'Everyone deserves to wear designer clothes'

SMART CUT

Being one of the most sought-after designers in the glamour world is enough proof that Surily Goel is here to stay. She is one of the most established and recognised names in the fashion fraternity.

She has her own line of garments called ‘Surily’, under her name. She was in the City recently to showcase her designs at an event.

About her collection, she said, “I don’t usually do Indian ethnic wear. I keep those designs only for the festival season because people mostly prefer traditional clothes during festivals or marriages. My traditional designs are very elaborate.”

Surily has designed for many Bollywood movies including Salaam-Namaste, Jaan-e-mann, Ta Ra Rum Pum and more recently, Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear.

So how different is designing for movies from designing for her store?

“When I design for movies I can’t take the whole credit because it is a combined effort of everyone, from the director to me. It is the idea of the film makers which I will be converting into a garment,” she says.

She is one of the few designers who makes clothes in larger sizes as well. “I make clothes in large and extra-large sizes because I feel that everyone deserves to wear designer clothes. Some of the prints and designs I use make my customers look slimmer. There is a lot of demand for clothes in larger sizes,” she says.
“My specialisation is Western pret which is not easily available in larger sizes so my designs cater to those who need them.”

Since fashion designing is based entirely on one’s creativity, does one need to study how to stitch a garment? “It is important to have basic academic education in fashion designing. You may be very creative and may have many ideas in your mind but if you don’t know the basics, which is to cut a piece of cloth then what is the use of wanting to be a designer?” she asks.

“I strongly feel that one must study designing and also have some real experience before entering the fashion industry,” she says.

Does this mean that the doors of her studio are open to interns?

 “I will take in anyone who is willing to work real hard. It’ll be just two people who will be doing the work of 20 because that is how much you have to work to establish yourself in the fashion world,” she says.