When Sneha Satyaprakash walks into our office we see a young, talented girl with a head full of dreams, a go-getter, who is willing to give her designs her all. Her aim, she says, is to become a well-known designer. This youngster’s designs are already carving a niche for her in the city’s fashion circuit. Seeing her passion and determination, her dream of becoming a sought-after designer does not seem to be far off.
She started her label after her name two years ago. “I was not too keen on studies and am grateful to my parents for encouraging me to study design. May be my story will inspire other young people too to try other professional options,” says Sneha, who adds that she studied women’s accessories in the London College of Fashion then went on to study gemmology at the Gemmological Institute Of America in Mumbai.
“I was driven by sheer passion. It was design that really did impress upon me and I had to become one,” says the young girl, who is into designing jewellery, clothes, bags, clutches and even footwear. “I prefer to work with Rexene, cotton, chiffon or even crepe for footwear,” explains Sneha, who uses heavy embroidery in all her designs. “I am fascinated with embroidery. We can do so much with it and it offers a designer endless possibilities. I love it so much that I even use them to design my swim wear collection. For jewellery I prefer to use pure silver or silver dipped in gold as it looks really classy and is also easy on the pocket.”
Sneha has a fascination for her shoes. “I can go on and on coming up something new in them,” she smiles. In fact, even the one she is wearing is made from silk and has intricate sequins work. It also has an embroidery of the frog King from the film “Shrek”. “These are so easy on my feet and I literally live in them,” she smiles. Her collection in footwear includes flats, heels, flip flops and so on. Sneha does not use any leather for her bags or footwear. “It is too much of a bother to treat the leather and all that, and when I get the intended effect with fabric, why bother with the leather?” she asks. She is also open to custom designing anything and has done a few wedding trousseaus.
Her collection of clutches are so pretty that you want to pick them all up. They are classy, yet stylish, traditional and yet can be used for a casual evening out or matched with your contemporary clothes. There is one that catches your eye. It’s a box-type clutch that she has designed, which looks like an owl. “It takes me anywhere from a week to 10 days to come up with a design. My potlis and clutches are aimed at the younger women, who want to make a bold statement,” says the designer.
Sneha says she prefers to use generic crystals and a little Swarovski in her designs. Her products start at Rs. 350 for clothes and Rs. 1,500 for clutches and shoes. All her designs are bright and have a cheerful look about them. “I am inspired by nature and its beauty and the joy that it provides us with. Sometimes I even use the tree of life as motifs in my designs.”
Sneha will be having her exhibition of clothes, shoes and clutches at Raintree, Sankey Road on October 11 and 12 from 10.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
To get a peek of her creation you can visit snehasatyaprakash.com or go to >www.facebook.com/pages/sneha-satyaprakash>
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.