Apparel August 2019 Apparel August 2019 issue | Page 81

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
also continues to work with the same artisans for
years, building worthwhile bonds with them along
the way.
PRIORITISING COMFORT
Soham designs dresses, tops, and scarves for
women, with each boasting stylish cuts and
comfortable fits. He is not one to follow trends
but creates garments keeping in mind the season
for which they will be the most suitable. For him,
designing is an ongoing process, with collections
as well as independent pieces being added to
stores all through the year.
ARTISAN SUPPORT
As Soham’s garments are made from handwoven
fabrics with hand-worked surface designs,
the end-to-end production process involves
several hands. “I can happily say that over 80
per cent of the workforce at our production unit
comprises women. We hire skilled, semi-skilled
and unskilled, experienced, as well as first-time
workers, and train them in different aspects of
stitching and finishing garments.
STEEPED IN SUSTAINABILITY
While sustainability has become a buzzword in
the fashion industry today, Soham says that it
has been an intrinsic part of the label’s DNA right
from the beginning. “When I look back, I grew up
in a small town where there was harmony. There
was minimal wastage and people lead overall
sustainable lives. Our work follows a similar
approach. For instance, for ajrak, the block-
printing is done by hand, the textile is washed in
a nearby pool of water, and then dried in the sun.
There is no use of electricity or chemicals in the
process. Earlier, the desizing was done with cow
dung; now, it is done with an oil-based natural
soap. The entire process is such that one does
not have to put in effort to be sustainable. We
work with dyes that are mostly natural, and our
focus is to create a production process that is
entirely sustainable.”
THE ROLE OF THE DESIGNER
Given the wealth of India’s textile heritage, Soham
is of the opinion that artisans have much to offer,
and that designer-artisan interactions are quite
SOHAM IS OF THE OPINION
THAT ARTISANS HAVE MUCH TO
OFFER, AND THAT DESIGNER-
ARTISAN INTERACTIONS ARE
QUITE REWARDING.
rewarding. Much like how his design sensibilities
have evolved over the past decade, he finds
that artisans, too, have evolved, and are open
to working with designers now more than ever.
As a result of which the contemporary times see
exclusive collections that have opened new doors
for these artisans and textile crafts as a whole.
Soham’s garments retail at his stores at
Greater Kailash I in New Delhi and Kala Ghoda
in Mumbai; he has his store and studio at
Usmanpura in Ahmedabad. Dave’s pieces can
also be found at multi-designer stores such as
Anonym in Hyderabad, Ogaan in New Delhi, and
Options in Ahmedabad. He participates in pop-
ups, national fashion shows, and trade events in
India and abroad. He looks forward to retailing his
collections in the States where he first launched
his label, thus coming full circle.
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