Nikita Karizma: The British-Indian Designer Making Celebrities Sparkle
British-Indian fashion designer Nikita Karizma created her London-based eponymous brand with a custom order from English girl group Little Mix based on the pieces she created at London College of Fashion. Since then, Karizma has quickly become a staple in celebrity wardrobes whenever they need some sparkle from music videos to red carpets. Karizma grew up in a three-generation retail family business specializing in Indian sarees. Her upbringing and background inspired her to create a label celebrating individuality. Taking cues from the glamor of Bollywood and the trendsetting city of London, the brand effortlessly creates the essential girls night out pieces, for both the everyday woman and A-list celebrities including Paris Hilton, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Julia Fox, and Avril Lavigne.
BFC Fashion Awards 2023
In December 2023, Karizma attended the British Fashion Awards red carpet wearing a whimsical custom look she designed including a 3D-printed lobster that was crystallized by hand in her London studio. The lobster served as a representation of surrealism in fashion & art, reminiscent of Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí’s iconic 1937 collaboration.
Karizma is also dedicated to sustainability and giving back. Fabric scraps from the brand’s studio are used to create tote bags for charity as part of the Repurposed Project. Profits from sales are used to plant trees for the £1Million mission with the Love Peace Harmony Foundation which has planted 250,000 trees across Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Nepal, Indonesia, Hati, Central America, and Brazil. The studio also supports Sathira Dhammasathan in Bangkok, a Buddhist sanctuary run by 60 nuns rehabilitating women from prisons & domestic suffering, and Sakhi for Girls education, a charity supporting girls living in Mumbai slums with their academic & life skills to give them a higher chance of getting employed and making it out of poverty.
Article & Tearsheets by Skylar Elizabeth, Editorial Assistant, PhotoBook Magazine
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