Neeta Lulla

Neeta Lulla is an Indian costume designer and fashion stylist who has worked on over 300 films. She has been designing wedding dresses since 1985. Her name became inseparably associated with Bollywood after actresses Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit wore her costumes in Devdas (2002 Hindi film), the trend-setting Bollywood film.
Career.
Her first big client was jewelry designer Varuna Jani, though Jani hadn’t started her business at the time. After that Lulla fully committed to a Bollywood client base when she designed for actor Spana who was prominent in the Bollywood community in South India. This success was followed by her designs for actresses Salma Agha and Sridevi.
A notable creation from later in her career was a dress she designed for Aishwarya Rai's wedding to Abhishek Bachchan. She crafted Rai's pearl-encrusted lehenga for her mehendi ceremony and an additional dress for her South Indian wedding ceremony. The designer has claimed her favorite actress for whom she has created pieces was Divya Bharti. Neeta Lulla has designed for Shilpa Shetty, Aishwarya Rai, Sridevi, Sapna, Salma Azad, Isha Koppikar and Juhi Chawla. Courtesy of reality TV show Tahul, Lulla also designer for Dimpy Ganguly, Rahul Mahajan's young bride.
After successfully completing the challenge of designing for films like Mohenjo Daro (2016), she plans on trying her hand in Tollywood again with Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Neeta Lulla has been known to utilize Paithani, the ancient technique of tapestry that combines multiple threads of different colors and incorporates gold and silver threads woven together to create a dynamic piece of silk. One of her most notable Paithani collections was shown in February 2016 at the Make In India initiative. At this show she showcased a wide range of pieces including flowing lehangas, long kurtas, jackets, dhoti pants, sarong skirts — all of which were embroidered according to the Paithani style. In regards to the collection and show held in Maharashtra, Neeta commented:“Maharashtra has always held a special place in my heart; this has been home to my whole life and art. I have chosen to showcase the intricacies, elaborateness and immaculacy of Paithani, a legacy of Maharashtra.”In 2013, Lulla opened The Whistling Wood International Neeta School of Fashion in her home city of Mumbai. The institute offers a selection of courses in fashion, merchandising and online marketing. The school is currently owned by Subash Ghai who has worked with Lulla on several films. Neeta comments:"I have been teaching fashion for the last 26 years. As an extension to my teaching I joined a venture which is part of Whistling Woods International that belongs to Ghai. It seems that Indian film industry really does see the fashion industry as an extension of their own business."
Social Activism.
Neeta Lulla has been vocal about combating gender based violence and has used her work as a platform for promoting the issue. Her 2016 collection "#SheIsMe" simultaneously communicated both gentleness and resilience in the face of abuse. The collections debut at Lakme Fashion Week included a dance recital that spoke against women abuse. Lulla comments:"This collection in its entirety speaks about a woman's characteristics. You see the vibrancy of the Cherry Blossom and the Osmanthus transition into the colours of dried flowers and cracked mother Earth. Just as these magnificent miracles of nature respond to tenderness and care but can also just as easily dry away with neglect, a woman's spirit begins to wither under any physical or emotional abuse. We need to raise our voice against this."
Personal life.
Neeta Lulla grew up in Mumbai, India and spent significant time in Filmcity, a film studio within the city. She is now married to Dr Shyam Lulla who is a psychiatrist. Neeta, along with her husband Shyam and Amrita (Divyas maid) were with late Bollywood actress Divya Bharti at her house in Tulsi, Versova, Mumbai when Divya died late night on 5 April 1993.
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