Getting candid with Sonya Batla

Sonya Batla is a well known star in the fashion galaxy of Pakistan. She is one of the top designing icons and is well known and well respected in the industry. Born in Karachi, she received her schooling from the Karachi Grammar School right up to her A-Levels, finally graduating in 1989. Later, armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a major in Women’s Wear Fashion from the American Collage in London, she began work. Batla’s collection usually focuses on high-end luxury. Her clothing line which is produced in limited quantities only, uses the highest quality fabric and is known for her unique style, expression of colour and innovative patterns inspired by young and trendy professionals. Being established for some time, Batla’s brand has today steered away from a relatively outdated style and has moved forward to set new trends.
PT: Were you interested in creative arts or fashion right from your early life? Why did you opt for this particular field?
Sonya: Well, I was interested in Fine Arts like painting and sculpture and right since childhood, I always instinctively appreciated garments that gave an artistic, aesthetic look. So, after completing my schooling, I got into fashion designing.
PT: Was there any family member working already in this field who guided you towards it?
Sonya: No, not exactly, but, my father used to export garments. That was perhaps the only inspiration coming from my family that, one can say, made me develop interest in fashion.
PT: Do you deal in all type of clothing including casual, ceremonial and bridal dresses?
Sonya: Yes, we are catering to all types of customers, keeping in view their
requirements and priorities. We also prepare dresses for our clients on order.
PT: Critics say that designers, by introducing extraordinarily expensive bridal dresses, have created a sense of deprivation and inferiority complex amongst the general public who cannot afford these. What do you say about that?
Sonya: I really do not think that people, at present, can’t afford to buy designers made bridal dresses because we have a really broad range out of which the customers can finalize a dress following their budget. Most people prefer to get a dress prepared on order, keeping in view their preferences and pocket.
PT: So a growth of fashion outlets and a growing trend of designer garments have not created inferiority and superiority complexes in society, you say?
Sonya: Actually, I don’t think so. People are very happy to purchase dresses according to their physiques and figures on the advice of experts. People have acquired a lot of knowledge about dressing and outlook and they have access to a broad range of collection set by very qualified designers and fashion experts. They can go for any range according to their budget.
PT: Do you think that the promotion and projection of a society’s cultural trends and traditions is the foremost duty of the fashion designers? What about your role in that
Sonya: Of course, I am a strong advocate of this notion. Although fashion is the name of novelty and innovation, it is closely related to the cultural and traditional norms of the society. I am happy to see that there are many organisations that promote our traditional outfits and the handicrafts produced in our rural areas.
PT: Do you guide your customers about what is suitable and unsuitable for them or sell them whatever they demand in return to their money?
Sonya: Never if what they want to buy doesn’t suit them. I may be running a business but I never think of selling my products in a commercial way only. Rather, I always prefer to tell them about every aspect of what they are buying, both the pros and the cons.
PT: How do people usually react to that?
Sonya: You know, people are educated enough to appreciate my efforts and honest opinion. After all, we are doing all this for their welfare. So if we give them feedback about what they want to get, their response is always positive and encouraging.
PT: What is the price range of your dresses normally?
Sonya: We start from Rs1800 and that is the rate of our unstitched lawn dress while a stitched dress begins from Rs5000.
PT: Its all about micro economy. Have you thought of catering to other segments with dresses at much lower costs?
Sonya: The thing is when you want to buy something of reasonable quality, you must spend money. If we try to cut prices, we won’t be able to maintain the quality that is ours.
PT: Do you think it is a positive situation if the public has a tendancy to copy celebrity dressing from other parts of the world?
Sonya: I think one must be proud of his/her own heritage and tradition. But because the world has become a global village, all the societies are exchanging their cultural and social information with one another rapidly and this trend is a healthy one if remained confined to logical limits. A good innovation or idea can be given by any one and there is no harm in appreciating or adopting a healthy trend without any thought of regional affiliation. But copying is not sensible. People must know what is useful and appropriate for them. If a dress is looking very nice on a model, it does not mean it will give same look on your body.