Neeta Lulla

Neeta Lulla is one of the few Indian fashion designers who has come full circle. With a career spanning over three decades across movies and fashion.. Neeta Lulla is one of the most iconic figures in the Indian fashion industry. She began her career with one artisan and a sewing machine. Today she has over three hundred Bollywood films to her credits, four National Awards and is a member of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She continues to make headlines be it as a design student, film costumes, bridal couture or her own fashion institute. 

Choosing fashion as her vocation at the age of sixteen, Neeta Lulla graduated in Dressmaking and Apparel Construction from Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic SNDT University, Mumbai in 1985 following which she worked with fashion choreographer Jeanne Naoroji. Three years later, she diversified into costume design for Bollywood films, at times working seventy-two hours, always the picture of creativity, quiet determination and hard work. When she wasn't designing, she was teaching at her alma mater to give back to the industry that had given her so much.

Having done costumes for over three hundred films, her fame reached Hollywood and she designed costumes for 'One Night with the King' and 'Mistress of Spices'. Buoyed by her success in costume design Neeta Lulla strengthened her fashion brand by further diversifying into trousseau consultation for brides- to- be and launched her haute couture label. 2005 witnessed the launch of her flagship in Mumbai with trousseau consultancy, bridal couture and diffusion wear. 

By 2009, she had established a distribution network across five continents. With growing demand for her collections, she launched her second flagship in New Delhi, India in 2016. How does she change gears and design aesthetic between the two dramatically different fields of costume design and bridal couture… all the while keeping the handloom sector in mind.

‘As a designer I am greedy when it comes to grasping different concepts, formats and techniques; utilising that in costuming or couture comes with experience. Also, the flexibility of vision comes when you keep your mind open and do not think of yourself as someone who has achieved it all and knows it all' she told Explosive Fashion. 'You have to keep yourself appraised of current trends and think of yourself as a student who is learning something new every day — that is what gives you newness in vision.’

Reminiscing about the past, she says, 'I launched my label in 1988, and from there fashion and films happened simultaneously. I was shuffling between designing bridal couture and film costumes. The brand came to the forefront through my consistent endeavour to create a different look that would appeal to the bridal segment, which in turn created a trust factor amongst clients, and once that happens they become loyal customers and refer the brand to friends and family; this word of mouth awareness helped strengthen the brand.' 

Change is at the forefront; people are looking at bespoke bridal and occasion wear… they want an ensemble that nobody else has! Per Explosive Fashion: 'This involves intricate detailing in terms of made-to-measure and made-to-fit; considering the fit and hand detailing people aspire for, it involves a lot of work in each aspect of construction be it fabric, finish, cut, embellishment or hand embroidery. Personally, the challenges involved give me an adrenaline rush because I'm pushing my boundaries of knowledge, of technicality, of garment construction beyond what I know and beyond what I've done so far. For me, this creates not only a challenge but a beautiful learning experience!' 

Neeta Lulla loyalists rhapsodise about her design, claiming it is current even after years of purchase. The secret to this, she says, is research and its application. ‘A designer must be upraised of the cyclical pattern of fashion and the history of costume design — within a constant design philosophy. The way a designer applies their philosophy to a new concept or trend is what creates newness. My influence is Edwardian yet the aesthetic is Indian at heart — steeped in my design philosophy, yet taking inspiration from something millennial. It is how I keep my design aesthetic current.’

Today, Neeta Lulla is strengthening her brand equity with expansion of her label, costume designing for blockbuster films and Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion. “I want to give back to the industry that has given me so much by sharing my expertise with young dynamic aspirants who want to penetrate the world of fashion." In recent times Neeta Lulla has just finished costume designing for much-anticipated film 'Thalaivi' and there are plans to open two or three more flagships, partner with e-commerce portals and retail in London.

A consistent endeavour to create a different look that would appeal to the haute couture and bridal segments. She is one of the few Indian fashion designers who has come full circle… from design student to costuming and couture to launching a fashion institute to give back to the business. 

Neeta Lulla’s design philosophy takes inspiration from the Edwardian era with a modern twist using ancient handloom techniques from India. Some of her most iconic design elements include the usage of kalamkari, paithani and the nauvari saree among many others. An artist in the true sense she has shepherded the fashion industry with drapes and silhouettes that have been reinvented over the decades.

Neeta Lulla retails haute couture- bridal wear- fashion accessories and also does costume design for Bollywood films. Spring Summer 2021 was a milestone showing. In sync with the fashion climate, the couturier transformed her signature sari gowns and pre-stitched saris into lightweight occassionwear — each one as unapologetically glamorous as the next. Hot-sellers include the belted overwrap gown and the wraparound multi- sequinned sari, the Grecian sari gowns and the sequinned cocktail dresses. Soft, sensual and shimmering, they were tailor-made for all those engagements in the lives of twenty-first-century heiresses.