By Meda Marwein
Ever walked the streets of Laitumkhrah and Police Bazar and noticed something peculiar about these streets in particular?
Every Shillong-ite would understand right away which direction this is heading.
It’s the always-on-trend fashion sense we see among these popular crowded spaces that makes these streets memorable for one. Fashion, for the city, has been a well-versed language of self-expression and individuality. Its rich, vibrant culture doused in the idea of sustainability and modernity has produced major fashion houses like Daniel Syiem’s Ethnic Fashion House and Kiniho Clothing by Iba Mallai, putting the capital of Meghalaya on the map as one of the most promising spaces for young designers.
In Nongrim Hills, opposite Nagaland House, lies a four-walled enclosure where two young designers – Wanda Kharakor (27) and Glorisa Kalra War (25) – are slowly making their way into the scene. Born and brought up in Shillong, they began their clothing journey in 2021 with their brand, Soola.
In conversation with the Slate, Kharakor and War recalled the first time they put up their business online on Instagram and the challenging aspect of competing with bigger popular brands that have been the go-to online fashion stores over the years.
The young designers started their careers because of their love and appreciation of the time and art it takes to fashion a particular outfit and initially went online, before implementing a physical store.
Their main motto is “to be unapologetically yourself”. As Kharakor puts it, “Soola, as a brand, aims to help customers find the confidence to express their individuality unapologetically through fashion. We are a proud gender-inclusive brand, aiming to be a one-stop shop for all. Being in-tune with the core values and aesthetics of our customers and channelise that through our work makes Soola what it is.”
People of Shillong have a fashionably conscious mind. Both Kharakor and War share the vision to make it accessible for everyone, “Soola calls itself an affordable fashion brand available at the click of a button.”
“There were a lot of competitors. It was scary at first… the idea of not getting customers, but we garnered a handful of clients and kept getting more orders. Competitors are bound to exist in any field; we cannot help that. On a positive note, it kept us driven… the push to become better and constantly innovate,” Kharakor said.
With numerous online stores available on all social media platforms and even fashion apps like Myntra, Amazon and Urbanic being the state’s go-to fashion stops, the one-year-old Soola has seen a fiercer competition but what makes it an interesting fashion brand in the local market is its focus on inclusivity and sustainability – two things make Soola an appealing modern fashion brand.
“Inclusivity, in its very essence, means to be open to everyone and not limited to certain people and that is what Soola is all about. Inclusion in sexual representation is not only necessary but it is the future of fashion and we are here to break down the barriers of gender norms in fashion,” the two designers, emphasised, adding, “whereas, in sustainability, we are a rather conscious brand. We rarely overproduce our products and also none of our fabrics goes to waste, we try our best to make use of these leftover fabrics and turn them into various products such as scrunchies, filling for cushions, and tote bags, among others. We also make sure that our packaging is eco-friendly. Our end goal is sustainable.”
It’s their self-awareness that makes this duo even more interesting. As the conversation delved deep into fashion, the duo gushed over Daniel Syiem, a renowned city-based fashion designer and how he has changed their perspective on fashion.
“Even though we have adopted global trends when it comes to fashion, we haven’t really forgotten our roots. We’ve seen a fusion between culture and modern concepts and Syiem has done just that while retaining the cultural aspect. We have come a long way, you know, and we look forward to making our own contributions too while keeping our roots intact,” they stated excitedly.
Despite being a young brand, Soola has a few remarkable accomplishments under its belt. They have made three collections so far and their work has been donned by the likes of Meba Ofillia and Dappest x adL, for their latest performance at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Pune 2022.
Fashion houses in Shillong have come a long way. Although local designers have made their way on the national stage and have contributed to the fashion industries, young start-ups like Soola feel that certain changes should be made in order to encourage more participation in the field, especially in this age of technology.
“If you observe closely, the Northeast is already a hub for fashion through many platforms such as Instagram. What is needed now is for local entrepreneurs to be provided with support to move towards selling their products online on well-established platforms such as Myntra. We were just conversing with a friend of ours from Gurugram who has told us that many of the clothes she orders are from pages based in the North East. This can further be augmented via support from the government as well in terms of technology, capacity building, building a solid local fulfilment network, access to new creative dimensions and helping local businesses be well-tuned with cost-effective processes. There are many who wish to venture into this industry and with a little hand-holding, it can make way for a push for the boosting of the economy and creation of a fashion hub,” says War.
Soola is pushing boundaries and is ready to make its own set of rules, keeping in mind that they tell the stories of its customers through the clothes they’d create for them.
As Ralph Lauren, a popular American designer said, “I don’t design clothes. I design dreams,” they’re here to do the same.