Ashish Soni`s imagination, creativity and ability to create designs for men and women rapidly gave his label a reputation of quality and style. Words fall short when one starts embarking on this person`s creative brilliance.

Creativity of a designer and the tactics and traits of an entrepreneur is what makes him what he is. Ashish`s creativity is rooted in a fiercely Indian family background, enlarged by western influences through an education largely abroad. His multiple exposures developed a clear and sharp aesthetic, which earned him a prominent place in the world of Indian haute couture.

Creativity of a designer and traits of an entrepreneur have been beautifully gelled together, which makes him a big name in the industry. His innovativeness has a brawny Indian link that has been well fused with the western education, to give a faultless balance of Indian and western chic creations.

Ashish Soni`s instinctive and inventive style of creating garments renders them the deserved elegance. The numerous exposures to the various international forums have refined his artistic skills. He was the first Indian designer to be invited at the Olympus Fashion Week, held in New York.

Career of Ashish Soni
Ashish Soni graduated with a bachelor`s degree in Design & Clothing Technology from NIFT, New Delhi in 1991. In the early nineties, Ashish Soni was one of 25 students, selected from 7000 applicants, to graduate with a Bachelor`s degree in Design and Clothing Technology. He proved his mettle both as a designer as well as an entrepreneur by successfully establishing & positioning his label, standing for nothing short of painstakingly high quality and design.

In the decade that followed Ashish whizzed past many personal milestones. He launched his own label `Ashish Soni` in 1992, followed by his design studio `Ikos` in 1993. The same year, Ashish became the first Indian designer to hold a solo fashion showing which just the first amongst many annual shows thereafter was. Slowly but surely he established himself amongst India`s leading designers.

Since the launch of his label, he has held eight very successful solo fashion shows. He has also showcased his Spring/Summer collection exclusively at the Carlton Towers, London in June 1998 in collaboration with `BVLGARI`. Another event is the unveiling of his Summer Collection every year at the World Trade Centre, Dubai for "Fasateen", and the biggest retail outlet of High Fashion clothing in the Middle East. Ashish has also participated in the Festival of India 1996 in Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore and in AEPC Road Show held in New York, Paris and London.

The quality of his shows coupled with his creations has won him much deserved acclaim. Needless to mention the clientele that Ashish boasts of today is a veritable of who`s who of public figures, media personalities, and leading entrepreneurs. His creations are retailed throughout the country starting from Carma in New Delhi, Ensemble, Vama and Pyramids in Mumbai, Ffolio in Bangalore and Madras, Ogaan in Kolkata. Overseas, Ashish`s creations can also be found at "Fasateen" in Dubai.

In August 1999 Ashish launched his ready-to-wear label "as by Ashish Soni". At the beginning of this year Ashish presented a Costume collection as part of the Millennium Celebrations at Khajuraho; the only designer to be selected by the Government of India. Ashish`s Signature lines are characterised by extreme simplicity, immaculate cuts and a perfect finish. His intuitive and original sense of style, his panache and his originality combine with an impeccable garment construction ability to make stunningly simple yet dramatic garments.

Ashish Soni`s creative flair is rooted in a fiercely Indian family background, enhanced by western influences through an education mostly abroad. His multiple exposures developed a clear and sharp aesthetic, which earned him a prominent place in the world of Indian Haute Couture.

Ashish Soni mixes fabric and texture with a masterly eye; combining different weights and weaves in a single ensemble with astonishing results. With design as his primary focus, embellishments are subsidiary and used with great restraint to highlight form. The immaculate balance between mind and eye, skill, innovation and sense of drama translates into timeless and distinctive garments for men and women of the new millennium.

In 2001 to celebrate 10 years of Ashish Soni, and to commemorate the event, the designer launched his Flagship store in Delhi followed by launch of his store at THE COURTYARD in Mumbai. His creations also retail and now in Mumbai with the ASHISH N SONI Store at The Courtyard, Mumbai is an updated version of his flagship store in New Delhi which was designed by Davis Alex who studied design at the very reputed Domus in Milan. The concept behind the store design is very much in sync with that that underlies the creation of the garments, that being of simplicity, straight lines, understated and Spartan.

Fashion Shows
LIFW 2002
Ashish Soni who concentrated on the use of indigo denim, pure white cottons and organic linens presented the last show of the day. There was ruching, tucks and pleats, slits, appliqu‚ strips, popcorn perma-setting, fabric constructed with patches and use of fringes to enhance the simplicity of the collection. Denim skirts, dresses, pants, dungarees, kurtas and shirts dominated the canvas.

LIFW 2003
The "AS" collection this season spotlighted the technical and usually unseen link between the garments and the body. Ashish Soni presented men`s and women`s collection mostly of coordinated separates. The colour palette began as pure white in trousers and crisply tailored shirts for men and women with deconstructed external pockets. The next set of collection moved into black and white and finally the total palette of red, black and white as a variety of separates were showcased. Understanding his limitations with colours this is was the cleverest colourist approach using colour blocks and red as highlight feature. A clean minimal collection dominated by space-race white and signature severe black. The key pieces were the shirt, tight hipster pants, and zippered streamlined crop jackets. Trousers predominated for women, mostly flared, but with an occasional straight leg making an appearance. There were crops and even a knee length legging.

LIFW 2004
Ashish Soni`s collection was a study in quiet elegance. He worked with what appeared to be raw fabric- the ecru and ivory tinted cottons and linens, to create exquisitely textured fabrics and ensembles. He effectively used surface ornamentation techniques like weaving of unfinished fabric strips, feathering, smocking, pin-tucks, 3 dimensional appliqu‚s and embroideries, crinkling, and ruching to name a few, at all points maintaining a delicate restraint. There were asymmetric layered skirts, Turkish pants, and peplum jackets, coats with elaborate collars revealing flashes of colours inside. The men`s wear comprised of pants, t-shirts, jackets and shirts based on the same theme. The colour palette was strictly neutral, with colours like navy, brown and gold dust providing relief to the ivories and blacks, as also flashes of orange and fluorescent green.

LIFW 2005
As` "Sound of Silence" was a collection that was truly heavenly. The multi-layered garments were full of details yet had a real calmness to it. The collection was inspired by fine art photographers Yoshimitsu Naga Saka`s coffee table book. Over 50 garments took to the ramp, and there was a mix of men and women`s clothes. Influences from the Victorian and Edwardian time were obvious with both men and women wearing giblets, puffball skirts, and Victorian looking underskirts and cravat looking ties around the neck. Since many of the fabrics were enzyme treated, the whole look was natural and almost washed out.

LIFW 2006
The autumn winter`06 of Ashish Soni collection derived its inspiration from the Zenana world of Rajas and Sultans of India. It was an era of lavish lifestyles, royal lineages and pompous aristocracy where pretty European girls were swept off their feet by the charming maharajas to the veiled world of myths and folklores. Their enactment as the Indian royal bahus led them to imbibe the culture and values of the Indian royal lifestyle. As a result, they ventured for their own lifestyles, which became strong fashion statements with their contemporaries in the streams of attire and accessories. It soon became a perfect potpourri of traditional preferences and European concepts, which is what Ashish attempted to explore in his collection.