THE BRAND
Sonam Khetan, based in Paris and New Delhi, is a contemporary, elegant and edgy ready-to-wear womenswear brand made by hand. It is inspired by ancient cultures and craftsmanship, as well as contemporary art. A great amount of time is dedicated in researching each collection, studying scientific findings and reading specialized publications, this research guides the collection. Social and environmental issues are a very important part of each collection.
SK is not just about design and fashion, it’s about understanding and appreciating the great body of work that people across the world have produced over time. It’s about being mindful of the beauty of the natural world and manifesting it through fashion, reminding us about the deep inter- connectedness of humans and nature.
In 2023, Sonam Khetan was chosen as the GenNext designer of 2023 by Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI and received Elle India’s Designer of the Year award.
SONAM KHETAN
My work is about memory, culture, tradition, savoir-faire and technology. It is deeply rooted in the natural world. For each of my collections I immerse myself deeply in research to understand the moment we live in.
I started my professional life as a textile designer for Himatsingka Seide Ltd., working for American and European luxury home furnishing brands.
My professional life was further enriched by my education in Paris and London. While living there for almost five years, I gained new experiences in fashion: foremost at the legendary luxury fashion house BALMAIN, and also working with up and coming french designers.
JEAN-SÉBASTIEN STEHLI
After graduating from the Paris University Law School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York, I worked as a reporter and an editor for French magazines. Until 2000, based in California, I was reporting on American culture and politics. In 2007, I became managing director of Andrée Putman’s studio, one of the world’s most prestigious design and interior architecture firms. In 2009, I was named associate managing editor of Madame Figaro, France’s largest women’s weekly magazine, before joining Sonam Khetan in 2022.
THE VALUES
The brand focuses on the health of its makers and the environment as well as the health of its wearers. Our fabrics are naturally hand-dyed by a small-scale women-owned artisanal studio, Adiv Pure Nature, in Mumbai, and a non-profit organization Aranya Naturals, in Kerala. The roses and marigold flowers are recycled from local temples and other natural dyeing materials are sourced locally. This eliminates water pollution and chemical hazards to the dyers.
At the other end, the brand focuses on the women who will wear the garments. Skin is the largest organ of the body and it absorbs the chemicals from the surface of textiles that are worn. In ancient India, people wore fabrics dyed with natural herbs to cure themselves of ailments. It was an ayurvedic technique to heal people. Keeping that in mind, we have dyed our garments using natural materials. We care for the health of the women we dress and want each one to be healthy and feeling good. The NGOs that we work with aim to improve the life of the artisans and give them a better life, in particular self reliance.
