When Duchess Kate Middleton walked down the grassy Mumbai’s Oval Maidan to play a charity game of cricket with some of the under-privileged children, www.anitadongre.com  was hit for a sixer and the website crashed by the sudden increase in traffic worldwide. The ever graceful Kate playing with the children not only looked elegant but looked cool in the sweltering summer noon of Mumbai. She had donned a Mughal-inspired peri layer dress from the Summer 2016 collection titled Love Notes by Indian designer Anita Dongre.

Happy that the Duchess had opted for her creation, the modest designer explains, “Her stylist contacted us. We had no idea the dress was for the Duchess. Kate Middleton looked beautiful and the dress has created international headlines.”

Admitting that both Indian and international media coverage of her creation has opened many new doors the designer says, “Kate fans from all over the world have ordered the same dress online. Kate wears her fashion elegantly and this peri layer dress has been loved by many resulting in crashing of our website by sudden increase in the number of visitors. Quite naturally, there is a demand which has been created for the dress and we have ramped up our production.”

In India every Bollywood celebrity, both male and female, sports people, business persons and even politicians love to be seen in an AND (Anita Dongre’s label) attire. Every bride and groom-to-be aspires to be attired in Anita’s creations.

When Duchess Kate visited India, she wore designer Anita Dongre which was covered extensively by both the international media. The designer is known for vegan fashion and eco-friendly clothes, and has been named as the top 50 Indian businesswomen

Known for her work with grass-root crafts people, especially from Rajasthan and her passion for only organic and vegan fashion, Anita says, “The indigenous craft industry is dying and some of our best artisans and craftsmen who have been weaving magic are giving up on their craft. The sorry fact is that this is a tradition which lives by passing on its legacy and wisdom — from fathers and mother to sons and daughters, down generations is on a drip. Today, the children are not taking up the tradition as they do not see monetary value in this art form, and are switching to more rewarding professions in IT, BPO jobs etc.”

Anita is of the opinion that fashion house need to back them with a design platform to showcase their work, thereby ensuring a win-win partnership for both. Says she, “The need of the hour is to have fashion houses like ours partner with the artisans and craftsmen and help sustain their longstanding work.”

The House of Anita Dongre Ltd (HOAD) founded in 1995 has three main brands: AND is known for a line of chic and contemporary Western-wear; Global Desi for the young with a love for vibrant line of  Boho-chic collection and Anita Dongre the luxury label for the very personalised, curated bridal and occasional wear and also menswear. Her jewellery line ‘Pinkcity’ offers specialised jadau jewellery from Rajasthan. Recently, she added a luxury prêt label Grassroot, which is a tribute to the handcrafted traditions of India that seeks to sustain and empower heirloom traditions from across India.

Known more as a pioneer and now a leader among the designers who have popularised embroidery and Indian wear not only among Indians but also abroad, Anita feels that Indian designs are getting popular world over. “My dream has always been to enable access to the modern Indian woman with Indian aesthetics with a touch of tradition. Helping us designers is the ecommerce that has revolutionised the fashion industry in more ways than one helping us designers design for a wider international audience.”

HOAD is the first fashion house in India in which General Atlantic, a leading global growth investment firm has invested in. Recipient of awards like Women Entrepreneur of the year award by CMAI (2015) and named as one of the 50 most powerful Indian women in business by Fortune Magazine (2013), Anita who believes that to be a great fashion designer, one needs to have a strong business acumen says, “The accolades only make me want to work harder, and continue to deliver on the brand’s promise of quality, craftsmanship and design aesthetic, whilst catering to the ever-evolving needs of our customers.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine May 1st, 2016