Rohit Khosla (29 November 1958 – 16 February 1994) was a pioneer of the contemporary

fashion industry Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

in India. Khosla studied in England, worked with designers in New York, but returned to India to start his own label in 1987, along with his sister, designer Rohini Khosla.

Early life

Born in November 1958 to Usha and Kamal Khosla in an affluent

Punjabi Hindu Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...

family, Rohit had always dreamed of becoming a fashion pioneer. An alumnus of

The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a Selective school, selective all-boys Private school, private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer ...

in Dera Doon, he took a foundation course in art and followed it with studying fashion at

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

. In college, his contemporaries were Nick Coleman, John Richmond and

Helen Storey Helen Storey, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE,

. He is quoted in his biography Vanguard, penned by Rohini Khosla, "studying in England was pure bliss -- ideas just flowing, fabrics everywhere and fashion obsessive people all around me." He entered the Indian fashion scene when it was still a nascent industry and left his hallmark.New cut

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

, 20 December 2007. In those days, it was considered a bold step to enter fashion, especially when one had such a high-profile qualification. Khosla was the first Indian fashion designer to launch an haute couture label. His family was extremely supportive of his fashion career. In his short life, Khosla spearheaded major contributions to the Indian fashion industry.

Career

In 1987, he co-founded Ensemble, India's popular designer label store in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, with Tarun and Sal Tahiliani, which started with five labels:

Tarun Tahiliani Tarun Tahiliani is an Indian fashion designer. With his wife Sailaja 'Sal' Tahiliani, he co-founded the multi-designer boutique Ensemble in 1987, and Tahiliani Design studio in 1990. Based in Delhi, he is best known for his ability to infuse Ind ...

, Rohit Khosla, Neil Bieff, Amaya, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. Many leading fashion designers of India trained under Rohit Khosla, including Aparna Chandra, Ranna Gill, Sonam Dobal and JJ Valaya.

Death

Khosla, who was

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

, died in 1994, aged 36, due to cancer. He had earlier contracted

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Legacy

In 1998, Rohini Khosla published a book on his life and work, titled ''Rohit Khosla, Vanguard''. In 2007 the India Fashion Week paid a tribute to him, with designers like

Rohit Bal Rohit Bal (8 May 1961 – 1 November 2024) was an Indian fashion designer, known for his designs catering to both men and women. He began his career in 1986, founding Orchid Oversea Pvt. Ltd with his brother, and debuted his independent collecti ...

dedicating his collection to him. The annual India Zee F Awards presents the Rohit Khosla Award for 'Debutante Designer of the Year'.

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

, 1 May 2006.

Early life

Career

Death

Legacy

References

Further reading