From styling SRK in Mayur suiting, showing in NY in 2005, Ashish Soni has taken the road less traveled-fit, tailoring over dabka and zardozi. Next move- Arvind Mills and Soni style!
By Asmita Aggarwal
He is the OG of fashion, started in 1991, 2000 launched couture in a country obsessed with embellishments and embroidery, but he stayed true to fit and tailoring. He was one of the first to participate at the Olympus Fashion Week in 2005, when no one in India cared about the artistry of a perfect sleeve, he had kind of mastered it.
Ashish Soni has been using Arvind Mill fabrics for the last 30 years, though they are primarily known to be leaders in making denim, they have a vast range—linen, wool blends. Their Egyptian cottons are so superior that it ignited a desire to use them innovatively. The collection Ashish showcased at LFW X FDCI will go live in 16 stores all over the country, they will handle production, knowledge transfer will be Soni’s responsibility. “I am a tailor if your raw material is good, magic ensues,” he adds.
Ashish has been interested in the quality of linens they offer, the count matters, spinning strength, “earlier it was 50-60 now it is 120 counts, finest linen, there are many technological advancements,” he explains, even their 100 percent bamboo fabric, feels like wearing silk.
Arvind Mills shirting material is the finest which Charvet uses, (French shirt makers, 1838 in Paris, France, by Joseph-Christophe Charvet, now owned by Chanel) that royalty and celebs can’t get enough of is now being offered to a discerning Indian consumer.
Wool blends, super 200 are the best in the world, it is twisted 120 times, per roll, to get that fine-ness, now it is 150 to 200, which is being used by Loro Piana and Brioni, is being offered to Ashish to work with, it is the first for him.
Is the Indian customer ready for this kind of ultra luxe minus the dabka, does he understand it? “We are educating people, even tier 2 and 3 cities, like Indore and Raipur, they have crazy spending power like Chandigarh. If they don’t know how they will buy what is real luxury in terms of materials? Thus, I am also crafting a style book on how you can wear a suit ingeniously, this will hopefully tempt them to buy,” he smiles.
A tier 3 customer may not have the time to come and buy, so Ashish is taking the product to them. In a Metro competition is high, so many brands, already heightened awareness exists. “There are no DLF Emporio in Pune or Raipur,” he says, adding, “If you look at menswear in organized retail, the numbers are much higher, but it is vastly ignored.”
Interestingly Ashish began styling in the 90s when no one knew what it meant, as he never did lehengas, saris or sherwanis, it was commercially difficult to survive. “No one wanted to buy a Rs 5000 shirt, with no embroidery in the 90s. Old, affluent families used to purchase Raymond fabric and get a suit tailored, it was tough to survive, I began styling,” he confirms.
His first job was styling SRK for Mayur suiting, in 1993 before “Dilwale” was released. Saif Ali Khan and hundred others in Bollywood followed for almost 30 years. He says, “A second opinion when you put up a collection works best, as a stylist has 3 D vision. He has a clearer view than a designer, as he is not emotionally involved in the line. Plus, new social media audience is more visual and has less patience,” he concludes.