Rohit Bal is an Indian

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...

. He designs for both men and women.

Early life

Rohit Bal was born in the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

of Srinagar in the

Jammu and Kashmir state Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019, constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

on 8 May 1961 into a

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha-Gauda, Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountai ...

family. Bal received his

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

from St. Stephens College,

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE ...

. He went on to study fashion at the

National Institute of Fashion Technology National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is an autonomous institute that offers courses in fashion, designing, technology, and management. Its head office is located in New Delhi, India. History NIFT was established in 1986 under the ...

in Delhi.

Career

Rohit Bal started his career with his brother Rajiv Bal in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

in 1986 the Company Orchid Oversea Pvt.Ltd, and started his own first independent collection in 1990. Bal was also chosen by the Khadi Gram Udyog, the largest handloom textile operation in

Panchkula Panchkula (PKL) is a planned city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district, part of the Ambala division in Haryana, India. The origin of the name Panchkula came from the place where five irrigation canals meet. Panchkula establis ...

, to work with them. Bal has designed costumes for the popular Indian game show ''

Kaun Banega Crorepati ''Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (also simply known as ''KBC'') is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the ''International versions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' f ...

''. Bal opened a flagship store in Delhi, as well as stores in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai. Bal has also ventured into designing jewellery. He is best known for his use of lotus and peacock motifs. He frequently uses rich fabrics like velvet, brocade and his designs are elaborate, inspired by Indian grandeur and royalty. He has an international client base that includes

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...

, Pamela Anderson and Uma Thurman among various Indian celebrities. He is also an ambassador for Omega watches.

Accolades

Bal won the 'Designer of the Year' award at the Indian Fashion Awards in 2006. He has also won 'Designer of the Year' at the Kingfisher Fashion Achievement Awards in 2001. He was awarded as the Lakme Grand Finale Designer for 2012. In 2020, he was recognized as "Iconic Fashion Designer of the country" by the jury of the Rajnigandha Pearls India Fashion Awards.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bal, Rohit 1967 births Living people Kashmiri people Indian Hindus Kashmiri Hindus Kashmiri Pandits Kashmiri Brahmins Indian people of Kashmiri descent Indian fashion designers Indian male fashion designers People from Srinagar People of Kashmir region People from Jammu and Kashmir People from Delhi Artists from Delhi St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Delhi University alumni National Institute of Fashion Technology alumni Indian LGBT people LGBT fashion designers Fashion labels from India