 JAN
20 - Pakistani "minimalist fashion" designer Sonya Battla is in Lucknow, India,
for a recon of the Indian market. She is one of the few Pakistani
designers who entered retail fashion by opening her store on the
high street, Zamzama in Karachi.
‘‘Carma has been asking me to retail with them for a while now, but
I need to study the market before I commit to anything,’’ says the
34-year, known for her distinct style of minimal design and cuts.
She last showed in Delhi at the Bridal Asia exhibition held in
September 2005.
“I feel Indian bridal wear is often very overdone.. Wedding is the
most important day of your life and you need to be yourself. So,
don’t overload your clothes with unnecessary embellishments,” is how
Sonya had explained her minimalism at the Bridal show last year.
 While
Battla is tight-lipped about her clientele in the city— ‘‘they are
high-profile and wouldn’t like to be named’’— she is clear about her
target customers.
‘‘Anybody who is sophisticated, doesn’t mind experimenting and has deep
pockets, that’s the kind of people I design for,’’ she quips.
Her Indian tour has not been all work though. Battla took time off
to visit the Chivas Regal Polo tournament in Jaipur recently. ‘‘You
can’t escape cricket if you belong to the sub-continent, but I am
equally fond of polo because I used to play it as a teenager,’’ she
says. |
