At Trafford House, where brass panels gleam and sculptural furniture holds court, Vikram Goyal is quietly shifting the narrative. Long celebrated for immersive interiors and monumental metalwork, the designer now turns inward, toward the body, with his label Viya’s first womenswear collection. Drawing from Indian cultural memory, the collection translates botanical motifs, sun signs, and native fruits into fluid silhouettes that prioritise ease without losing presence. Crafted in chanderi, organza, ramie, and silk, these pieces are designed to be lived in, not simply admired. We talk to the design wizard about the new shift in design, the difference between designing for the body versus designing for space, reinterpreting brass at a more delicate scale, and a lot more. Excerpts:
You’ve built a distinct language in interiors. What compelled you to translate that into clothing, especially when most designers move in the opposite direction?
I have never really seen design as confined to a category. We work across interiors and objects, building a certain material and formal language. Viya, however, is not a direct extension of that; it is a parallel expression that engages with the body rather than space. Clothing became a way to explore intimacy and movement, rather than scale and permanence.
Did you see this move into womenswear as inevitable, or did it emerge from a specific moment or idea within your practice?
There wasn’t a single defining moment, but rather a gradual shift in thinking. As we developed Viya further, especially with the Trafford House, Mumbai store, the idea of creating a more immersive and holistic world became stronger. Clothing emerged from that context, as a way to bring the language of the brand even closer to the individual, allowing it to be inhabited, not just observed
It wasn’t inevitable in a strategic or business sense, but it did feel like a natural evolution of the practice. Over the years, we have been working increasingly with ideas of tactility, intimacy, and the emotional resonance of objects, how they are not just seen, but felt and experienced. At some point, it felt limiting to explore this only at the scale of spaces and objects. The body introduced a new dimension, which is more immediate and more personal. There wasn’t a single defining moment, but rather a gradual shift in thinking. As we developed Viya further, especially with the Trafford House, Mumbai store, the idea of creating a more immersive and holistic world became stronger. Clothing emerged from that context, as a way to bring the language of the brand even closer to the individual, allowing it to be inhabited, not just observed.
How different is designing for the body versus designing for space; and what surprised you most in that transition?
Designing for the body is far more intimate and dynamic. Spaces are inhabited, but garments move with you, they respond constantly. What surprised me was how much restraint and sensitivity it requires. Every decision is felt instantly by the wearer.
Viya has always been deeply sculptural. How did you reinterpret that sensibility into something fluid and wearable?
While the studio’s work often engages with sculpture in a more structural and material-heavy way, Viya approaches it differently. Here, sculptural thinking becomes softer, expressed through drape, layering, and movement rather than form that is fixed or imposed
While the studio’s work often engages with sculpture in a more structural and material-heavy way, Viya approaches it differently. Here, sculptural thinking becomes softer, expressed through drape, layering, and movement rather than form that is fixed or imposed.
Your work often sits at the intersection of object and art. Where do you see these garments existing within that spectrum?
I see the garments existing in that same in-between space—where they are functional, but also carry a certain presence. They’re meant to be worn and lived in, but also experienced almost like objects that hold memory and meaning. In that sense, they become quiet markers of time and personal narrative, evolving with the wearer.
How do you ensure that the clothing retains the same emotional and tactile depth as your interior pieces?
It comes down to process and intention. We approached the garments with the same rigour, whether it’s the way a fabric feels against the skin or how a detail reveals itself over time. That emotional and tactile depth is something we’re very conscious of preserving.
Materiality has always been central to your work. How did fabrics like chanderi, Ramie, and organza shape the design narrative of this collection?
Each fabric brought its own character to the collection. Chanderi has a certain luminosity, organza creates lightness and volume, and ramie offers structure with breathability. It was an exploration of contrasts. They also hold a sense of cultural continuity. We were interested in working with fabrics that are deeply rooted in Indian textile traditions, but interpreting them in a way that feels relevant today. The treatment was intentionally minimal, allowing the inherent beauty, texture, and movement of the fabric to lead the design rather than overpowering it.
The use of brass detailing is particularly interesting. How did you integrate a typically hard material into something as soft and intimate as clothing?
Brass has always been integral to my work. Here, it was about reinterpreting it at a more delicate scale. We treated it almost like jewellery, subtle interventions that add structure or detail like buttons, without overpowering the softness of the garment.
Your detailing feels restrained in this launch, whereas when it comes to interiors, you are a maximalist. So with clothing, was that a conscious shift towards quiet luxury?
That’s a fair observation, but I would separate the two practices. The maximalism often associated with our interior work belongs to Vikram Goyal Studio, where scale and context allow for that kind of layering. With Viya, the approach is inherently more intimate. The restraint is not a departure, but a response to the medium; clothing requires a different kind of sensitivity, where detail reveals itself more quietly. It wasn’t about reducing detail, but about refining it, allowing the pieces to feel more personal, more intimate. In that sense, restraint became a form of luxury. I think clothing demands a different kind of engagement; it sits closest to the body, so the experience has to feel effortless rather than overwhelming. The idea was to create pieces that reveal themselves slowly, where the detailing is discovered over time, rather than being immediately apparent.
The Astra and Blossom series draw from Indian cultural memory. Is there storytelling in this new chapter of your work as well?
Storytelling has always been central to the work, though it’s rarely literal. With this collection, the narratives are more distilled, suggested through motifs, textures, and forms rather than overt references.
It’s less about telling a specific story and more about evoking a sense of familiarity or memory. The intention is to leave space for interpretation, so the wearer can find their own meaning within the piece rather than being directed toward a fixed narrative.
What drew you to themes like sun signs, plants, and native fruits, and how do they translate into contemporary relevance?
These themes come from a deep engagement with Indian cultural memory and the naturalworld. Sun signs, flora, native fruits, they all carry symbolism, but also familiarity. The idea wasto reinterpret them in a way that feels subtle and contemporary, not nostalgic.
The silhouettes are relaxed and seasonless. Was versatility a starting point or a response to how women dress today?
It was both. Versatility is important today, but it also aligns with how I think about design, creating pieces that aren’t limited by occasion or season. There’s a certain ease and openness built into the silhouettes.
I was interested in garments that move across contexts seamlessly. The idea was to design pieces that can be worn in multiple ways, over time, without feeling tied to a specific moment or setting.
Can we expect the brand to evolve into a full lifestyle label?
It certainly opens up that possibility. For me, it’s less about categories and more about building a cohesive world. How that evolves will be organic, but the intent is to continue expanding the vocabulary of the brand.
If it moves toward a broader lifestyle offering, it will be in a way that feels considered and cohesive, not driven by scale, but by relevance and depth.
In a market saturated with fashion labels, what did you feel was missing that this new label could offer?
I felt there was space for something more considered, where clothing is not just trend-driven, but deeply connected to material, process, and meaning. Something quieter, but still distinctive. There’s often a sense of excess in the market today, and I was interested in creating an alternative, pieces that are timeless, tactile, and designed to be lived with over time rather than consumed quickly.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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