Raghavendra Singh Rathore, or the “King of Bandhgalas”, as he is popularly known, is an Indian lifestyle designer who holds the exclusive patent rights for bandhgala jackets and jodhpurs. One of India’s leading luxury fashion designers, Rathod also designs jewellery, accessories, interiors and other products.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Raghavendra Singh Rathore was born on Saturday, 7 October 1967 (age 54 years; as in 2021) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan under the Libra zodiac sign. Jodhpur-based Rathod completed his schooling at the Mayo College Boarding School in Ajmer from 1976–1986, after his local school in his hometown was destroyed in the 1971 Indo-Pak war when he was four or five years old. Raghavendra holds a bachelor’s degree (1987–1989) in Arts and Philosophy from Marlborough College, Vermont, USA. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Robotics from Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts. Raghavendra completed his education by pursuing BFA at Parsons School of Design – The New School, New York from 1989-1992.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 10″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
Raghavendra Rathore belongs to the royal family lineage of Jodhpur. His great-grandfather, Shri Sardar Singh, the best-dressed king of his time, was the Maharaja of Jodhpur from 1895 to 1911, and was known for popularizing the Jodhpur style safa (head cap) and achkan.
Raghavendra Rathod’s great grandfather was Maharaja Shri Sardar Singh of Jodhpur.
Major General Maharajadhiraj Sir Ajit Singh, Raghavendra’s grandfather, was famous for his Ajit Bhawan Palace which was built in 1927. His grandmother, Sajjan Kanwar, Rani of Jodhpur, was the sister of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Raghavendra’s cousin is His Highness Shri Gaj Singh II, the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Raghavendra Rathore’s cousin Maharaja Gaj Singhji II of Jodhpur
parents and siblings
His father, late Maharaja Swaroop Singh, who died in 2003, was an MLA from Luni Rural constituency in Jodhpur. Raghavendra’s mother, Rani Usha Singh Rathore, is from the royal dynasty of Allelal-Bijapur.
Raghavendra Rathore’s parents
He has a brother, Suryaveer Singh Rathore, who is a collector and a renowned hotelier, famous for the creation of Khas Bagh.
Raghavendra Rathod’s brother Suryaveer Singh Rathod
wife and children
Raghavendra married Kavita Rathore in February 2001. Kavita is the daughter of Nana’s Thakur Udai Bhan Singh. Talking about his marriage in an interview, Rathore said,
After marriage I find myself much more centered, much more harmonious. Poetry moves me very well. “It feels good to be back in the nest now.”
Raghavendra Rathod with his wife
The couple has a son Amar and a daughter Devyani.
relationships/affairs
Rathod was reportedly in a relationship with Arjun Rampal’s ex-wife and former Miss India Mehr Jessia. She is an Indian supermodel and choreographer.
livelihood
early years
Soon after graduating from Parsons School of Design, Raghavendra began an internship under Donna Karan of DKNY in Manhattan in 1992. While working there, he met famous Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta in an elevator. According to Rathod, her conversation with La Renta eventually landed her a job as a senior assistant at the global fashion house; However, Raghavendra got his big break when the famous designer hired him to design the house of Pierre Balmain. Raghu worked with La Renta for two years before returning to his hometown Jodhpur. After living in the US for over a decade, Raghavendra returned to Jodhpur in 1994, where his royal cousin, the Maharaja of Jodhpur, HH Gaj Singh II, asked him to organize a fashion show in the city. Rathod accepted the invitation and organized a fashion show within a few months with the help of some famous Indian designers such as Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal and others.
label
The same year Raghavendra returned home, he launched his multifaceted designer brand ‘Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur (RR)’ with a small store in New Delhi. Internationally known as ‘Inde Pret’, this luxury fashion brand initially focused on menswear, but gradually expanded to womenswear, children’s wear, jewelery designing, interior designing and consultancy. In 2012, his RR brand became the first Indian fashion brand to hold exclusive patent rights on jodhpuri and bandhgala jackets. Talking about his brand in an interview, the royal designer said,
When I picked up the bandhgala it was very ancient. It looked boxy and had huge armholes. We set about fixing it up and contemporizing it. And once we were satisfied, we copyrighted the Jodhpur Bandhgala pattern.
At the Summer/Resort 2015 show at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), Raghavendra launched his new ready-to-wear, men-centric designer label called Imperial India Company (IIC). Apparently, IIC is a humanitarian initiative of Rathore to promote rural handicrafts in association with his exclusive apparel menswear label. According to Rathod, IIC through Raghavendra Rathod Foundation utilizes handlooms and fabrics which helps in providing adequate work opportunities to weavers and NGOs.
other enterprises
Rajkumar also founded an NGO called “Raghavendra Rathore Foundation”, which, according to Raghu, works towards making underprivileged workers and artisans self-reliant by using local resources, arts and crafts. In 2018, Raghavendra created The Gurukul School of Design in Jaipur, Rajasthan, the first design school of its kind in India. Established in partnership with Amrapali Jewels, the institute offers a four-year graduate degree program in design. The Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur label also collaborated with luxury Italian fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna Label and Reliance Industries Group in 2018. As per the deal, the two partners each bought 12.5 per cent stake in Mr Rathod’s parent company Future 101 Design. label. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership between a European luxury group and an Indian menswear brand, Raghavendra’s fashion label reaches international markets.
Controversy
Virat Kohli’s reception outfit
In 2017, Raghavendra and another Indian designer Sabyasachi both claimed to have designed the bandhgala of Virat Kohli’s reception ceremony. Sabyasachi posted this on his Instagram; However, after being informed by Rathod, he soon realized his mistake and immediately deleted the post before apologizing in a new Instagram post.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 2011, for Rathod’s contribution in promoting the rich heritage of Rajasthan and its culture, the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot honored Rathod and granted him government recognition, the first of its kind in the history of the state.
- Rathore won the Designer of the Year award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2014.
Raghavendra Rathod at GQ Men of the Year Awards 2014
- Raghavendra won the ‘Exclusive Art and Fashion Award’ at the 21st Century UK Icon Awards in 2020.
Favorite
- Color: Black, White, Grey, Beige, Navy Blue and Burgundy
- Role Model: Oscar de la Renta
- Destination: Narlai, a small village between Jodhpur and Udaipur
Facts/General Knowledge
- The royal designer is also known as “Prince Raghu” or “Raghu”.
- Raghavendra likes painting in his spare time.
- The political inclination of the Jodhpuri designer is towards Bharatiya Janata Party.
- While studying in Vermont, USA, Raghavendra did odd jobs like removing paint from old buildings and fixing and restoring old cars after completing a year of college. His royal parents had asked him to fund his own education, forcing Rathod to live a ‘normal’ life.
- According to the royal designer, her journey as a lifestyle designer began after being inspired by the fashion sense of her grandfather’s elder brother, the late Maharaja of Jodhpur, Umed Singh.
- Rathore has styled some of the high-profile celebrities from across the world, including His Highness of Qatar – Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Duchess of York – Sarah Ferguson, King of Jaipur – Maharaja Padmanabh Singh, Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal – HH Maharaja Manujendra Shah is included. , Hollywood celebrity Matthew McConaughey, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, Virat Kohli, Mukesh Ambani, and many Bollywood celebrities like Shahrukh Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan.
Raghavendra Rathod wearing his label with Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh
- The Indian designer has also worked for Hindi films such as Eklavya and Khoobsurat, where he was responsible for designing the costumes of the actors. Amitabh Bachchan’s look in the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati was also styled by Raghavendra. He is also credited with designing the reception area of Suryagarh, one of India’s finest luxury hotels in Jaisalmer.
Raghavendra Rathore designed luxury hotel
- The designer has over 30 retail stores across India and abroad in areas like Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai, Greece and Hong Kong.
- In 2019, the fashion label “Raghavendra Rathod Jodhpur” completed 25 years of its successful business.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn