Fashion Talk
Somya Goyal
Designer
Label - Somya Goyal
Our creations can be styled throughout the year and worn over the years
An eponymous label by designer Somya Goyal, it is known for her classic and luxurious collections. Her pieces are worn by a plethora of celebrities and influencers. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, the designer talks about her journey, the aesthetics of her collection, and her approach towards sustainable creations.
Fibre2Fashion : What attracted you towards the fashion industry and motivated you to start your own label?
Somya Goyal:
My interest in textiles and garments began at an early age. Growing up in a family of garment manufacturers and distributors in New Delhi, I spent my early life surrounded by yards of textiles, buttons, yarns of threads and fasteners. That led to my untrained explorations with various materials to create designs in my father’s workshop with the guidance of the masterjis (experienced craftsmen). And it is that exposure to textiles that fuelled my urge to stride into the unexplored possibilities of textiles and mould them into a world of luxury with my label; luxury that is as attainable as it is meaningful, one that is nuanced and full of character.
Fibre2Fashion : How would you define the aesthetics of your collection?
Somya Goyal:
Somya Goyal designs are characterised by our passion to bring life to the inanimate through a multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted design approach. Our designs question the established rubric and explore the unknown. We value this freedom to explore, to create and find our way, and Somya Goyal as a brand symbolises playful positivity and optimism for this kind of freedom.
Our garments are a study of possibilities in garment construction, characteristic texture, and tactile elements that come alive.
As a brand, we acknowledge and value the bounties of the Earth and consciously refrain from taking more than we need. We believe in pairing things down and stripping them off of unnecessary ornamentation – a simpler world is far more accessible and authentic.
Fibre2Fashion : What drives you to design today? What inspires you season after season?
Somya Goyal:
The metamorphosis with the potential of defining we as a person, the emotions that drive us, and how we feel them are our perennial sources of inspiration.
When individual parts are connected together to form an entity, they manifest more than just individual units. We are also inspired by the disparate pieces and their larger narrative, the whole that is brought to life with mindfulness, insight and deliberation.
Our designs come from within, and staying true to our core, we do not give in to trends or seasonality. Most of our creations can be styled throughout the year and worn over the years. Being mindful is in our very being, we shall always be on this path to become better, more responsible and always in gratitude of the tangible and intangible that make up the Somya Goyal universe.
Fibre2Fashion : How would you define fashion industry in India and how has the same evolved over the years?
Somya Goyal:
There is nothing stationary about the fashion industry, it is always on the move, always changing, adapting. It has made its mark and it continues to evolve and redefine itself.
Fibre2Fashion : What does sustainability mean for you, and how do you select the materials you use?
Somya Goyal:
We make a point to use ethically produced and environmentally friendly fabrics like hemp, Bemberg, bamboo, and archived fabrics sourced from across India.
Our textile explorations with PVC cords have now become a brand signature. For our upcoming collection, we are pushing the limits even further and exploring biodegradable transparent sheets extracted from seaweeds and waste materials.
The myriad possibilities of textiles push our curiosity to experiment with our resources and skills every day. We are on a relentless pursuit to explore new forms and techniques through time tested crafts, constantly developing and innovating techniques and surface textures with new materials like metallic wires, horsehair sheets, jute and cotton cords.
All our buttons are of recycled and durable polyester and corozo.
We truly believe in creating a holistic world for ourselves and those who choose to wear our brand.
Fibre2Fashion : Tell us about your few favourite projects that you did?
Somya Goyal:
Our favourite project is yet to be released. We are still working on it.
Fibre2Fashion : Please give a brief about a few trending things in the fashion industry.
Somya Goyal:
We do really believe in trends, but trends become boring with time. So, we try to stay true to the core.
Fibre2Fashion : What is the vision for your label for the forthcoming years? Are you planning to expand the same?
Somya Goyal:
We want to become self-sustaining. Our vision is to propose a better product that is authentic to the brand as well as environment friendly. Building a loyal customer base is one of the most important things for us.
We truly believe that this is the right time for us to expand, and spread our wings in the right direction.