The winners of all three International Beauty titles of 2000 were attired by designer Ritu Kumar. Ritu Kumar, India's top fashion designer, has over the past six years, dressed 17 Miss India participants of whom 13 have won the crown and seven have gone on to win the Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss Asia-Pacific titles.
The lady who pioneered the term ‘fashion’ in the Indian context is none other than the famous fashion designer from India Ritu Kumar. Her major contribution has been in reviving the Indian traditional craft and design. She is one of those very few who has emphasized the importance of hand-made products because it can be cost-effective and looks more gorgeous than machine made clothes. More than two decades back, Ritu had started with hand block printers in a village near Kolkata. Now she has come a long way with her dedicated and committed designers. Her work mainly focuses on cotton, silk and leather. Her forte is traditional Indian clothes, which mainly highlights on India’s textile and embroidery. But she also gives importance to the combination of Indian and western wear.
