An icon of the Indian Fashion industry and a frontrunner in establishing a position for India in the global forum, Ritu Kumar's contribution has been impeccable to the fashion fraternity, both nationally and internationally. With almost five decades of work for display, the designer excels in both traditional and western outfits, though ethnic attires being her specialty. So, it came as no surprise to us when we got to know that the designer has been chosen for the Padma Shri Award. Kumar's designs focus on natural fabrics and traditional printing and weaving techniques.[6] She has also included Western elements in her work, but has generally not innovated beyond traditional sari designs.

Manish Malhotra is an Indian fashion designer who often works with Hindi cinema actresses. He launched his label in 2005. In 2014, his label marked a turnover of over INR 1 Billion (USD 15 Million). Manish Malhotra started his career as a model, while studying at the Elphinstone College. Failure as a model led him to clothes, costumes and art. In 1998, he ventured into mainstream designing with his couture store 'Reverie - Manish Malhotra'. This brought him clientele from beyond the film industry to include fashion-mavens across India and the Indian diaspora. Soon after, he received appreciation for his glamorous ensembles using traditional colours, craftsmanship, textures and embroideries presented at his first runway show in November 1999.

In 1997 Manish Arora launched his own label "Manish Arora" and started retailing in India. Three years later, Manish participated in the first-ever India Fashion Week held in New Delhi and represented India at the Hong Kong Fashion Week. Arora launched his second label, "Fish Fry", in 2001. This colorful, sportswear-styled line was created in association with the athletic apparel manufacturer Reebok. During 2002 Manish opened his first flagship store, Manish Arora Fish Fry, in New Delhi and in the following year opened a second store in Mumbai. Another successful showing at India Fashion Week (2003) led to a stocking deal with the fashion house Maria Luisa (Paris) and the beginning of a successful export business. During 2004 he was awarded the Best Women's Prêt Designer at the first ever Indian Fashion Awards' 2004 held in Bombay and MC2 Diffusion Paris started representing the label for the export business. The following year Manish participated in the Miami Fashion Week in May 2005 where he was presented with the designer's choice for Best Collection Award.

She learned the Art of Fashion at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, affiliated to F.I.T. New York in 1990. A Protégé of Francois Lesage, the French embroiderer, Beri launched her label in India in December 1990. She was the First Asian Designer to head a French fashion brand, Jean-Louis Scherrer, in March 2002. Recently, she launched The Luxury League, a not-for-profit organisation, to promote creativity & innovation in the luxury industry of India. Ritu Beri was recently appointed Advisor to Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a part of the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India. She is also associated with USTTAD (Upgrading Skills & Training in Traditional Arts/ Crafts for Development) launched by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2015.

Gulshan Devaiah is an Indian film actor who appears primarily in Bollywood films. Devaiah is mostly known for his roles in Shaitan, Hate Story and Hunterrr. His performamce in Shaitan was critically praised and earned him Filmfare Awards nomination in the category of Best Male Debut and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Devaiah was born on 28 May 1978 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, and is a NIFT graduate. He is married to the actress Kallirroi Tziafeta, who hails from Greece. Devaiah started his career from the Anurag Kashyap's short film That Girl in Yellow Boots, alongside Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah in 2010, as his debut movie. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by the Venice Film Festival.

JJ Valaya (born 8 October 1967) is a noted Indian fashion designer and couturier from New Delhi, India. He founded the House of Valaya, a luxury fashion and lifestyle house in 1992, along with his brother TJ Singh. A founding member of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the first global brand ambassador of Crystal giant Swarovski, he has been designing for men and women, and has bridal and evening collections in addition to day-wear and ready-to-wear for over 20 years. As a fine art photographer, he released his first book, Decoded Paradox in 2011, in the same year as he also closed the day one of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) winter/festive 2011, debuting a fashion collection inspired by photography.