Prasad Bidapa

Prasad Bidapa is a trailblazer in the Indian fashion industry, with a career spanning over four decades. Renowned as the iconic fashion guru of India, he has witnessed the industry's evolution from its nascent stages. A distinguished alumnus of NID Ahmedabad, Bidapa has conceptualised and curated numerous high-profile events, including:

- India Men's Fashion Week - Colombo International Fashion Week - Kingfisher Fashion Awards - Mega Model Hunt (India's premier model training programme) - ⁠The LUXO Luxury Weeks - ⁠Graduation Shows & Mentoring of Students of the leading Fashion Institutions of India.

A textile expert himself, Bidapa has been instrumental in promoting sustainable fashion and design development. An alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Bidapa combines a strong design foundation with a strategic understanding of branding and audience engagement. His early years in advertising—where he led The Design & Print Group and worked with clients including Gokaldas Exports, KSIC, KHDC, The Wearhouse, Levi’s, and several leading lifestyle brands—shaped his distinctive approach: treating fashion not merely as presentation, but as narrative and positioning.

His innovative property Prasad Bidapa Mega Model Hunt is credited to having trained and discovered some of the biggest faces in Bollywood like Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, John Abraham, Arjun Rampal, Dino Morea, and many more.

Deeply influenced and mentored by cultural visionaries and textile revivalists such as Martand Singh, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Pupul Jayakar, and others, Bidapa has remained committed to sustainable fashion and the revival of India’s textile heritage. His work with government bodies and cultural institutions has included Rajasthan Heritage Week, developed for the Government of Rajasthan, and multiple initiatives that have strengthened the visibility of Khadi, handloom, and artisan-led design—positioning craft as a living, contemporary cultural asset. He often refers to India’s master artisans and clusters as the country’s “National Treasures.”

His work for the National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) has included the annual Handloom Day presentations, and the creation of a comic-book format property celebrating India’s heritage textiles—crafted to inspire younger audiences and widen cultural engagement called The Quest for the Sacred Cloth. He has also curated major regional textile initiatives, including the Ashtalakshmi Exhibition for the Ministry of DONER, in collaboration with the North Eastern Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation (NEHHDC), spotlighting the distinctive textile traditions of the eight North-Eastern states, including Eri and Muga silks.

Bidapa's international footprint is impressive, with shows presented in the USA, Japan, Sweden, UK, the Middle East, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and other nations. Notable exhibitions include:

- Mahatma Gandhi Sesquicentennial Exhibition & Show of Modern Khadi (2019) at the Embassy of India, Qatar - Heritage Handlooms of India Show (2022) at the High Commission of India in Singapore - Indian textile showcases aligned with national platforms, including G20 engagements.

A regular columnist for various publications, Bidapa is currently collaborating with state governments to develop handloom revival projects across India. He works closely with national and international designers to showcase India's exquisite handmade textiles and products in handloomed cotton, wool, silk, and Khadi, promoting the country's rich cultural heritage.

He is an avid environmentalist and works with many citizen groups active in protecting the city of Bengaluru. He is also a member of the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC).^[6]

Prasad Bidapa lives with his family at a farm in Yelahanka, Bengaluru with ten dogs and two cats.

He also has a son named Adam Bidapa who is a model is also the brother of Aviva Bidapa, the wife of actor Abishek Ambareesh.