Rohit Khosla
Biography
Rohit Khosla (29 November 1958 – 16 February 1994) was a pioneer of the contemporary fashion industry in India. Khosla studied in England and worked with designers in New York, but returned to India to start his label in 1987, along with his sister, designer Rohini Khosla.
In 1987, he co-founded Ensemble, India's popular designer label store in New Delhi,[5] with Tarun and Sal Tahiliani, which started with five labels: Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Khosla, Neil Bieff, Amaya, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
Many leading fashion designers of India trained under Rohit Khosla, including Aparna Chandra, Ranna Gill, Sonam Dobal, and JJ Valaya.
Khosla, who was bisexual, died in 1994, aged 36, due to cancer. He had earlier contracted HIV/AIDS.
In 1998, Rohini Khosla published a book on his life and work, titled Rohit Khosla, Vanguard. In 2007 the India Fashion Week paid tribute to him, with designers like Rohit Bal dedicating his collection to him.
The annual India Zee F Awards presents the Rohit Khosla Award for 'Debutante Designer of the Year'.