THE BRAND

SOMI is a London luxury resort wear brand that specialises in creating exquisite day-to-evening pieces, featuring traditional Indian craftsmanship with a contemporary twist.

Made from the finest Indian fabrics, SOMI’s elegant kaftans, floaty summer dresses and playful jumpsuits are all hand-worked by skilled artisans in Jaipur, Lucknow and Delhi using ancient embroidery and embellishment techniques that have been passed down through the centuries.

SOMI is the brainchild of Vino Khanna, who has more than 40 years’ experience working in the fashion industry producing Private Label collections for some of Britain’s best-known high street brands. Born in Delhi and raised in the UK, Vino has used his exceptional knowledge of both markets to create his own unique brand. As creative director he has brought together a talented design team in London, focused on designing beautiful contemporary western-style pieces giving new life to ancient Indian artisan handwork. He came up with the name SOMI as a play on the phrase “so me”, which his designers would use to describe their favourite pieces.

Passionate about his heritage and resolutely hands-on, Vino draws inspiration for his collections from his travels as well as his love of exotic vintage prints favoured by the regal maharanis of 1930s and 40s’ India. He has been known to spend hours in the large public libraries of Jaipur and Delhi, pouring through books of archive prints from those eras.

Heritage craftsmanship goes hand-in-hand with SOMI’s modern design ethos.

Each piece is hand-worked by skilled artisans in Jaipur, Lucknow and Delhi using ancient embroidery and embellishment techniques that have been passed down through the centuries.

Embroidered jumpsuits and wrap dresses are enlivened with gold and silver Zari thread, dating back to the Moghul era, while silk and chiffon robes and dresses feature delicate Chikankari hand-embroidery from Lucknow in northern India.

By incorporating these heritage embroidery into its western-style designs, SOMI is helping to keep this ancient craft alive. 

To find out more about our craftsmanship and the techniques employed CLICK HERE.