Fashion Central speaks with the entrepreneurial duo of Ayesha Sohail and Somaya Adnan of Ayesha-Somaya fame who teamed up and fused their individual creative styles to create a dynamic combination of detail, luxury and tailoring within their eponymous label. Ayesha-Somaya is a luxury women’s wear designer label best known for their Haute Couture, Prêt-à-Porter, cocktail and smart casual wear.
How would you describe your label Ayesha-Somaya?
Classic chic, elegant and always stylish. Ayesha-Somaya’s design philosophy is based on versatility and glamour with a clear focus on creating outfits to make each woman feel beautiful in whatever she wears.
What is keeping you busy these days? What projects are you working on?
We just finished our lawn project for 2013 and are still getting over the overwhelming response the collection received. However, Ayesha-Somaya keeps surprising their fans with something new and refreshing all the time. Currently we are working on our web-store along with a Spring/Summer exhibition in Chicago within the next few weeks. We also look forward to announcing our seasonal sale before the summer holidays.
What do you feel is that extra that your brand offers?
Our label offers a unique collection which is not exclusive to a niche audience only. We take pride on being widely accessible and catering to the fashion needs of all through our five lines.
Where do you get inspiration for Ayesha-Somaya designs?
Finding inspiration is not always as simple as it sounds. The fact that we love and enjoy our work as well as each other’s company usually serves as our source of inspiration, through which we generate new ideas for the clothes we design. There’s nothing like mixing ideas for that unexpected style.
How many collections do you have?
We introduce a new collection of designs every two months for all our five lines.
What is the general price range of the dresses?
Prices start from Rs. 2,500 for our BASICS Collection, Rs. 7,000 for outfits in our Luxury Pret Collection, Rs. 20,000 for Semi-Formals, Rs. 40,000 for suits in our Formals Collection and from Rs. 1,00,000 for suits in our Ayesha-Somaya signature Bridal Collection.
What is a normal day for you like?
Our day begins with a very organised routine but somehow gets increasingly frantic by noon, especially if it is the Eid or Wedding season.
How do you manage to strike a balance between professional and personal life?
They are the two sides of the same coin. To balance them both we have learnt to say no to any unexpected or unscheduled work or events.
What are your personal signature styles?
We are known for infusing our personality into our style. We never wear what fails to flatter our body types, no matter how amazing an outfit is.
Some advice you would like to share with the young, up and coming designers?
There’s no particular road to success. Work hard but don’t forget to live, realize your strengths and follow your own perspective. It’s good to keep up with trends but never lose your individuality.
What are your future plans for Ayesha-Somaya?
Inshallah, we want to see Ayesha-Somaya flagship stores opening nationwide.
Where is Ayesha-Somaya located?
The Ayesha-Somaya Design Studio and Flagship Store is located at 13-C, 1st Sunset Commercial Street, Phase 4, DHA, Karachi. The brand is also stocked at Brands Just Pret stores in Karachi & Dubai, Melange in Islamabad, Fashion Pakistan Lounge in Lahore, Concepteurs Lounge in Peshawar and Labels in Faisalabad. The brand also stocks at select stores located internationally in Chicago and Houston.
Famous designer duo Ayesha-Somaya talk about their love and passion for fashion designing in recent interview with Fashion Central.