Naga designer makes a mark in the fashion world

A young Tangkhul Naga fashion designer Asa Kazingmei has become a sought after name in the Indian fashion industry. He combines traditional Naga designs into contemporary styles and draws heavily from the customs of his tribe to create his designer collections.

He launched his new collection titled 'Changvei' at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 in August and received a good response. 'Changvei' that means defender or protector seeks inspiration from the spirit of Naga warriors.

Hailing from Lunghar village of the Ukhrul district in Manipur, Kazingmei had a keen interest in fashion from a very early age and came to Mumbai in 2008.

"My dad does tailoring and that inspired me. I always tried to modify my cloths since childhood, I use to make them for my friends and family. That's how I started my career," said Kazingmei.

After working with several designers, he launched his own label 'Asa Kazingmei Haute Couture' in 2012.

A large number of youth from the Northeast are taking up fashion designing and modeling as a career. Young achievers like Asa are an inspiration to the youth from the region to go ahead in the pursuit of their dreams.