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Designs on success

Sonia Chopra

Today, not many in the fashion industry have heard of designer Manish Singh. He toils in virtual anonymity, hoping to one day be as famous as other brand-name designers and have his name splashed all over his clothing line, in advertisements and fashion magazines.

He dreams his dreams and eyes the stars while working with colourful slinky fabrics, beads and sequins. He plays out his fantasies of a perfect evening dress on his designing board.

But while Singh sketches and creates with his head in the clouds; his feet are firmly planted on the ground. Four years ago, when he was searching for a name for his designing company, he picked Victor Rossi (www.victorrossi.com) because it "sounded right".

"It was a practical decision. I liked the name because it's cosmopolitan, non-denominational and it had finesse," says Singh, 27, who lives and works in Stevenson, Maryland.

Making his name the focus of his company like Ralph Lauren and others did was, to him, a bit like putting the cart before the horse. "I would definitely like to put my name on my products, but when I am established and well known for producing good quality products," says Singh, underlining his dilemma.

There's another tiny problem -- Americans cannot pronounce his name. "I don't want to change my name. I don't want a Western name. I am proud of being an Indian and I like my name," Singh says.

Besides the "name" hasn't really affected his wholesale or private clients because a "name can't really improve the product", he points out.

In four years, Singh has sold more than 2000 outfits, which have been created out of his 600 different styles. But as an artiste, he has held most of his designs back and revealed only 120 styles so far. The others he plans to show "when the time is right".

Singh's eveningwear sells at wholesale prices ranging from $100 to $225. The retails range from $200 to $450 in boutiques nationwide, mostly in black and navy blue, the most popular colours for formal wear. But his recent collection of 600 pieces has a red, a yellow and a lime-coloured dress.

"It takes a very striking personality to wear the bold colours, so I tend to make them on request," says Singh, whose regular clientele includes a socialite who requests only reds.

The secret of his success lies in the fabric. "The fabric is light and it clings to the thin or the full-figured woman. It's not heavy, it's flattering. It flows as they move," explains Singh, whose "secret fascination" is long dresses.

Big-name designers like Randolph Duke and Bob Mackie inspire him. So does the feedback and inputs he receives in conversations with clients as he meets them in cafes, libraries and restaurants.

For six months in a year, Singh travels to villages in northern India, where he buys beads, as intricate beaded work is the signature of his collection. He has assembled a team of tailors who cut and stitch the eveningwear, which are tailored to be sexy, sophisticated, simple or extravagant, as the client desires.

"I design evening dresses for, say, a woman who is an orthodox Jew. She may choose a long sexy gown with bare shoulders or no sleeves, but I will add to it a sheer jacket of the same or contrasting colour, which will cover her from her collarbone to her wrist, but everyone will still be able to see the design," says Singh. "While there are others who are brash and bold and like the dress to be sexy and revealing."

Manish Singh was born in a small suburb of Calcutta called Barrackpore. His father Omkar is a doctor at 53. His mother Shakuntala, 50, is a real-estate agent. His brother Nitish, 25, is a day trader.

When Singh was four years old, the family immigrated to the US. In 1986, he graduated from McDonojh School in Maryland, where his family chose to settle down and is still based. In 1994, he graduated from Michigan State University with a business degree.

He looked around for jobs and decided he wanted to create a business that dealt with Indian fabrics. As a young boy, he used to watch his mother design outfits for fashion shows. It was a hobby of his, too.

"I decided I had a special niche and I wanted to specialize in. I love it," Singh says. He spent two years travelling to India and learning about fabrics and beads.

Being a dress designer is rewarding mentally after hours of labour. "When I design something for somebody and I see their face light up, it makes all the hardship worthwhile. I really appreciate the thanks I get from my clients," he says.

It is a job that makes him both "happy and proud". "I get to meet the most amazing, wonderful, intelligent, enlightened and diverse people. I could never do that in a 9 to 5 job," Singh says.

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