Ace designer Manav Gangwani, known for dressing up the crème de la crème of Bollywood, is now preparing to explore the international fashion scene in a major way. With clients such as Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and Aishwarya Rai already in his kitty, the clothes guru believes in being an exclusive brand and firmly believes in avoiding over-exposure of his label unlike his contemporaries.

“Let us talk about Hollywood soon, why Bollywood? Why limit yourself in one area? I always aimed for the stars so that I can land on the moon; I never aim for the moon to land on earth,” said Gangwani.

The designer, recently dressed supermodel Naomi Campbell in an elegant lehenga-choli created specially to celebrate her billionaire boyfriend Vladimir Doronin’s 50th birthday.

“People will hear about it very soon as something really big is coming along; so I am just keeping my fingers crossed. I am a person who does not believe in talking about things prematurely, and I've learnt this quality from one of my dear friend Zayed Khan,” he added.

A veteran in the Indian fashion scene, Gangwani graduated from the Pearl Academy of Fashion in 1999 and started his career with Carma, a designer boutique in New Delhi. The couturier has since styled not only the Bollywood brigade, but some well-known faces in the political circuit such as Priyanka Gandhi, Smita Thackeray and Amar Singh.

Even though he has partaken of almost all major fashion weeks in India and abroad, the elusive designer maintains that it was a conscious decision to stick with one show a year. “I do one show in a year because I am an exclusive brand. I don't believe in over-exposing or over-exploiting. When I create a piece, I like to create it like a piece of jewellery and treat it like my child. I am not like a hand machine that churns out pieces and I don't want to become one for sure,” said Gangwani.

“For me, exclusivity is the key. When I do one show, it takes seven to eight months of my life. I always try to bring uniqueness to my collection. I have no qualms in saying that I am one of the expensive designers in the country and even my close friends complain about it. But my clothes speak for themselves. They are unique, sensuous and exclusive; so for those who really want it, they will find a way,” he added.

Apart from designing his signature swathes, Gangwani has also been busy with the Indian opening of the first Roberto Cavalli store which has forayed into the desi market through a partnership with the designer’s firm; Infinite Luxury Brands Pvt. Ltd., jointly set up by him, Dubai-based entrepreneur Sahiba Narang and finance expert Rahul Kapoor.  By all means, the deal hasn’t been an easy one as Cavalli, reportedly has had some bad experiences with Indian companies in the past.

“They were approached by many companies from India before and every time at the final stage, the Indian companies would come up with some weird demands and the deal never went through. So the Italian brand was very disappointed with the Indian market and felt that Indians do not keep their word; so their impression about Indian companies was a little harsh,” said the designer. “But then we discussed things and they believed we are very passionate and understanding. They did proper research on our partners and promoters and we came out as winners,” he added.

The wardrobe doctor, who also has a penchant for painting, has materialized a number of celebrities like Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Simi Garewal and Raveena Tandon on his canvas.