For 27-year-old fashion designer Rohit Mane, his own body is always his first canvas. "My process always begins on my own body," he says. "I start by draping fabrics on myself." Then, he allows inspiration from butterflies, Bollywood, science fiction, mythology, and his mother's sense of style to lead the way. His fashion line, Rohmane, pushes boundaries of all sorts: couture, storytelling, gender, sex, and masculinity versus femininity to name a few, and he does all this by hand and through a process guided by feelings, rather than plans or fixed drawings.
Mane's career arguably changed when SZA not only wore his custom design to the 2025 Grammy Awards, but also accepted an award on stage in the look. From there, messages from stylists and celebrities started pouring in; all the requests from new clients were enough for him to fully commit to the path of starting his own namesake label.
Ahead, Rohit Mane divulges his creative process, his favorite materials to work with, and more on that pivotal SZA moment.
Courtesy of Rohit Mane 
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
Where do you get your inspiration from?
"My inspiration comes from a collision of worlds Indian culture, my mother’s sense of style, and the Bollywood music I grew up with, infused with Western pop references, mythology, and sci-fi fantasy. I’m constantly drawn to goddess-like narratives and imagined worlds that feel both ancestral and futuristic."
How do you balance fantasy and wearability in your collections?
"I balance fantasy and wearability by starting with the body. I gravitate toward fluid, body-hugging silhouettes and sheer, soft fabrics that move with the wearer. Even when a piece feels otherworldly, I always imagine myself wearing it walking into a room, moving, breathing, existing in it. For me, fantasy doesn’t mean restriction. I want the garments to feel alive, to have their own movement and moments, so the person wearing them can experience that sense of extravagance in a very real, physical way."
Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept to finished piece?
"My process always begins on my own body. I start by draping fabrics on myself, often while watching the Bollywood heroines, i think that’s where my feminine side comes alive. The concept reveals itself through movement rather than sketches. I don’t work from fixed drawings. I let the piece evolve as I drape, hand stitch, and shape it. Everything is made by hand, through instinct moulding wire, adjusting fabric, responding to the body. It’s a very intuitive process, guided by feeling rather than plans, and I know a piece is finished when it feels alive on the body."
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
What was a pivotal moment in your career?
"I think when SZA wore my dress to the Grammys. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to have a label, that moment gave me the push."
Can you tell us more about how that happened?
"The SZA moment was honestly very surreal. I was working part-time while creating my collections, making everything by hand from a very small studio apartment that I shared with my partner. Through that work, the pieces caught the attention of stylists, including the Reisman team, who reached out asking if they could pull the look for SZA at the Grammys. I remember sitting in that tiny space with my partner, packing the garments and sending them off without knowing if they would actually be worn. We watched the Grammys live together, waiting to see if the dress would appear on the red carpet and when it didn’t, I was honestly heartbroken.
Then suddenly, there she was inside the ceremony, already seated and wearing my design. It was overwhelming in the best way. That moment completely shifted everything for me. After that, I started receiving messages from stylists, celebrities, and clients asking to pull or purchase pieces, and that was when I decided to fully commit and officially build ROHMANE. I still work very independently and closely with each piece, and that hands-on, personal approach remains at the heart of everything I create."
instagram.com/szaWhat was your favorite design to make so far?
"It’s hard to choose a favorite. I’ve enjoyed making every single piece. They all feel like my daughters."
What's one thing people might not know about you?
"I grew up in a small town in India, and it took me six years to convince my family to let me pursue fashion."
How has having celebrities wear your designs influenced your creative direction?
"I always knew my work would live in the entertainment space and connect with performers and celebrities even before I started designing. So it hasn’t really changed my creative direction much, but it’s been incredibly affirming to see it naturally head that way."
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
Courtesy of Rohit Mane
Are there any materials or techniques you love experimenting with, and how do they shape your vision?
"I love working with metal wire it’s been part of my practice since my very first design and continues to appear in almost every piece I create. I’m drawn to experimenting outside of traditional garment-making methods, developing my own techniques that allow structure, softness, and fantasy to coexist."
How do you use fashion as a medium to tell a story or convey an emotion?
"Fashion is the way I tell my story and communicate emotion. I use silhouette, skin, colour, and craftsmanship as a visual language, often fusing my Indian heritage into the garments themselves from bold colour palettes to reworking materials like my mother’s saris. My work is deeply about visibility: embracing my brown, Indian identity and creating space for bodies, cultures, and narratives that are often overlooked, despite India’s deep contributions to fashion and craftsmanship."
