India’s fashion scene is often defined by big names, but tucked in different states are many talented individuals working quietly, passionately, and creatively. Here are 7 women designers from the city (or with strong Bangalore ties) with visible social media presence — from bridal couture to sustainable craft — whose stories are worth exploring.
Anjali Sharma
If you’re stalking bridal inspo at 2 AM, Anjali’s feed is a rabbit hole you won’t regret. Veteran designer blending couture bridal and luxe pret with a hands-on, artisan-forward approach.
Anjali Sharma is a veteran in Bangalore’s fashion ecosystem. A NIFT alumna (1991 batch), she founded French Curve / Studio Anjali Sharma in 2005, focusing on couture bridal, bespoke pret, and hand-crafted detail work. Over the years, her work has catered to both traditional Indian weddings and modern silhouette preferences. She’s also been a faculty member at NIFT and contributed to the garment export sector.
Anjali’s philosophy includes blending craftsmanship with wearable elegance. She uses silks and cottons, collaborates with artisans (e.g., from UP) for embellishments, and offers both custom work and luxe pret lines.
Bhavya Gowda
Bhavya Gowda is a designer whose work straddles bridal and everyday couture under her label Sumaya. Bhavya’s Instagram is a playground of delicate lehengas and contemporary sarees. Layered embroidery, feminine drapes, and modern palettes make her a must-follow for brides-to-be.
Her style, and color palettes balance tradition with subtle modernity. She’s active in Bangalore’s bridal circuits, and her social posts frequently show client fittings, behind-the-scenes of shoots, and new collections.
HB Rachana Girish
HB Rachana Girish is the face behind Aarna Designer Studio. Based in Bangalore, she leads custom design, bridal couture, and seasonal collections.
Her approach leans toward clean lines combined with ornamental work — she aims for balance between structure and embellishment. She’s built a client base in the city who look for unique statement pieces rather than mass trends.
Chithra Nayak
Chithra experiments with textiles and craft objects who’s hands-on, and injects a handmade ethos into every piece. Her work often blends textiles with functional forms — for example, garments paired with textile bags or handcrafted motifs. She is an alumna of Sri Devi College of Fashion Design, Mangalore.
Chithra experiments with material combinations, surface texture, and values the "handmade" ethos, showing detailed work on seams, fabrics, and artisanal touches. She is one of the founding members of The S.W.A.D.E.S Style
Shiny Alexander
Shiny’s feed is a mix of editorial style shoots and client styling. She fuses performance flair with wearable fashion, and has the kind of energy you can’t ignore. Shiny Alexander operates at the intersection of fashion design and styling / costume work. Her Instagram features a mix of styling projects, editorial looks, and garment shoots. She works in Bangalore, taking on client consultations and creative collaborations.
Her aesthetic is adaptive — she can style for dramatic shoots and also translate that theatrical sense into wearable custom pieces. The presence of stylized editorial work gives her portfolio a layered appeal, bridging fashion and performance.
Ashwini
Ashwini focuses heavily on bridal couture, detailed handcrafted embroidery, and personalized bridal ensembles. Her feed is rich with close-ups of embellishments, customer reveals (before-after), and the detailing that goes into each piece.
She works in Bangalore’s designer circuit, and also runs a well-known training academy for aspiring designers. Her craftsmanship leans traditional, with a keen eye for fine detail and drape.
Niharika Vvivek
Niharika Vvivek is a designer who works on garments made from repurposed or heritage fabrics, patchworks, and conscious design choices. She is quietly transforming the old into something extraordinary. Each piece is strengthened, reworked, and thoughtfully designed to honour the fabric’s traditional roots while embracing a more modern sensibility.
She has a visible signature in combining sustainability and aesthetic — e.g., fusion tops, reconstructed saree garments, and limited edition capsule drops. Her social pages show craft detail, material backstories, or experimental silhouettes.
Why Their Stories Matter
These designers reflect a spectrum of Bangalore’s fashion narrative today: from couture bridal to upcycled concepts, from studio-based individual practice to experimental craft-led hybrids. What they share is a hands-on approach, public visibility, and a willingness to show not just finished garments but the process — fittings, fabrics, artisans, behind the scenes-which imparts learnings for others.
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