Raised in a conservative family, in Chandigarh’s Panchkula, Indian designer Kanika Goyal wanted to break free from the patriarchal setup of home and society. Living in a joint family of 17 people, it was hard to find one’s voice. The only option left after school was to either leave home for greener pastures or enter an arranged marriage! Choosing the former was the obvious choice for the ambitious designer. From there began her journey into NIFT Delhi’s space and lifestyle accessory design program. However, this was just the beginning of a stellar career in fashion design that took her to the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York.
After that, there was no looking back. New York — the high street fashion capital of the world — kept on calling her as she did apprenticeship under iconic labels from the city such as Prada, Marchesa and Indian-American designer Bibhu Mohapatra. The Indian designer reached glorious heights debuting at New York Fashion Week with her AW22 collection Sci-Trance. It was just a stepping stone in her journey of defining neo-luxury. She listened to the cultural zeitgeist of norm bending fashion where new rules of comfort-driven, sustainable, suave and transitional pieces defined what item can be called ‘luxury’. The result was her AW22 edit that featured vibrant pop-art graphic language and jazzy video game images of the 80s on placement prints in gender-agnostic clothing like puffer jackets, bustiers, shirts and pants suits on the runway. In her second NYFW show, Starseed, her mind further became a vortex of imagination. The Delhi based designer brought a futuristic edit showing how there’s a whole multiverse at the feet of wandering human souls. Reality blurred with fantasy of cosmos in a slew of outfits like bomber jackets, cut out dresses, oversized shirts and more that showed a quirky, chic and elevated street style fashion.
Her third showcase at NYFW, Agrestal Mind, was another psychedelic deep dive. Just like the mind brims with oddities, the collection’s pieces featured paradoxical elements put together in relaxed pieces. Now, Kanika marks her fourth show case at the coveted NYFW SS24 with ready-to-wear collection, Aether Leak. It features opposing elements coming together in coexistence in taffetas, knits, denim wear, oversized blazers, bomber jackets and more in 120 pieces out of which 31 debuted on the runway. We speak to the progressive and uber cool designer on her latest showcase, sustainability, and more.
How does it feel to be part of NYFW? What are your observations on New York fashion?
Season after season, we are humbled to be back in New York to showcase our collections. It’s such an electrifying and magnetic hub of culture — it serves as the perfect backdrop for the brand and for KGL (Kanika Goyal Label). I love coming to the city as everyone has such an innate sense of style and is unafraid to experiment. Street wear has been a large part of the American aesthetic and continues to dominate, both on the runways and on the streets of the city. I love visiting here for the sheer love of watching people!
Tell us about your theme for Aether Leak.
It delves into the intriguing space between the tangible and the intangible, where the concepts of the infinite, otherworldly dimensions converge with the earthly transitions. Envision a cosmic dance-off where the familiar mingles with the mystical. This collection draws its creative impetus from the interplay of light and shadow, the hazy realms of the unknown, and the transcendental link between gods and mortals. We want the wearer to feel liberated, confident and comfortable in their own skin. While our clothing is bold and statement-making, we think it’s also accessible to a wide audience.
Tell us about the fabrics used and your love for denim visible in the edit’s pieces.
We used a variety of fabrics that are very wearable for the spring-summer season. It includes taffeta, cottons, viscose satins, silks, and lightweight denims. We love denim, it’s something we incorporate every season. We love experimenting with it in terms of washes, paneling, creating hybrid pieces that have bits of denim mixed with other materials, playing around with the depth of denim in relation to other fabrics. Over a period of time, the more you wash it, the more it becomes a part of your skin, and that’s what we love about it.
How did you arrive at the whimsical colour scheme and motifs?
Usually, we have collections where the colours feature pastel tones, interspersed with brighter shades, and a lot of texture play. This time, we did not use a lot of saturated tones. We have used yellows, oranges and greens and have also focused on neutral and metallic palette as it blended well with the concept of the collection. The motifs represent the fleeting moments, the potential for transformation, and the delicate interplay between chaos and order. We have a lot of otherworldly elements like a mascot which resembles a peacock spider to a bunch of Japanese anime motion graphics mixed with pixel flowers that look like geodes. The overall effect is very surreal but also has a bit of an animated undertone. The collection also employs gradient techniques to evoke the illusion of shifting dimensions. For instance, airy fabrics drape like a celestial mist, allowing wearers to embody the nebulous beauty of distant realms. Structured garments incorporate metallic embellishments, emulating the luminous dust particles.
What new styles have you experimented with, keeping the comfort factor in mind?
We’ve continued to reinforce brand DNA through oversized and gender-fluid clothing, while also keeping it provocative at the same time. As a label, we have always kept the comfort factor and effortlessness in mind with each piece that we create. This is achieved through easy layers, loose denims, relaxed trenches and breathable knits that we’ve done, especially for this season. We have tie-up details on the waists that cinch the waist but are still roomy and not restrictive. These can be worn day to night as well.
Aether Leak blurs lines between street, casual and formal wear. Was it a conscious choice to keep it fluid?
It’s been a very conscious decision from the beginning to blend elements of couture with streetwear. We call it more elevated streetwear, where we’re at an intersection of tailored techniques mixed with relaxed, wearable silhouettes, combined with more intricate surfaces.
How far does this collection break the ground on the sustainability?
Sustainability is definitely a core part of the label in general. This season, we have worked with more hybrid fabrics that include recycled aluminum bonded with taffeta layers, or a recycled polyester for suiting pieces that are in the collection. We’ve also used new techniques and a different angle to patchwork where the fabric wastage is less. We’ve explored cut-andsew techniques that minimise wastage.
You’ve been in New York during your education at Parsons. How did the design school and the city polish your talent?
Parsons really helped me in general to learn a lot of things about apparel design as before that I had done only space and lifestyle design. Because of my passion for fashion, I remember when I had just come to New York, I was so excited about draping and pattern making, that I wanted to do since the beginning. The school really helped and our faculty was great, the education system was super. More than Parsons, the city helped me become the person I am today. It made me confident and outspoken, which I wasn’t earlier. There is never a dull moment in New York. I remember we used to — and still love going to — the MET, the MOMA , and the Guggenheim. And there are so many events and exhibitions that keep happening year-round — you never feel that there is nothing to do in the city. The city is such a melting pot of cultures! You meet people from every part of the world and it really helps you understand different perspectives of life in general. I find discussions about a similar topic and hearing opinions from different people on the same thing very liberating.
How was it working with Bibhu Mohapatra, Prada, Marchesa at the initial stage of your career?
All three experiences were wonderful. With Bibhu, it was the best in terms of getting a lot of understanding of the industry and the business aspect of running a brand. At Prada, I was in their Visual Merchandising department which is an integral part of building a brand in terms of understanding how merchandising, visual displays and packaging work. Being such a high-end luxury brand, it helped me later on, when I started my own label, to get an idea of how the whole experience of delivering luxury operates and is executed. At Marchesa, I was an intern in their draping department. What I loved about that internship is that we were given the freedom to drape on the mannequins, experiment with stitching, being able to try something and present it. It was a very hands-on internship that polished my skills better.
What paradigm shifts have you observed in luxury lifestyle in recent years?
I feel there have been quite a few in the recent years. There has been a shift to conscious consumption, where people are more aware and are gravitating more towards sustainable, ethical, environmentally-friendly products or brands. There has been a shift from traditional luxury to more experiential luxury, as well as a shift from offline to online shopping. There is definitely a shift from imitating someone to focussing on one’s own individuality. Keeping such shifts in mind, we think of more evolved ways of offering sustainability, experimental luxury and freedom of expression. It’s a lot about offering a range of unique and memorable experiences.
Decode neo-luxury for us and how do you incorporate the concept?
Neo-luxury in general means ‘new’ luxury, which is about celebrating a non-traditionalist point of view. The intention is to deconstruct the rigid perception of luxury and make it more individualistic and personal. In older times, luxury was restricted to only certain segments of society but that’s not the case any longer — it has become a lot more accessible. Neo luxury could be anything — it’s about expressing your own unique self and feeling comfortable in what you’re wearing, and celebrating that. For that, we combine elevated construction with elements that authenticate and define ‘now’. Bright colours Oversized shirt Jacket on skirt.
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