Aki Narula

Aki Narula was a Fashion Designer born in Kolkata in 1968. He studied in La Martiniere School in Calcutta. He finished schooling in 1987. He studied Commerce at the St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata. He designed Clothes for College Plays, Rock Concerts, and College Fests in College. He worked as a management trainee for ten months with the Lintas group. He then went to study Communication Course at the Arizona State University. He then came back and worked in a cost accountancy program in 1992. But his passion for designing made him abandon his Accounting and Management jobs.

Aki added his unique designs to the dress his mother bought for him. Thus, he became a designer for him and his family. A tailor used to come to his house daily, and he converted Aki’s design sketches to costumes. Damania Airlines conducted ‘Fashion Designer Award’ across five metropolitan cities in India. He won the competition. The Khazana Store by Taj Bengal contacted him to design Kurta Pyjamas for men. His designs got sold in just two days. He also worked for ‘Ogaan’ in New Delhi. In 1996, he started his brand ‘Aki’. ‘Melange’ was his first fashion show. It was at an Opera House The show is telecasted on Saturday Night. It has a >> Read More... in Mumbai. His designs were sold in 11 Melange stores in India.

His designs were humorous, modest, wild and innovative. He also began retailing in Ensemble, Camelot, and other leading brands. He took part in Lakme India Fashion Week in 2000. Selfridges UK took his whole designs. In 2002, Sheetal Design Studio appointed him as the Design Director. His collection named ‘Man Unbound’ became popular. He then sold his designs across the world. He represented the Grand Finale of Lakme Fashion Week in 2004. The theme was ‘50s red and fuchsia colors.

In 2005, he designed in the movie “Monsoon Wedding” directed by Mira Nair. His design for the film "Bunty Aur Bubli" was a breakthrough in his career. He designed new kurtas and Patiala salwar in the movie. Then he got lot chances in films. Then he got engaged in fashion weeks and film projects. He established in Bollywood because of his passion and versatility. He also designed clothes for stars like 'Amitabh Bachchan', 'John Abraham', 'Kareena Kapoor Khan', 'Ranbir Kapoor' and other celebrities. He designed costumes for movies like "Highway", "Rockstar", "Housefull 2", "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" to name a few. Aki created ‘Black label’ for the sports brand Puma in 2009. He also worked for advertisement campaigns. His flagship store is in Delhi. Aki is well known for his wacky and crazy designs.