Manish Saksena – Jury Video – JDADA 2019

JD Annual Design Awards is around the corner, the JEDIIIANS have just done with their External Jury. Manish Saksena, Advisor at Tommy Hilfiger and Aadyam who was a part of the Jury panel for Fashion Department shares his experience about the entire collection.

Brief About the Theme

This year’s theme is Curator. We’re inspiring and guiding the design aspirants to become expert, obsessive and articulate curators of ideas you care about. The traditional definition of a curator is someone who takes care of a museum collection. The modern definition of a curator is someone who cares for something enough to study it, collect it, improve on it significantly and communicate it interestingly before an audience. A modern-day curator is a bridge between the idea he is passionate about and an audience eager to know more about the idea. He or she lives and breathes the cause. And the cause isn’t limited to the professional sphere. They actively live the philosophy. It enters all walks of life. That’s why they get the most creative, innovative and resonant ideas.

About Manish Saksena

A Lifestyle Specialist with 24 years of experience in Design, Product, Management, marketing, store design, Visual Merchandising, and backend in retail industry.

Manish Saksena has been instrumental in creating landmark changes in the Lifestyle Industry in India through his experience in new and different formats of retail. As varied as being a part of the entry of International Brands to creating successful homegrown brands, from Flagship Retailing in metros to Tier 2 emergence and expansion, Manish brings with him a wealth of core consumer experience. From leading the growth, expansion and profitability of the iconic brand Tommy Hilfiger in India for 6 years as COO for its India operations, he made his foray into the ecommerce environment with LimeRoad.com & Amazon while pursuing his passion to design and sell Sarees to the discerning. 

Today he enjoys in his role as a consultant, the nuances and excellences of Brick & Mortar retail with Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein at one end and leading the CSR initiative for the Weavers of Pochampally , Benaras & Bhuj under the aegis of Aditya Birla Group .He also engages in craft initiatives in clusters of Kanchipuram, Kota, Maheshwar, Yeola and Gadwa for his sarees.

With strong roots in St. Stephens College, New Delhi and London School of Fashion, he has worked in different genres and scopes with Madura Garments as Creative Director, with Landmark Group as Head of Buying and successfully launched the first organized ethnic wear brand W. 

Thank you Mr. Manish for being a part of our external jury member.