New launches

Relive your childhood memories with House of Soi’s new carnival-themed ready to wear collection

Priyamvada Rana

Homegrown fashion labels have taken the country by storm, especially post the pandemic. Their rising demand is anchored by buyers’ renewed interest in conscious clothing, sustainability and a desire to go local. Tapping on the market, ready-to-wear (RTW) label House of Soihas sought to make fashion accessible and affordable to youngsters. Started by Sarika Pawar, it brings new-age millennial clothing with a bohemian sensibility to the likes of high-street fashion. The homegrown label has just dropped its latest collection Carnival De Soi which presents eccentric and exuberant prints themed around the carnival.

Telling us how it was a joyride to create this edit, Sarika shares, “We want people to relive the old and happy memories through our collection. Once when we went on a vacation, I was awestruck by the carnival and amusement parks which made me relive the nostalgia of childhood. I want people to experience the same sentiment. We decided to do that through prints and now it’s all yours to experience the feel and relive good old days.” The collection has a slew of vacation wear and RTW pieces that add a spunky vibe. From rouched dresses, co-ord sets, kaftans, jumbo jumpsuits and fete tunics to confetti maxis and more, each of them is printed with carnival-themed prints. What adds to the voguish spirit is a burst of colours — teasing tangerine, mustard yellow and zesty sky blue dipping the satins, Bemberg crepe and silk in mood-uplifting ensembles.

The pieces are trendy, breezy and fuss-free which aligns with its comfort-oriented design philosophy. “Our collections mainly focus on the feeling of being free and uninhibitedly happy, to express femininity, and the fun and flirty side. We work on silhouettes and prints that are alltime classy and evoke memories. We concentrate on unique elements while designing such as bold prints, rich fabrics and flattering silhouettes. For this edit, we wanted the fabric to flow freely on the body without any discomfort and irritation. So after sampling and researching, we ended up with Bemberg crepe, Satin linen and Bemberg silk. We digitally print these radiant prints on our bright-coloured fabric,” Sarika shares with us on the design process.

Since sustainability has taken over all the trends, House Of Soi is also taking baby steps towards it by avoiding mass production. Over the years, they have earned the trust of millennials with their past edits like Desert Rose, Anthinos, and Nightfall which had radiant prints, a refreshing symphony of colours and were true to fashion forecasts. Sarika weighs in on the popularity of edits and why they allure the millennials, “Post COVID, the purchase behaviour of customers has changed. They prioritise quality and value of the product apart from price, and our label focuses on those elements very carefully. Next, we focus on fabrics and colours which are handled well by our well-trained designers.” After working with women’s vacation and holiday wear, the label plans to venture into menswear too. They are also about to start a new brand which deals with ready-to-wear for women. “I will not be going into detail about that now since I don’t want to spoil the fun and excitement,” Sarika quips.

Rs.5,800 upwards. Available online and in-store.
Mail:priyamvada@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @RanaPriyamvada