Indian fashion brand ‘House of Anita Dongre Limited’ has unveiled a flagship in Beverly Hills, bringing the spirit of Rajasthan and Indian craftsmanship to one of the world’s most iconic luxury streets.
House Of Anita Dongre Opens In Beverly Hills
Launching her eponymous fashion brand in 1995 with two sewing machines and a loan from her father, Anita Dongre is a couturier admired for her design language rooted in Indian craftsmanship and a global aesthetic, sustainable practices, all-women teams and initiatives that empower rural artisans. The first Indian fashion designer to open a flagship in New York and Dubai, Anita Dongre has now opened her thirteenth store worldwide in Beverly Hills.
With a presence of a thousand+ stores in four countries and recognised for dressing luminaries Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian, Dakota Johnson and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the brand mission is ambitious: Take India to the world. “Over 3 years in the making, every inch of this space from hand painted and embroidered pichwai walls to the lantana elephant installations – celebrates nature, community and conscious luxury. Here’s to leading the way in taking Indian Fashion to the world,” Yash Dongre, Director and Chief Operating Officer, House Of Anita Dongre and GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians, posted on LinkedIn.
The LA outlet has been designed as a style sanctuary, with hand-painted Pichhwai walls, natural textures and a lot of sunlight. The space is serene, Indian in spirit and yet it fits right into the California aesthetic of relaxed luxury as a reflection of India through global lens. “Every new store, every global milestone, is built on their skill and spirit. Our international expansion doesn’t dilute that; it amplifies it,” Anita Dongre tells Grazia. “When someone in Beverly Hills wears a handcrafted piece from Rajasthan, it creates a direct bridge between two worlds. We invest in our craft clusters, we ensure fair wages, and we work with sustainable materials. Growth, for us, only has meaning if it uplifts the communities that make it possible.”
House Of Anita Dongre Opens In Beverly Hills
Anchoring the Beverly Hills store is an installation of an elephant matriarch and calf from The Great Elephant Migration – a global art movement featuring sculptures handcrafted by indigenous communities in India using invasive Lantana weeds that threaten native forests and wildlife. This installation reflects Anita Dongre’s commitment to sustainability and the philosophy of Fashion For Good.
ABOUT ANITA DONGRE
Anita Dongre graduated in commerce at SVKM Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics and subsequently pursued fashion design at SNDT University in Mumbai. When she tried selling her designs for the modern working woman to retailers al she got was refusal. This inspired the young girl to start her own business in 1995 with just two sewing machines and a loan from her father. After enduring years of struggle and hardship Anita Dongre’s brainchild is a successful fashion house, which currently employs thousand of people including artisans in rural villages across India.
The label designs ensembles that can be cherished for years be it a bridal lehenga, sherwani or sleek fitted jacket and aims to crafts its creations from biodegradable textiles sourced from renewable resources to create a greener and more beautiful tomorrow. Per Vogue: “The designer who has empowered over 100 artisans from SEWA i.e. Self Employed Women’s Association during the tenure of her work. And while ‘empowered’ is a word we often connect with the Anita Dongre bride—think pockets in lehengas that put comfort first—it’s her own embodiment of the mindful bride that surprises and surmises her path today.”
The brand is deeply rooted in sustainability. In addition to hiring a Chief Sustainability Officer at House Of Anita Dongre the core team recycles everything—from water to waste fabric—at the headquarters and function with the philosophy that waste is a design flaw. For instance even minimal waste is recycled into blankets and donated to animal shelters. “The larger section of women and brides who come to us do so for the social-sustainable aspect of the brand. These brides specifically ask for lehengas that have been worked on by the SEWA women. The hand painted lehenga is extremely popular because it celebrates Indian craftsmanship at its best, she told Vogue. ”Brides are conscious of the fact that their purchases empower an artisan in India… these women are mindful and want to re-wear their lehengas and repurpose them beyond that one day.”
Anita Dongre makes it a point to work with rural artisans to help create jobs and a sustained livelihood for them while also protecting the nation’s indigenous textile crafts. Few know that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India honoured the fashion designer with a Compassionate Designer Award for her refusal to use cashmere and leather in her collections as well as her promotion of a vegan lifestyle and animal-protection issues via social media and her company’s official website.
Today House of Anita Dongre has several sub-brand including “AND” – a line of western wear- “Global Desi” -boho chic brand inspired by the folk tales of India- “Anita Dongre Grassroot” and her signature label “Anita Dongre”. She is also the founder of “Pink City”- a fine jewellery brand. Her star continues to rise. Per BoF: “Fortune India counts her among their 50 Most Powerful Women in Business lists while hers is the only fashion house in the country to have received investment from private equity firm General Atlantic… Dongre has also appeared at the World Economic Forum at Davos, speaking in two panel discussions: “Three Trillion Reasons To Help The World Spend Better” and “The Fashion CEO Agenda Roundtable.””
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
