101: Neeta Lulla & Nishka Lulla Mehra — By Design: A Mother’s Bond, Life, and Legacy

I am so thrilled to do this interview as it’s with a mother and daughter duo I am blessed to have as dear family friends and I’ve had the opportunity to witness their evolution and impact on the fashion and film industry on the global scale, first hand.

They are Neeta and Nishka Lulla.

Neeta Lulla symbolises elegance, romance and opulence. Her designs are a unique blend of feminine fragility and power. Using India’s rich cultural heritage of craftsmanship, embroidery techniques and textiles Neeta Lulla creates her representation of Indian Bridal and diffusion wear that draws style inspirations from Edwardian silhouettes and patterns yet remains deeply rooted in tradition and forms.

Neeta Lulla is one of the most celebrated and respected names in the Indian fashion industry today. Counted amongst India’s top bridal fashion designers she has created nothing short of a legacy in the fashion and film industry in a career spanning over 30 years.

Starting her journey at the young age of 16, Neeta Lulla finished her formal education in Dressmaking and Apparel construction from SNDT University after which she got her first job with the famous fashion choreographer Jeanne Naoroji. Crediting her time there having taught her about how a fashion show is designed she later returned to her alma mater SNDT as a lecturer and thoroughly enjoyed her experience teaching.

She was soon offered her first film project to style. Taking the opportunity head on Neeta Lulla impressed everyone with her creativity and skill and in no time became one of the most celebrated designers of Bollywood having worked with leading directors and actors of the industry.

In 2005 Neeta Lulla launched her flagship store in Mumbai, to cater to her growing global clientele. Bridal, trousseau consultancy and diffusion wear are the primary offerings of Neeta Lulla label.

In 2008 she became the first designer to launch her online retail platform and by 2009 she established her distribution network over 5 continents. With the growing demand for her designs she was proud to recently launch her second flagship store in DLF Emporio, Delhi in 2016. Whether it was incorporating Tanjore paintings in her designs to introducing pre stitched sarees in India in 2001 or Fibre Optics to her collection in 2017 she has always been on the forefront of curious exploration and experimentation. Hence, she also been named as the ‘Czarina of Indian Fashion’.

Neeta lives in Bombay with her husband Dr. Shyam Lulla, and they have two children, Siddharth and Nishka,.

Neeta’s daughter Nishka was born into fashion and it style and an eye for design is in her blood.

Nishka Lulla Mehra also graduated from SNDT College, Mumbai and is also a design consultant for the fashion brand ‘Provogue’ and for the shoe brand ‘Mochi’ in India. Her label ‘Nisshk’ launched in 2009 has a chic, vibrant and funky clothing line consisting of dresses, shorts, jump suits and skirts and the embellishments are catchy, innovative and versatile using unusual materials to create the perfect coordinated look. Her label also has a range of accessories like clutches, bags and watches.

A moment I had a chance to witness while working as a television anchor for CNN in India was Nishka’s debut at Lakme Fashion Week. She won a competition out of 100 GenNext designers to design an outfit and collection for Katrina Kaif, the brand ambassador for Barbie. When she sashayed down the ramp, it was a defining moment for Nishka and what was to come.

Nishka is settled in Bombay with her husband Dhruv Mehra and has a daughter, Miraya.