Sakshi Kohli- The Designer who loves setting new benchmarks

By Surveshwar Sarvesh

Pics By: Jayanti Arora

An alumnus of INIFD and London School of Trends Fashion Designer Sakshi Kohli has carved a niche for herself in the ever evolving and highly competitive Fashion Designing industry with her sheer hard work, ingenious and passion. Known for her distinctive handwoven designs, her collections of exquisite handloom designs made a resounding impact at the recently concluded Asian Designer’s Week (ADW) at the Talkatora Stadium in the capital.

Varanasi based Sakshi showcased her latest line of ensembles in a collection titled ‘HathKargha’ (The Handloom House). Promoting the traditional handloom in India, the ‘Hathkargha’ collection takes inspiration from the city of Banaras. Sakshi Kohli’s collection was indubitably the show stealer as Benarasi Silk ruled the ramp and won many hearts at the Asian Designer’s Week. Her collection got good reviews from fashionistas and critiques at the ADW.

The high point of the show choreographed by Mumbai based Pranav Hamal were the handwoven Anarkalis, Lehengas, saris, kurtas and long dresses. Notable among the fashion aficionados who graced the high profile event included the likes of designers Amit Hansraj, Anuj Lalwani, Ananya Abrol, socialites Umesh Dutt, Juhi & Neeraj Krishnani, Raveena Julka Verma, Ankit Nagpal and Varun Katyal amongst others.

Sakshi ended the year 2015 on a high with her super successful Midnight exhibition titled “Extravaganza” which happened to be Benaras’s first ever exhibition hosted at odd hours from 12 noon to 12 midnight.  Such was the impact of the exhibition that the city instantly fell in love with Sakshi’s resplendent designs.

 

What really sets the young and exuberant Sakshi apart from others is the fact that she has established her core identity as a ‘silent crusader for women empowerment’. She has assiduously been pushing the women empowerment ideology, and a prime instance being her collection that has been designed by women who deserve all plaudits for sustaining the rich legacy of crafting traditional handwoven fabric. 

Creating highbrow aspiration, turning handlooms, including Khadi, into affordable luxury for a discerning clientele, fashionizing the weave, modernizing the handwoven sari, launching sustainable businesses with weaving clusters—designers have been introducing an urban sensitivity to handlooms for a very long time.  To help make ‘handlooms’ an affordable luxury, Sakshi has fervently crusaded for the realization of the same alongside other prominent designers of the country. The dresses showcased in the show included a Pink Brocade Anarkali, White lehenga, Banarasi Paan, Green Khaddi Anarkali, Orange Anarkali with khaddi dupatta and a Orange Green Lehenga.

As a steadfast believer and propagator of ‘women empowerment’, Sakshi believes that women empowerment holds the key to a nation’s progress. A society with empowered women will not just help raise the GDP, but play a pivotal role in nation building. 

Commenting on Sakshi Kohli, Dr DK Batra, noted fashion and management guru remarked, “Sakshi Kohli has made a definitive mark for herself as she possesses an extremely imaginative mind coupled with a perfect hand for drawing, and fine communication skills. She is artistic, creative, and an expert in gelling diverse colours, shades, and tones. Besides, she has the flair for creating with fabric and knows how to optimally use the textiles. Fashion Designers like Sakshi are “cultural ambassadors” in the literary sense since they help in promoting the ancient and affluent creative legacy of our country on the global front. As a Fashion Designer, she is not just fashion conscious, but happens to be fully aware of the quintessential market requirements. Since ‘dressing well’ is all about human emotions, Sakshi has unswervingly taken care of all vital needs and specifications of her clients like a true professional. She is truly a trendsetter, and I foresee a great future for her in the times to come.”