Copyright vogue
Since launching her eponymous brand in 1995 with two sewing machines and a loan from her father, Anita Dongre has become a household name and a couturier admired for her design language rooted in Indian craftsmanship. 20 years on, not only has she committed to sustainable practices that go beyond lip service, but she has also successfully created all-women teams and worked on initiatives that empower rural artisans. With a presence across 114 cities in four countries and 1000+ stores, in addition to a thriving online business that caters to 250 countries, Dongre’s impact on the fashion industry has reached global levels. And on Sunday, she made history as the first Indian designer to open a flagship store in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. This marks her 13th store worldwide and her most significant U.S. expansion since opening in SoHo, New York City, in 2018. Dongre’s Beverly Hills store ensconces her right among the stars, but it’s safe to say that the designer’s reputation precedes her. When Kim Kardashian wore a lehenga for the first time on Vogue India’s cover in 2018, it was an intricately embellished red-and-ivory number by Anita Dongre. The same year, Beyoncé chose fine jewellery and accessories from Pinkcity by Anita Dongre for Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal’s pre-wedding celebrations. During a temple visit in Mumbai ahead of the Coldplay concert, Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson wore laidback Anita Dongre kurtas. When Kate Middleton wore one of Dongre’s dresses to play a cricket match at the Oval Maidan during her 2016 India visit, the designer’s website famously crashed under the surge of demand. Celebrities like Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sophie Turner, Lupita Nyong’o, Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor have also been spotted in her designs. Inside the Beverly Hills store—Dongre’s interpretation of modern-day Rajasthan—crafts meet contemporary design against the backdrop of nature-inspired interiors. Pichhwai walls, hand-painted and hand-embellished over months by artisans in Rajasthan, feature deer, flora and elephants. The elephant reappears in an installation from The Great Elephant Migration—a global art movement featuring sculptures handcrafted by indigenous communities in India using invasive Lantana weeds that endanger native forests and wildlife. On Sunday, Mindy Kaling and Poorna Jagannathan hosted an intimate, star-studded evening to celebrate the flagship store launch. Guests included Jay and Radhika Shetty, Anjula Acharia, Richa Moorjani, Amrit Kaur, Payal Kadakia, Leo Kalyan, Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Ami Desai, Aadil Abedi, Jeannie Mai and Amanda Henry. With the Beverly Hills store launch, Dongre invites the city’s multicultural clientele to engage in a conversation between tradition, skill and conscious design. For the doyenne of Indian couture, it’s just one more step in her grand vision of taking India to the world. Weaving a better future: Anita Dongre is crafting a conscious couture legacy The rise of India’s biggest fashion house Manish Malhotra, Gaurav Gupta, Anita Dongre, Rahul Mishra and more—35 of India’s biggest designers unite for an art-meets-fashion showcase in Mumbai
