Moma shifts from New York to Lower Parel

Super-talented Delhi designer Manish Arora braved a 6-hour delay in Tuesday's whimsical November rain to land in a city where he will showcase some of his best work at a museum initiative in a lifestyle store that they've decided to call MoMA

With due respect to the wonderfully wild talent called Manish Arora, a retrospective of his finest works carries a certain pompousness, that only intensifies with the title, MoMA (Museum of Manish Arora) attached to it.

Playing on the acronym that stands for Museum of Modern Art, in New York, it's now been adopted to identify a two-week display of this Delhi designer's best at lifestyle store Good Earth.

The 80 year-old museum in NYC has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. "It's not like I'm old and gray. I am only 37.
u00a0
The reason why we thought of a retrospective is because I don't do too many events in Mumbai, and the exhibition intends to showcase key pieces from my last six collections, starting from London Fashion Week to Paris Fashion Week," says Manish, admitting that to call it MoMA was the lifestyle store's idea, and he thinks it's a good one.

Model Sapna Kumar wears the finale outfit from Manish Arora's A/W 2009 Jungle a dress covered with handmade, hand-painted, silk orchids and frangipani flowers.

His confidence is properly placed, though. After all, he carries the reputation of being the first Indian to have his name featured in the Paris Fashion Week roster amid explosive talent and fashion heavyweights John Galliano, Giles Deacon, Alexander McQueen, Stefano Pilati for YSL, Chanel, Givenchy, Lanvin, Balenciaga and Stella McCartney.

By his own admission, he rarely visits Mumbai, a city where he abandoned a commerce degree to pursue fashion at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Delhi. Good Earth has ensured his time in the maximum city is utilised to the hilt.

Besides MoMA, there's a new line of tableware that you can check out at the store, inspired by his AW/09 Jungle collection. "It's part of brand building. If you don't want to buy my clothes, buy my tableware," he shrugs.

Manish's solid body of work is a fantastic residue of his belief, "Art is casualtyu2026 there'll be casualties". His willingness to exchange his design pad for other mediums has seen him sign blockbuster collaborations with Reebok, Swatch watches, Pommery Champagne, MAC cosmetics and Nivea.

"There's so much more to do. I want to launch my own perfume, jewellery, homewear. Every collaboration has been a learning process. It helps me design clothes better." Manish's chosen cities Delhi and Paris leave him no time to look back.
u00a0
No nostalgia for this maverick who didn't take very long to make it from Mumbai to the Paris runway. "I've no time to look back. I've got to look ahead. Life is hectic. And I'm loving it."

MoMA will be on view from today till the end of November. The new line of tableware is on sale.

At: Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel. Call: 24951954. Entry open to all.

On display at Moma

Jungle (Autumn/Winter 2009) Wild animal motifs, organic textures, strong silhouettes, this collection had a alien animalistic feel.

Circus (Spring/Summer 2009) Inspired by the heady, free-wheeling circuses around the world, this one featured lots of volume, motion with new embroidery techniques.

Warrior (Autumn/Winter 2008) Armour like skirts and knee pads had company in Swarovski encrusted face masks.

Indian Pop Art (Spring/Summer 2008) Manish Arora's debut collection in Paris had a wild and creative mix of Indian kitsch and pop art. Using varied Indian embroidery techniques to create graphic masterpieces.

Space (Autumn/Winter 2007) Showcased future of fashion with space motifs like planets, galaxies, astronauts, stars, robots combined with robotic cutout silhouettes.

Life is Beautiful (Spring/Summer 2007) Think rainbows, butterflies, birds. This collection was an ode to life on earth.