Designer Prernaa Lohiya, founder of Something Sustainable or SOS, may have studied Mass Media initially but fashion was always a part of her DNA. As someone who grew up engaging with the practice of up-cycling, she was always intrigued with the idea of style and design. She adds, ‘I would have these little encounters wherein I would make tops or lehengas out of my mum’s sarees. Eventually I decided to work and study further in Florence, Italy. Being a Polimoda graduate, my idea of clothing and accessories is heavily inspired by art and street style. To me, fashion has always been about storytelling, an emotion, a reflection of our society, and something bigger than just a piece of clothing/accessory.’ Prernaa then began her journey in the industry with assisting Manish Malhotra, and worked with a few other luxury labels to gain more and more experience in the field.
There was an absolute paradigm shift for Prernaa that led to the creation of her own label, SOS. ‘My last stint with a fast-fashion brand revealed a whole new side of fashion to me. Getting to know that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, made me rethink my actions and recognising the fact that I was contributing to this mayhem by selling and consuming more of it,’ she explains. What followed was intense research about issues she was exposed to. She eventually discovered that there was a gap in the market between fast-fashion and sustainable labels. She realised that ethical clothing always comes with a much higher price, making it inaccessible to the masses. Thus SOS was born with the vision to make better with less.
Taken aback by the current state of affairs like many others, the label spent all this while strengthening the back end for their label. This included working intensely on their website, their language, presence and team, amongst other things. What keeps Prernaa going is the satisfaction she receives in being able to construct something new from something old. She elucidates, ‘Just a few weeks ago, we calculated the amount of fabric rescued by us and for the fact that we’ve just begun, knowing we’ve rescued and utilised around 150 kg fabric to create our collections so far made us happy. Our design-centric minimalism and the comfort of pesticide-free clean clothing, is nothing less than a dream come true for us.’
Inspired by the quaintness of nature, the label’s partners are working effortlessly to keep the art of natural dyeing alive. Prernaa also claims with pride that their process is tailor-made. It goes beyond the same old moodboards and photoshoots. It mainly begins with intuition and finding the right kind of fabric. Then their colours are subject to the kind of natural dyes they use or they go ahead and pick pre-dyed fabrics. Their collections are further divided into two categories — Core.sos and Botanic.sos.
Core.sos consists of everyday utility wear. It reclaims excess stock from a fairtrade factory based in Kolkata, India. They consciously hand pick organic cotton. It is post all these meticulous efforts that the team heads into the design and sampling stage. The particular category includes pieces that are limited in number. Botanic.sos consists of designs that are comfortable. The label makes natural dyes out of food waste, flower waste and some medicinal plants known for their rich hues and antimicrobial properties. With natural dyeing, getting the right chemistry of colour and pattern is time consuming but Prernaa and her team are invested in the cause. The natural dyeing process takes place in Mumbai with a small craft community, and their raw organic fabrics are sourced from weavers themselves.
Impressed with the changing face of fashion in the country, Prernaa is thankful for the changing perspective of the masses who are now rethinking their consumption patterns and promoting more and more homegrown labels. She asserts, ‘I am thankful to eco-warriors — movements like Who Made My Clothes, communities like Refash and icons including Bandana Tiwari and others, who’ve created a base for brands and consumers to start a conversation about the environment, fashion’s impact on it and how we all have an obligation to look at our choices and think consciously in order to heal the Earth and protect the people.’
With the launch of their first Core collection and their Botanic one on pre-order on the website, the designer is excited for what’s to come. In the coming few months, Prernaa tells me, the label has much to achieve. They want to build a community that believes in their values and principles.
Text Unnati Saini
