Sulakshna Jasra - Dresses Are Art As Long As They Are Worn, Not To Be Kept In Museums (Designer)

In the fashion industry, it is easier and safer to be a follower of trends than setting up new trends. Our drapes, surface textures styling were not just not welcomed very warmly rather they were mocked at in the beginning.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

My career as a designer started with me working for design houses like Diwan Saheb and Study by Janak who catered to premium segment in traditional Indian and western menswear. I am grateful to have worked and learnt from them the ABC of business.

It was 2011 when I decided to start my own label and got on to the train to Benares without even a reserved seat with 30,000 rupees, the only savings I had, to buy fabrics. 

We went from a small startup with just two workers and I working in a 10x7 office cum sampling unit to having our presence in most major cities in India, our label available at premium stores in those, and having our own Flagship store in Shahpur Jat, the hub of fashion in New Delhi, creating our own niche in men's traditional wear.

It has not been a smooth ride especially coming from a service class family and no connections in the business world, looking back at my journey gives me a lot more courage to move on and achieve my goals.


2. Fashion industry is often considered women-centric and stereotypes men? What's your opinion?

Because the world over, it has been women who indulged more in fashion so it had become more women-centric. As a menswear designer, it was very challenging to bring out the creativity in our creations as men were ready to experiment only that much. 

But since the very inception, an image of us being innovative, stylised and out of the box creator was formed. 

In the fashion industry, it is easier and safer to be a follower of trends than setting up new trends. Our drapes, surface textures styling were not just not welcomed very warmly rather they were mocked at in the beginning. But men are also coming of age now and accepting more fresh ideas than sticking to safe and classic choices.


3. How can one become a successful fashion designer according to you?

Though I do not consider myself successful because everyone has his own parameter for measuring their own success, I would say there is no shortcut or a proven formula for success. What works for one may not work for another. But I rate perseverance as the biggest quality for success in any area of life. 

Staying true to what you believe in, and enduring failure after failure, experimenting, fine-tuning your work is the key. But periodically one should also critically think about one’s work. You need to strike a balance. Because Fashion is an art that can not exist in isolation from society. 

Dresses are art as long as they are worn, not to be kept in museums or add to the dead stock in the year ending. So the fine balance of innovation and practicality is the mantra.


4. What are some of the top colleges for studying fashion in India and the world?

You can study in any good college that gives quality education but in the end, it’s your own flair, good taste and aesthetic sense and dedication that matters. You have to be humble to start with and also to keep learning all life.


5. Who is your favourite fashion designer and why?

My favourites keep changing. I like Rohit Bal for his versatility. I also admire Yohji Yamamoto for his unique style .


6. Do you have any tips for people who want to join this field?

My advice to anyone as well as to myself whenever I want to do something new is, do not judge a profession by its final product. You look at a Rockstar in a concert, amidst thousands of people cheering, fainting, going hysterical and want to become a Rockstar? 

You need to look at the painfully long hours he spends practising, sleepless nights he goes through, the heartbreak for the failures he goes through when he can’t come up with the music that he himself is satisfied with, sacrifices he had made in all those struggling years. 

One has to be ready to endure the struggle. Do not let page three pictures, photographed with beautiful models and icons, make you oversee the hard work, the toil.


7. Which is your favourite book and why?

My all-time favourite book is Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. It made me believe in my dreams, be honest and loyal to my work and stick to what I value when the whole world is going against those values.


- Sulakshna Jasra (Menswear Designer)

Menswear designer based in New Delhi. Our Forte is fusion and drapes in Indian Menswear. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sulakshnajasra/

Interviewed By Tuhina Rana