Indian couture is all about bridal wear: Manish Arora

Wedding-wear primarily dominates the Indian couture wear market, and justifiably so, says internationally known designer Manish Arora, who has returned to showcase his collection on the Indian ramp after a gap of three years.

"In India, bridal wear is couture, so it makes sense for designers to show bridal wear during the Couture Week. In Europe too, couture is meant for special occasions and the clothes shown are suitable to their market," Arora said.

"The definition of couture in India is different from the west as what designers show there is more apt for their tastes and market sensibilities," he added.

Marked for his creative use of psychedelic colours, trendy prints and unique designs, Arora's international presence is quite huge.

He made a successful debut at the London Fashion Week in September 2005, and also tip-toed in the London, Hong Kong and Miami market in a big way. He also got a rare chance to showcase a retrospective of his collections at Victoria and Albert Museum in 2007.

He is the only Indian designer who has been invited to the Paris Fashion Week for seven consecutive years.

Rarely seen on the Indian runway in the recent past, the designer made his comeback after a gap of three years for the ongoing Delhi Couture Week here Friday night.

"I'm showing in Paris each season since many years. (But) India is where I get my inspiration. Its just that I have not done a catwalk show in India since three years as the timing between Paris show and India show is very less but couture week was the perfect timing," he said.

For his comeback show, Arora presented a retrospective of his collections shown at Paris Fashion Week over the past few years.

The inspiration for all his garments was in "India and its great culture".

"The collection consists of some my favourite pieces that I have shown in Paris over the past five years and some of them have never been shown in India. Each piece is unique and extremely time consuming to make. All the pieces have been handcrafted and have meticulous embroideries and embellishments," he said.

The designer's collection was a visual feast for all fashionistas who were looking for freshness in the couture segment.

His collection was a mix of ultra-feminine skirts and dresses to streamlined pencil skirts to cigarette pants. Bold graphic prints, three dimensional designs and floral motifs were the highpoints of the line.

Some of the pieces shown on the runway have also been flaunted by international fashion icons like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj.