Rohit Khosla
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Rohit Khosla | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 November 1958 |
| Died | 16 February 1994 (aged 35) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
Rohit Khosla (29 November 1958 – 16 February 1994) was a pioneer of contemporary fashion industry in India.[1]
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
[edit]Born in November 1958 to Usha and Kamal Khosla in an affluent Punjabi Hindu family, Rohit had always dreamed of becoming a fashion pioneer. [2]
An alumnus of The Doon School in Dera Doon, he took a foundation course in art and followed it with studying fashion at Kingston University. In college, his contemporaries were Nick Coleman, John Richmond and Helen Storey.[3] 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. [4]
He entered the Indian fashion scene when it was still a nascent industry [5] and left his hallmark.[6]
In those days, it was considered a bold step to enter fashion, especially when one had such a high-profile qualification. Rohit Khosla was the first Indian fashion designer to launch an haute couture label. His family was extremely supportive of his fashion career.[7] In his short life, Khosla spearheaded major contributions to the Indian fashion industry.
Career
[edit]In 1987, he co-founded Ensemble, India's popular designer label store in New Delhi,[8] with Tarun and Sal Tahiliani, which started with five labels: Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Khosla, Neil Bieff, Amaya, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.[6]
Many leading fashion designers of India trained under Rohit Khosla, including Aparna Chandra, Ranna Gill,[9] Sonam Dobal [10] and JJ Valaya.[11]
Death
[edit]
Khosla, who was bisexual, died in 1994, aged 36, due to cancer.[12][13] He had earlier contracted HIV/AIDS.[14]
Legacy
[edit]In 1998, Rohini Khosla published a book on his life and work, titled Rohit Khosla, Vanguard.[12] In 2007 the India Fashion Week paid a tribute to him, with designers like Rohit Bal dedicating his collection to him.[15][16]
The annual India Zee F Awards presents the Rohit Khosla Award for 'Debutante Designer of the Year'.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Review". Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ Kala, Kalyani (25 December 2018). "FASHION HISTORY- THE PIONEER INDIAN FASHION ROHIT KHOSLA". Medium. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ https://www.huffingtonpost.in/anshu-khanna-/rohit-khosla-was-indias-greatest-designer-but-he-never-got-to_a_21457112/ [dead link]
- ^ "Rohit Khosla Was India's Greatest Designer, But He Never Got To Know It". HuffPost. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Fashion audiences.. Indian Express, 2 December 1999.
- ^ a b New cut India Today, 20 December 2007.
- ^ "This is how the era of the Indian 'fashion designer' began - Elle India". Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ The haute couturier..And Rohit was very much a part of the beginning of Ensemble - Tarun Tahiliani The Times of India, 2 July 2002.
- ^ "Designer Profile - Rana Gill". Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ "Sonam Dobal". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ India Fashion Week – Designer Profile Archived 31 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine India Today, 2008.
- ^ a b "Rohit Khosla Vanguard". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ Shah, Aashna (23 August 2017). "The Impossibly Lovely Nafisa Ali On A 1994 Cover Of Femina". NDTV. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ Naliyath, Sunil (24 November 2011). "A positive attitude is the real winner". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ Rohit Khosla relived through the fashion week
- ^ Fashion fraternity remembers Rohit Khosla[permanent dead link] 14 September 2007.
- ^ Fashion forward[usurped] The Hindu, 1 May 2006.
Further reading
[edit]- Rohit Khosla, Vanguard, by Rohini Khosla, Amanda Johnston. Art Books Intl Ltd., 1998. ISBN 81-7508-017-5.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1958 births
- 1994 deaths
- Punjabi Hindus
- Indian LGBTQ artists
- Indian people with disabilities
- Indian bisexual men
- Artists from Delhi
- Indian fashion designers
- The Doon School alumni
- LGBTQ fashion designers
- People with HIV/AIDS
- Alumni of Kingston University
- Deaths from cancer in India
- 20th-century Indian LGBTQ people