Ritu Beri Author

Ritu Beri's name is synonymous with the explosive globalization of India's fashion industry. A pioneer in her field, she launched her label in 1990 when India was still awakening to the couture era. The prima donna was the first designer who stormed the catwalks of Paris with her label and was anointed India's Fashion Queen.Empowered, being the protege of the French embroidery maestro, Francois Lesage, she fused Indian aesthetics with global fashion trends, just as India began opening its borders to international trade. It culminated in Time magazine declaring her 'The First Lady of fashion in her country'. Adding to her string of 'firsts', Beri was the First Asian to head a French fashion house, Jean Louis Scherrer. BBC credited her business skills with a resounding headline: 'Indian fashion takes a hold in the form of Ritu Beri'. She entered the international privy league of power dressers when she created for the likes of Bill Clinton, Nicole Kidman, Prince Charles and Ivana Trump, to name a few. Her creations were objectively evaluated by fashion connoisseurs across the world. Rating, qualifying and quantifying her acumen, Lesage lauded her in his generous accreditation: 'Ritu's contemporary expression has given to an Indian tradition of clothes, a mood of the Yves Saint Laurent collection of the eighties.' Retro as well as eclectic, signified her versatility as a marquee designer. To acknowledge her path breaking contribution to fashion and design, she was awarded the prestigious French honour, Chevaliere des Art et des Lettres and the Spanish title of The Lady of the Order of Civil Merit. Her visage is amongst the most recognizable faces of India in her sphere, being listed amongst the 50 most important people of the country, and counted amongst the galaxy of the Top 15 Women of India. A nominee for the Economic Times Business Woman of the year Award in India, she is noted to be amongst the 20 Best Dressed Celebrity Icons of the country, being voted 'Delhi's Most Stylish' in a nationwide poll conducted by Hindustan Times. Tag Heuer endorsed her as their 'Link Lady of India'. India's former prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, virtually acknowledged her as the progeny of that era: 'Ritu Beri represents resurgent India.' Sobriety and being static are alien to Ritu Beri as she creates tectonic shifts in revolutionizing India's interface with global fashion.