Anushri Agarwal, creative director and co-founder of the homegrown label Kissa Goi, considers herself to be an artist first and foremost. A curious designer, as she likes to describe her, she also indulges in playing the flute and meditating. Anushri tells me how every boring class during her stint with management studies was made interesting with sketching or doodling. It was finally in 2016 that she took up fashion design at FAD. Founded with her partner in crime, Ayushi, Kissa Goi literally means the traditional art of storytelling. The brand has gender-fluid clothing that includes Mappa Mundi shirts, which represent the medieval European map of the world. The linen shirts they produce are created by fifth and sixth generation artisans. And what makes the label stand out even more is its slow living ethos that urges its patrons to slow down and practise mindfulness by embracing sustainable fashion.
We’re in conversation with Anushri who tells us more as the label that is now available on Srila Chatterjee’s Baro Market.
What motivated you to come up with your label?
I was just about to graduate when Ayushi quit her banking job to start something personal. It was one of those ‘two a.m.’ ideas to do something together. Only this time, the idea was not forgotten the morning after. Kissa Goi is as much the legacy of our pillow fights and verbal wrestling, as the shared joy of discovering people, places and possibilities. Kissa Goi translates to story-telling and we weave these tales in the products we create. The products that delight and arouse wonder, maybe also curiosity regarding how it was made and what thought went behind it. We want our products to kindle a smile, a small talk and nostalgia. Many or all of the above.
What inspires you in the present moment?
Joy, minimalism and nature inspire us the most. For example, the colours of Blue Serendipity are from a sunset in April 2021. Also, to make products that are childlike in their innocence and resilience so that they are cared for, consequently used with love and for longer duration.
Take us through your creative process.
We ideate independently, choose cohesively. We will brainstorm multiple ideas and themes individually, then play devil's advocate on each other's ideas. Few ideas that survive this process are special ones. Both Ayushi and I work in all departments but our focus is different. She does more function, I do form.
How would you say sustainability has been incorporated in your blueprint?
We use plant-based compostable fabrics. Our clothes are made to order prevent excess inventory. Our packaging includes a cloth bag to be used. We direct waste back into the production. For instance, our postcards and Koshish (our one-of-a-kind collection using patchwork technique) make use of scraps. We haven’t closed the loop in our production processes but it is the ultimate aim.
Finally, what should the fashion of now look like?
We believe fashion should be how a society should be — inclusive and empathetic. And that encompasses all, the karigars with fair wages to models in all sizes. I may be biased but the support to homegrown artists and brands by platforms like yours and curators like Baro Market is very encouraging. It helps us believe in what we do.
Text Unnati Saini
Date 01-02-2022