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Anamika Khanna (born in Jodhpur, 19 July 1971) is an Indian fashion designer who operates from her studio situated in Kolkata.

She has been covered by the Business of Fashion (BOF) for being the Indian designer who has blended traditional Indian textiles and techniques with Western silhouette and tailoring. She is the first Indian designer to have an International label: “Ana mika”.Her creations are sold online and offline stores across India and abroad.

Khanna’s career started in the year 1998. In 2003, she was invited to Pakistan to show her bridal collections as a part of Bridal Asia. In 2004, she launched her international label: Ana mika, and showcased her collections at the Lakme Fashion Week‘s Grand Finale. In 2005, she displayed her collection “The Botanist” at the Will’s Fashion Wee Spring/Summer edition and took part in the London Fashion Week. She got exclusive contracts from British department store Harrods and was covered by the magazines: Glamour (Paris), Vogue (October 2005 edition in the UK), and Vogue Best Buy.

In 2007, she participated in the Paris Fashion Week along with Manish Arora and in 2008 in the HDIL India Couture Week, presenting her signature cowl-shaped dresses that closely resembled the dhoti worn by Mahatma Gandhi. Sonam Kapoor walked the ramp for the first time and she was wearing a golden cowl-shaped gown embellished with zardosi with a top adorned with Mukesh work. She also participated in the Will’s Lifestyle Fashion Week Grand Finale Autumn/Winter edition.

In 2009, she became the finale designer at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Fall/Winter edition. In 2010, she took part in The India Premier London Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter collection. In 2011, she showcased her creations at the Lakme Summer Resort. In 2012, at the Delhi Couture Week, she showcased her signature dhoti pants together with sari drapes and floor-length jackets. In 2013, at the PCJ Delhi Couture Week, her collection had shararas, capes, gilets, vests, and coats with a color combination of black, white, and gold. Tribal jewelry designed by Suhani Pittie, Anamika’s sister, was also a part of the collection.

Khanna showcased her collection at Bvlgari’s India launch in 2014. She is also associated with Bvlgari Singapore. She also introduced a number of trends in adorning oneself at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer, 2015. In 2016, for her show at India Couture Week she associated with Amrapali Jewellers, Jaipur to debut her jewelry collection. The line-up included everything from traditional naths to timeless polki.

Notable shows

  • Lakme Fashion Week(1999): Khanna was among the 33 designers, who were part of India’s first Lakme Fashion Week at Taj Palace, New Delhi.
  • Wills Fashion Week, 2005:She presented her spring/summer collection titled The Botanist at the WFW. Her collection consisted of clothes made from muslin and chiffon.
  • Paris Fashion Week(2007): Khanna presented her designs at the Paris Fashion Week.
  • HDIL India Couture Week (2008): Khanna’s collection involved her signature dhoti pants. The clothes were created using fine cotton, chiffon, satin, and georgette.

Photo Credits: Charlota Blunarova from Unsplash