Adding designer touch to Davis Cup tourney!

Lucknow lad and fashion designer Manish Tripathi has also made ceremonial dress for Asian Games team

Lucknowite Manish Tripathi is adding his designer touch and glamour to the world of sports as well.

Players during practice session at Mini Stadium, Vijayant Khant in Gomti Nagar (Deepak Gupta)

He aced a volley by designing for tennis officials at the Davis Cup World Group II starting in Lucknow from Saturday as well as made apparels for the 900 members of Indian team contingent for the upcoming Asian Games inaugural ceremony.

Davis Cup is returning to Lucknow after 22 years which will see Indian tennis icon Rohan Bopanna play his last Davis Cup for the country. During the ceremony at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence on Friday, all Uttar Pradesh Tennis Association officials sported the blue-themed formals designed by Tripathi.

Sketch by Manish Tripathi for UPTA officials (Manish Tripathi)

“The city is hosting the world tourney after over two decades, so the association wanted an international appeal for its members. We designed and crafted an official dress for them that they will sport during the international tournament. Doing something big on an international platform on home ground is a proud moment for me,” shares Lucknowite.

Designer Manish Tripathi with Women Indian Hockey team captain Savita Punia and Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in Asian Games dress(Instagram)

Having designed for cricketers Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag and several film stars, he has developed a newfound passion for venturing into sportswear designing. “India’s Asian Games dress was unveiled during a ceremony held in New Delhi recently. The design and specification were done by my alma mater National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) team and thereafter the entire procurement of material to the finished product was done by my team. The jacket has been made of recycled polyester which is a step toward sustainable living,” says the designer.

The India contingent will be sporting the colourful dress during the opening ceremonial ceremony of the games to be held at Hangzhou, China on September 23. “It’s always a pleasure to design for a celebrity but when someone wears a creation of you, representing India on an international platform it fills you with pride.”

Tripathi has been designing for several celebs and politicians including Mallika Sherawat, Madhur Bhandarkar, late Satish Kaushik and Manoj Bajpayee.