Rohit Bal, one of India’s most well-known fashion designers, passed away on Friday after a long illness, the country’s fashion designers association announced. He was 63 years old.

In a post on Instagram, the Fashion Design Council of India, or FDCI, said they mourned the demise of a “legendary designer” who was “known for his unique blend of traditional patterns with modern sensibilities”.

Bal was one of India’s first designers to pioneer fashion design as a profession in the 1990s. FDCI said Bal’s work “redefined Indian fashion” and “inspired generations”.

He had heart disease in 2010. Bal took a break from work due to health problems but returned a few weeks ago.

Bal was born in 1961 in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir. She graduated from St Stephen’s College in New Delhi with a degree in history and later took a course in fashion design at India’s National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi.

She started her own label and designer line in 1990 and later expanded to many stores in India, the Middle East and Europe. His clients included celebrities from Hollywood and India’s rich and famous.

FDCI president Sunil Sethi said on Instagram that his death left “a void in the field of fashion design forever.”