At the launch of his new flagship store, designer Ashish Soni came out of his comfort zone and made his debut with light installations. Arjita Mishra reports
Ashish n Soni is a name to reckon with in the fashion world — giving a about of surprise every time he unfurls his collection at any fashion show. So it came as a surprise when the invite to the launch of his concept store in Defence Colony read ‘to celebrate his debut light installation’.
Spanning 1,800 square feet, the store draws to the core philosophy of the designer — a balance of minimalism and luxury. With a focus on menswear, more specifically bespoke and tailored menswear, the idea behind the store is to reinvent the retail experience into a customer’s private funhouse.
“I have been in the industry for a long time and when I was celebrating 20 years of my label I realised that I wanted to channelise my ideas to a slightly different medium. I was looking out for ideas when a few of my friends suggested me that I could look at designing for light installations and that idea somehow stuck. I kept working on it alongside my designs and it has finally culminated here,” said the designer who has collaborated with international luxury brand, Sans Souci for the lights.
If you are willing, you can even get a custom made installation. The designer would be happy to make it. But he is only in charge of the designs, the finished product comes from the brand’s factory in Prague.
“It was difficult for us to coordinate from India to Prague but somehow we managed to do it. It is not always that you get to see a fashion designer coming out of his comfort zone and doing something unique. But I thought of taking that risk and I am glad that I did because everything has worked out really well,” the designer pointed out.