Label Sobo Living's new collection is all about mountains and valleys

Designer Diksha Trika tells us at the outset that prints and motifs are at the heart of her collection. That’s also the first thing you notice when it comes to her outfits. “I always wanted to express my creativity with people who had a similar design aesthetic as mine and the prints help with that,” says the 25-year-old.
There is an old-world charm about the label and we feel the pieces won’t age easily. Rightly so, she has named it  Sobo Living — derived from the Japanese word for grandmother. “This label is a tribute to my beautiful grandmother. We both loved nature-inspired prints and believed in slow living too. She will always be an inspiration for me,” says the graduate of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi.  

On cloud nine
While her debut collection Soshi had a lot of celestial ( sun and moon) motifs,  the latest one borrows from the beauty of nature too. In Mountains and Valleys, one can see her reimagine clouds, the vast expanse of the blue sky and images of amber sunset. It all started with the print she created called Lavender Fields. “I happened to make a painting inspired by lavender fields and just thought of designing a T-shirt with it,” she says. The imagery almost looks like paintings on handmade paper created with brushstrokes of watercolour.  

Ain’t no mountain high enough
We like the colour palette that veers from soothing grey, peach, green to earthy brown. She makes sure to choose fabrics that are not only sustainable but also skin-friendly. Diksha used pure cotton for this collection. Aiming to have a care-free yet a classic look, she has attempted to keep the silhouettes simple. Their Lavender Valley Shirt, for instance, is quite the showstopper that evokes the imagery of clouds brushing against the mountains during sunset. The classic Grass Pleated Dress comes with an A-line cut featuring a box pleat on the front along with pockets on the sides. The images on the dresses have a sense of drama. But if you want something without it, their sand pleated dress in a muted nude shade is for those days when you want the most comfortable pick from your wardrobe.

Available online.
Rs 1,400 onwards.