Surat has long been a textile and fashion rich city, with a strong production infrastructure and manufacturing ecosystem, the city has produced some of the top fashion designers such as Tanvi Sawlani, Pooja Patel, Manish Reshamwala, and Tina Ranka. Thanks to continued demand and technological advancements, Surat remains a backbone of Indian fashion, acting as a major supplier of fabrics, raw materials, and diamonds. In this article, we will explore top fashion designers in Surat, along with what trends drive the city’s fashion industry.
Become future-ready with our Fashion Programs
Know More
Surat is a city located in the western Indian state of Gujarat, while many consider Delhi or Mumbai to be the fashion capitals of India, in reality, it is the much smaller city of Surat that serves as the backbone of Indian fashion by producing textile, fabrics, and jewels. As per the government records, the city runs over 350,000 power looms and hundreds of processing units, as per the Office of Textile Commissioner data, Surat produces over 1,200 crore meters of fabric every year, providing essential raw materials for designer labels across the country.
Furthermore, as per Surat Municipal Corporation, the city is the largest contributor to India's man-made fabrics, producing roughly 40% of the national demand. Additionally, as per the same body, the city also processes around 90% of world’s diamonds, making it undeniable global fashion powerhouse and undisputed fashion capital of India.
Supported by this thriving textile ecosystem, Surat has produced several successful designers who have gained recognition nationally and internationally:
1. Pooja Patel
2. Tanvi Sawlani
3. Unnati Bachkaniwala and Urvi Bachkaniwala
4. Sunia Prajapat
5. Manish Reshamwala
6. Suruchi Parakh
7. Aakriti and Poonam Rawal Sonali Shah
8. Tina Ranka
9. Sonali Shah
10. Seemaa Kalavadia
The following are some of the most prominent and recognizable fashion designers in Surat:
1. Pooja Patel
Pooja Patel is renowned Surat-based ethnic wear fashion designer and the founder of her label 'Almaari by Pooja Patel.’ Her collections generally include elements from traditional Indian craftmanship. She is particularly known for reviving ancient hand-painted Kalamkari and Pattachitra techniques. Her popular collections include Taal, Swarang, and Sitara, cater to luxury bridal and festive wear.
2. Tanvi Sawlani
Founder of the fashion label, Zwaan, Tanvi Sawlani is a prominent Surat-based fashion designer. Throughout her career, she has earned a name for herself with her minimalistic yet elegant design approach and creating western evening gowns, occasion wear, and resort wear. Her work has been featured among top fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Femina and Architectural Digest. Her designer philosophy is centered around making modern, independent women feel confident and empowered and finding a balance between classical Indian style and modern western silhouettes.
3. Unnati Bachkaniwala and Urvi Bachkaniwala
Unnati Bachkaniwala and Urvi Bachkaniwala are a Surat-based designer duo and co-founders of the label, Urban Suburban. Their brand is focused on sustainable and responsible design practices, often taking elements from street wear and holiday wear aesthetics. By prioritizing local garment employment, size-inclusivity, and affordable price modeling, they have made ethical fashion a key signature of their brand.
4. Sunia Prajapat
Sunia Prajapati is a well-known fashion designer in Surat and Gujarat. She founded her label, Shoolpani in 2022 to offer unique custom-made designer pieces and blend traditional design techniques with modern silhouettes. As a brand, Sunia’s label identifies three main principles of their designs: custom-made to perfection, sustainability and ethical fashion, and quality and craftsmanship. Their collections majorly feature elegant sarees, intricately designed lehengas, and modern fusion wear.
5. Manish Reshamwala
Manish Reshamwala is a Surat-based top male fashion designer with flagship stores in India and USA. A regular at Ahmedabad Fashion Week, Reshamwala’s collections often include semi-bridal, bridal Indo-western, and fusion dresses that are popular among his modern clientele. His designs have been worn by some of the most well-known celebrities such as Rekha, Gauhar Khan, and Divyanka Tripathi. Reshamwala is known for using design elements such as Zardozi, Marodi work, sequins, and metallic threads in his clothes along with traditional Surat craftsmanship.
6. Suruchi Parakh
Suruchi Parakh is a popular fashion designer in Surat, and is particularly popular among bridal wear customers. A fashion designer graduate, Suruchi earlier worked as an intern for top fashion designer in IndiaVarun Bahl, and her international fashion experience comes from her time Italy. In India, she launched her label in 2015, her designs often feature experimental silhouettes, flowy drapery, and detailed floral embroidery. Her collections mostly include, fusion dresses, Indo-western designs, bridal lehengas, pre-draped sarees, etc.
7. Aakriti and Poonam Rawal
Aakriti and Poonam Rawal are mother-daughter designers and entrepreneur duo from Surat. Together, they own a fashion label called ‘House of Chikankari.’ The label aims to take traditional hand-embroidered Chikankari craft from Lucknow to the global stage. The brand currently works with over 10,000 local women artisans in Lucknow in producing traditional Indian wear and signature designs for the label.
8. Tina Ranka
Founder of Tina Ranka Bridal Couture label, Tina Ranka was one of the first female designer from Surat to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Her designs have also been featured in Dubai Fashion Week. Her signatures include asymmetric drapes, high-neck blouses, sculpted silhouettes, and modern cuts mixed with ethnic aesthetics. Her collections are not limited to bridal lehengas, rather she often blends different pieces into her collections including sarees, sherwanis, luxury fusion gowns, and festive suits.
9. Sonali Shah
Founder of fashion label, Chhavi’s Couture, Sonali Shah is a Surat-based fashion designer and entrepreneur. Inspired by current trends and modern fashion elements Sonali started the label in 2013 to offer Indian aesthetics with modern trends. Through her label, she offers custom-made bridal and festive wear. Her collections often feature intricate handcrafted sarees, lehengas, and party-wear dresses for women.
10. Seemaa Kalavadia
Seemaa Kalvadia is an established top female fashion designer in Surat and the founder of her designer label, SIMS Designer Studio. Her signature design elements include offering Indian ethnic wears with comfortable, modern western aesthetics. An advocate for Khadi fabric, she has received awards from Khadi Design Council of India (KDCI) for her contribution to promote the traditional Indian textile and fabric. Her collections have been featured on some of the most popular fashion platforms, including New York Fashion Week and Lakmé Fashion Week.
Trends from Surat’s Booming Fashion, Textile, and Jewel Industries
Surat is experiencing a boom in fashion, textile, and jeweler businesses thanks to a strong infrastructure, increasing consumer demands, and rising incomes. However, several market trends, technology advancements, and cultural shifts drive the city’s fashion growth. The following are some of the key trends that drive city’s massive fashion industry:
1. Replacement of fabric-only manufacturing: Traditionally, Surat has been a major fabric exporter city within India, however, due to growing demands, and emergence of local brands and designers, the city is shifting towards value-add production by focusing on producing finished garments. The demand for ready-made garments is increasing and allowing better values for the local artisans and designers.
2. Bridal and festive wear remain top choices: The bridal and wedding fashion has long been on the driving seat of the fashion business for Surat. The city experiences major demands for embroidered lehengas, designer sarees, sequined fabrics, velvet and net materials, and customized bridal ensembles. This allows local artisans and designers to innovate traditional designs, embroidery, digital printing, Zari work, and embellishment techniques.
3. Growth of D2C and E-Commerce fashion:
Digital connectivity has allowed Surat-based designers to adopt D2C business models. Labels such as Chhavi’s Couture and Almaari by Pooja Patel ship their products across India, and customers can easily order from their website. This has allowed designers to reduce dependence on physical retail stores and work efficiently on new collections.
4. Expansion of smart textile manufacturing and automation: Textile production firms across the city are increasingly investing in modern technology and using automated tools such as airjet and rapier looms, automated embroidery machines, high-speed knitting technologies, AI-enabled production systems, and modern weaving equipment to speed up production and produce high-quality goods.
5. Growing focus on sustainable and ethical fashion: Modern fashion houses and designer labels are shifting towards ethical and sustainable fashion practices. Labels such as Urban Suburban by Unnati Bachkaniwala and Urvi Bachkaniwala and Shoolpani by Sunia Prajapati are embracing sustainable fashion by prioritizing custom designs to reduce fabric waste, collaborating with local artisans, and preserving local design elements.
![Student Guidance Center: Our Counselors are Just a Click Away.]( "Student Guidance Center: Our Counselors are Just a Click Away.")
Student Guidance Center: Our Counselors are Just a Click Away.
As Surat continues investing in textile automation, sustainable manufacturing, and designer-led fashion businesses, the city is evolving from India's largest fabric supplier into a major centre for fashion innovation. This transformation is creating new opportunities for designers, entrepreneurs, and students aspiring to build careers in fashion.
