One of the most well-known fashion designers in India, Rohit Bal, passed away at the age of sixty-three.
A week prior to his final performance in October, Bal was in the intensive care unit, according to a friend of the designer who spoke to NDTV. After being released, he was brought to Delhi’s Aashlok Hospital on Wednesday, where he passed away on Friday due to a cardiac attack.
The Fashion Design Council of India honored the efforts of the fashion legend, better known as Gudda, in an Instagram post.
“We are saddened by the loss of renowned designer Rohit Bal. The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) included him as one of its founding members. Bal, whose work reshaped Indian fashion and inspired generations, is renowned for his distinctive fusion of traditional designs with contemporary sensibility. His artistic, inventive, and progressive legacy will endure in the fashion industry. The council wrote, “GUDDA, rest in peace.”
The designer will be cremated on Saturday, according to FDCI President Sunil Sethi.
“He is dead, that much is true. He suffered from heart failure and cardiac arrest. Rohit was a legend, and we are in utter shock at this moment. Tomorrow, we are attempting to finalize the cremation’s specifics,” Mr. Sethi told news agency PTI.
Bal, who started his career in 1986 and became one of the most well-known figures in the Indian fashion business, was born in Srinagar. He was named “Designer of the Year” at the 2001 Kingfisher Fashion Achievement Awards and the 2006 Indian Fashion Awards. In 2012, he was also recognized as the Lakme Grand Finale Designer.
Last month, the designer returned to the runway with his collection ‘Kaaynaat: A Bloom in the Universe’ at the Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI grand finale, following a period of sickness. Actor Ananya Panday, the brand spokesperson for Lakme, was the star of the show as she walked the runway wearing a Rohit Bal iconic outfit.
“Incredible friend” was how Raymond Group Chairman Gautam Singhania described the designer’s passing.
“Saying farewell to an amazing friend is heartbreaking. You filled the lives of everyone around you with so much love, joy, and laughter. I cherish every second we spent together, every giggle, and every discussion. Though we will all miss you terribly, your spirit will endure. In a post on X, he said, “Rest in peace, my friend.”
Without Bal, the world is a poorer place, according to journalist Vir Sanghvi
“Rohit Bal, rest in peace. Too soon gone. A designer’s king. A prince in the world. He has been well-known for more than thirty years. He was always a buddy first and a creative genius second, but he never stopped being a normal guy who was always ready to laugh. Without him, the world is a worse place,” Mr. Sanghvi wrote.
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