Page 38 - Fiji Traveller Issue 3
P. 38

Passion and pattern





                                                 Sonam Sapra



         By Samantha Magick                                  means that what she starts out with often turns into very different
                                                             pieces.
           As the daughter of an international public servant, Sonam   The brilliant colours of her work bely the ‘dark place’ Sapra
         Sapra has lived all over the world.                 says she has to go to, in order to create them.
           That  nomadic,  rich  lifestyle  is  reflected  in  her  latest  fabric   “When people come into the boutique, they say ‘everything’s
         collection, titled ‘Worldly’, which takes ornamentation from many   so bright, you must be so happy’. And actually, I have to go to a
         of the countries she has lived in and reimagines them in a new   really dark place in order to create this because I have to isolate
         way.                                                myself for days.” Sapra says she listens to “very emotional,
           “When you see it from far away, it looks like a tribal print.   romantic, touching music, I have to get to a very emotional state
         But when you come close, you'll see ornamentation from   to feel the beautiful things that I want to feel in order to create it.
         Bangladesh, ornamentation from Iran,  Africa, Fiji, Japan, all   So people think okay, she's sitting there drawing butterflies and
         these places. I love those elements of surprise, where you see   these things, but the butterfly represents life and the dragonfly
         something from a distance, and you go in close and there’s a   represents new beginnings. There's a reason why I've chosen
         whole different thing going on.”                    these things.”
           Sapra reopened her boutique, Handcrafted Island Essentials,   Sapra’s retail team is as passionate about her work as she
         at the Sofitel Resort and Spa on Denarau in December 2021,   is. “It’s their business too,” she says. Ideas like customisation
         just before the borders reopened. She had designed the fresh,   of designs for clients, and product lines such as bags, hats and
         modern staff uniforms for the hotel and observing Sapra’s work   scrunchies that use fabric offcuts and speak to the desire to be
         ethic, dedication and passion for her craft, management offered   more sustainable, came from her team. “They brought that to
         her a boutique space at the resort.                 life, it was not me,” Sapra says.
           That boutique is a jewel box of a store, displaying caftans,   She is currently printing small batches of 100 metres on cotton
         short and shirt sets, bags and other accessories, and bolts of   and silk georgette, to try and keep the fabrics ‘authentic and
         vibrant cotton silk fabrics.                        exclusive’. And despite fielding many requests to expand and
           “When they said, Do you want this space?', I don't think they   supply her deigns and fabrics to others, she says she is unwilling
         realised what was going to happen with it. They thought it was   to compromise on quality or customer service.
         going to be a boutique that opens up and just sells ready-made   Sapra's previous collections have been inspired by designers
         clothes. I didn't know what was going to happen either! But   William Morris and Emilio Pucci, and her life in Taveuni, its rich
         now it's become a service. It's not just a boutique… you go in   biodiversity, as well as the way it makes her feel.
         there and you can create, it's a very creative process with the   Her childhood on the garden island involved “playing around,
         customers as well, and they’re taking a memory of Fiji,” Sapra   climbing rocks, being by the ocean, rolling around in the jungle,
         reflects.                                           you know, just getting lost like when I do my art... that frees me.
           Sapra’s father, Dr Sharad Sapra, worked as Director of Global   It's uninhibited. So that's how I feel when I'm in nature. And for
         Innovations at UNICEF, where his role was to empower women   me, I want to give that feeling to other people, that peace. I feel
         and children; connecting them with each other and resources   that humbleness, that, there's something greater out there than
         to get the opportunity to be seen and be heard, as Sonam   me, you know, there's something very peaceful about those
         describes it.                                       thoughts. So the whole idea is that when somebody wears that,
           “Can you imagine what it's like being the daughter of someone   they feel that, they feel beautiful.”
         like that,” she says.                                 As someone who studied and lived in New York, Sapra says
           “I used to sit in my room and doodle, doodle, doodle. And my   ‘she has some of that hustle’. However Fiji gives her something
         dad walked in one day and just saw walls covered in art.” He   deeper.
         encouraged her to make her artwork functional, and to apply it   “I've loved all the places I've lived in, but no place has felt like
         to products people wear.                            home. When I stepped back here, and I heard the laughter and I
           Her process involves initially drawing directly with pen on   saw the mannerisms and everything, I was like, this is this is my
         paper. “I don't use pencil because I love the mistakes. I love   people. I had just never felt so comfortable.
         working around them. And I just think that's what makes it unique   “I think living overseas my whole life…there was a big part
         and authentic, especially with AI and all this stuff going on.”   of me that was missing. And that became known when I came
           She  continues  that  with  so  much  ‘art’  now  computer-  home.”
         generated, “I feel like mistakes are the only thing that makes it
         real.” After working on paper, she digitises and then manipulates   handcraftedislandessentials.com
         the images to create balance and harmony in the whole, which




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