Nagpur To Cannes, Manish Vaid Dresses Global Celebs

Nagpur: From walking through corridors of educational institutions in Nagpur to striding the glamour-filled red carpets of Cannes and Paris Fashion Week, Nagpur-origin designer Manish Vaid has charted a distinctive journey in the global fashion industry — one he describes not as that of a "fashion designer", but a "fashion engineer".Recently spotted at Cannes Film Festival alongside several international fashion icons, Vaid has again drawn global attention thanks to his work. Behind the glamour, however, lies a long journey deeply rooted in Nagpur.Though born outside Nagpur, Vaid was raised in the Orange City and spent a major part of his early life here. He pursued mechanical engineering at YCCE after completing his schooling at Dinanath High School, Dhantoli. He later went on to complete his MBA and also studied e-commerce. "I was always experimenting. Even during my college days, I knew I wouldn't go into traditional mainstream fields. You need to explore the world, textbooks won't teach you everything," he told TOI.Vaid left Nagpur in 2003 and spent eight years in Jamaica, where he initially ventured into jewellery sourcing from New York and China before gradually moving towards fashion clothing.His transition into fashion began seriously around 2016 when he started sketching designs and working on resort collections. "I spent a major part of my early years in Jamaica, and that influence is deeply reflected in my artwork. My work has largely evolved around hand-beaded resort wear and swimwear collections," he said.The shift to Paris in 2021 proved to be a turning point. Today, Vaid operates across Paris, Los Angeles and Madrid, designing for international celebrities and beauty pageant platforms, including Miss Universe and Miss World. He said he has also worked with Hollywood personalities, including Jennifer Aniston.At Cannes this year, Vaid designed outfits for several celebrities, including Olivia Yace, Miss Universe Ivory Coast, and Veena Singh, Miss Universe first runner-up 2025, among others. "Cannes festival is exciting but also very hectic. So many people want to be a part of it. But it is indeed a surreal experience in itself," he said."Nagpur is very close to my heart. Whenever I visit the city, the breeze is reminiscent of the time I spent here," said Vaid, son of Rotarian CS Vaid and Asha Vaid.