Renowned fashion designer Anjali Phougat is just back after a hectic schedule in Virginia, where she was part of the jury panel for DMV beauty pageant. And this week, she joined the jury panel for Miss Bharat Ohio 2021 along with Bollywood actor Aryan Vaid and a few others. Anjali also presented the ‘Designer Dream Collection’ fashion show at Miss Bharat Ohio 2021.
Anjali Phougat has every reason to be optimistic. After over 15 years of being in the fashion industry, she has carved her own niche in North America. With a special focus on clothes and jewellery, Phougat runs a boutique and has built up a strong clientele that goes well beyond the South Asian community in the U.S.
Her growth in the fashion industry has come despite a busy corporate career — she is also an Assistant Vice-President at a USA based banking firm. “My passion keeps me going and of course family support,” says Ms. Phougat on balancing her job and fashion designing. “My family’s love and appreciation have gone a long way,” she adds.
Anjali lives in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Her foray into fashion began with winning the Miss Haryana title about 20 years back, and she has been associated with the fashion industry ever since. She has designed outfits and has been involved in a number of fashion events such as the New York Fashion Week, Miss New Jersey and so on. Her works have featured in Miss India contests as well.
She added another feather to her cap this year when a project she was part of won the best short film award at the prestigious Cannes film festival this year. “I could not make the trip to France for the award ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic,” she adds with disappointment.
The pandemic, though, has not been a dampener to her social outreach programmes. She has given back to society with volunteering work both in the U.S. and India. Anjali is designing outfits for a cause and her work was featured at Ohio State University’s fashion show that will be organised to financially support victims of human trafficking and domestic violence.
She has supported a Mumbai-based NGO that works with slum children and, during the pandemic, has distributed masks on a large scale in the U.S. Anjali Phougat is also a talk show host with Somi Ali and has interviewed a host of celebrities, including Sonu Nigam, Shakti Kapoor, Daboo Ratnani, Zeenat Aman and many other top celebrities. She says Sonu Nigam is her inspiration, with his tireless work and multi-tasking.
She is currently working with a major U.S.-based television network for a show that features victims of domestic violence. She now plans to expand her business beyond the state of Ohio to reach customers across the U.S., with the launch of an e-commerce website. After close to two decades in the fashion industry, Anjali says with conviction, “Beauty has no age, no barriers.”