people from different regions and cultures coming in for fittings, there are so many mixed marriages happening, Indians marrying different cultures, and then we get to see the bride and the groom from another culture embracing the designs and outfits. I’m looking forward to that kind of collaboration in the Middle East market.
HBA: What’s next for you and the brand?
AD: We are launching a UAE website along with a Ramadan collection. And hopefully will expand further in the region.
Interview by Anahita Ghai. Images Supplied.