House of Soi is the brainchild of two sisters- Sarika Pawar and Archana Shah, who launched the brand in October 2020 with an aim to bring new-age affordable millennial clothing to consumers of high street fashion. While Archana has studied fashion at the London School of Fashion and Central 
Saint Martins, Sarika has studied Business Management with diverse experience in the marketing of fashion. The sisters share the same passion for traveling, enjoying good food, and appreciating the finer things, which has fuelled the design sensibilities to create the designer brand which has products aimed to be known for statement-making prints with a modern bohemian sensibility. In conversation with TMM, Sarika talks about the soul of the brand and much more.
You started the brand amidst the pandemic. What was the idea behind launching House of Soi?
As the pandemic began in March 2020 and we all went under lockdown, the idea to create an online clothing brand was conceptualized. We wanted to create an experience of affordable luxury clothing that can be effortlessly bought online and to create a range of silhouettes that fits from a 
small gathering to a work-from-home meeting.
And since we saw much potential in this area as there were not too many brands catering to the western wear market, we decided to come up with House of Soi.
Tell us about the hardships that you faced while launching the brand during the post 1st wave of COVID19?
After the first wave which happened in India during September 2020, we launched House of Soi in October 2020. We did face a lot of challenges, and one was the inconvenience of shooting our campaign as we all had to be masked up with shields and we did not have vaccines by then so it was really difficult to just understand what was going around and still manage to pull things off by not risking anyone’s health.
Since there were no PR events, exhibitions, or marketing meetings, we were just doing what felt right to us with all the understanding we had based on the situation. Having risk-free manufacturing possible, making sure the staff is well sanitized and healthy was our core objective. But we did have something positive happening between all these challenges as well, there was a huge spike in online sales and the new shopping patterns we observed. Irrespective of lack of marketing we were able to make good sales which was really a silver lining for the brand and its future.
You both come from two different backgrounds. Who argues and fights the most over the brand and why?
Since we come from different backgrounds, we actually do not get involved in each other’s work. Archanå handles the designing and production part since she has the expertise and I handle the sales and marketing aspect for the brand, so we work parallelly knowing our boundaries and within our scope work, we sometimes might have healthy discussions and debates but it’s all benefitting the brand and its growth.
Tell us about your latest collection Nightfall.
Nightfall was conceptualized to break the stereotype that House of Soi is a resort wear brand that wanted to cater to different occasions and styles and silhouettes. We also saw a demand for party and holiday wear, given the fact that everyone is just waiting to travel, step out, and looking for that one reason to celebrate and Nightfall collection is all about that, we are making an attempt to uplift the mood with bright and peppy colours, comfortable fabrics to go along.
In the age of online shopping, how do you see the losing charm of physical designer stores?
To be frank, online shopping has been a boon. We all have to adapt to changes and this kind of change will benefit all as we will reach areas and places where there are not many options to be presented physically. When it comes to physical stores we will always need them to buy uber-luxurious products which require touch and feel of the garment as well as trials and fittings, shopping at the physical store is a cathartic experience in itself. There is a large group of people who prefer to shop physically. But with the given situation, I see there is a mixed response even if online has made our life easier. I believe both online and physical stores are here to stay.
You both love to travel and enjoy food. Tell us about one unforgettable travel or food memory.
We had been to London in 2017 during Christmas and New Year and it was one unforgettable trip. We enjoyed different cuisines London had to offer and shopped our hearts out. We stopped by almost every display window and were so mesmerized by the creativity and the whole beauty of it that now I think all of this has inspired us to create the House of Soi.
The post The New-Age Fashion: House of Soi appeared first on TMM.