Mumbai, Sep 30 (IANS): The young and versatile actress Alia Bhatt has turned designer for a line titled 'Alia' for an online shopping portal. She says her love for fashion is courtesy filmmaker Karan Johar.

Alia says she was not much of a fashionista initially, but during the shooting for "Student of The Year", which saw her in the role of a brand-conscious style diva, she started loving the world of fashion.

"I didn't really understand clothes while I was overweight. When I was auditioning for 'Student...', I lost weight and because my character Shanaya was so into dressing up and fashion...because of that I kind of got into loving fashion," the 21-year-old said here.

"Basically, Karan (Johar) has a great influence on that and he has a great fashion sense. He tells me when I am wrongly dressed and when I am doing good," added the actress, whose line will be available on Jabong.

When it comes to a professional designer, Alia looks up to Manish Malhotra for his energy and attitude.

"I definitely look up to Manish and also because I had the privilege of working with him in my first film. Even today, he is very enthusiastic about his work, he changes his clothes and collections with time. He is always zingy and excited," Alia said.

"Even as a stylist in movies, he still always inspires and he is excited to do something new and fresh. So, I definitely look up to Manish for his attitude and beautiful clothes," she added.

On the film front, Alia is currently shooting for "Shaandar" with Shahid Kapoor.

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