Desoire:Genderless Fashion – Dallas Voice

MELISSA WHITLER | NBCU Fellow
Melissa@DallasVoice.com

At only 17 years old, Neha Sikder founded Desoire, her own fashion line of genderless clothing to inspire femininity for everyone. Desoire strives to be a sustainable brand challenging a fashion industry that often promotes only the masculine side in unisex clothing.

Sikder was only 13 years old when the idea for Desoire came to her. She was listening to a podcast and heard the term “genderless fashion” for the first time. After doing some research, she was drawn in by this whole realm of expression. Despite having no previous experience, Sikder jumped in to learning about clothing design and manufacturing.
“I knew I wanted to have a positive impact on the world, and this seemed like a way to do that,” Sikder said.

She saw that there were many brands in the market attempting unisex clothing lines, but they were only focusing on masculine styles. There can be a lot of stigma around how men express themselves, even though clothing has no bearing on one’s gender or sexuality. Here was a market where Sikder could do something different and work to redefine gender norms.

“I drew a lot of inspiration from my Indian heritage and the way my male ancestors approached fashion,” Sikder explained. “This style of clothing touches on more feminine styles for everyone.”

She has found the process to be a lot more approachable than most people realize. Sikder began by reaching out to people already in the industry and found a mentor to help her map out the steps to starting a company. At this point, she had already done some market research and identified a gap in what was being sold, so the main difficulty was legalities, which were compounded because she was still under the age of 18.

Sikder’s parents have been a big support throughout the process. “They’ve really allowed me to have full control of the direction of the company,” she explained. Her parents have been involved since the beginning, offering guidance and necessary backing.

In fact, the name of the company was inspired by Sikder’s parents. Her stepmom is French, and Sikder asked her to come up with a name that sounds fancy. She provided a phrase; Sikder unscrambled the words and picked out what sounded to her like high fashion, Desoire.

The next step was figuring out the design and manufacturing process. It can be incredibly daunting to find a manufacturer that meets all of one’s requirements, and Sikder wanted to find a domestic producer that paid its employees fairly. Thankfully, the Council of Fashion Designers of America has online resources, including an open-access directory of over 340 U.S. fashion manufacturers. Sikder called every single number on the directory until she found the best fit for her brand.

It is a long process from initial conception to having the product ready to sell. Sikder begins by digitally sketching her designs. Those sketches are then sent to a pattern maker who creates a digital pdf, and that gets sent to the manufacturer in Brooklyn. For Sikder, it typically takes two weeks from drawing the idea sketch to having a pattern. The turnaround time to get the first sample can be anywhere from one to two months depending on how busy the manufacturer is.

Once a sample is created, the next step is figuring out adjustments. Sikder first decides how the garment fits on her, and then goes to friends or hires models to try out other sizes. “The smaller end of our sizes fit differently on people than the larger sizes, so there is some work in adjusting it to work on everyone,” Sikder explained.

“It was really exciting to get my first-ever sample and be able to hold something I designed,” Sikder recalled.

It was also a big learning moment.

The first garment Sikder made was an asymmetrical, cropped, black sleeved tee, listed on Desoire’s website under “The Cropped One.” The first sample was made with fabric that was much thinner than Sikder wanted it to be.

This was also the first garment Sikder saw an influencer style, and it was awesome.

“It was amazing to see people enjoying something I created and support my mission,” Sikder said. “I’m very attached because there’s so much that went into that piece, so it was great to see people praise the style.”

The inspiration for Desoire’s clothing comes from all over. Sikder gets a lot of ideas from watching fashion and runway shows. She also finds inspiration in music and architecture, and she will even craft a collection around an emotion.

Of course, she also draws parallels from her Indian heritage. “A lot of it is trial and error,” Sikder said. “I want to be experimental with my designs and play with conventions.”

When founding the company, Sikder wanted to ensure sustainability was a core value. Fast fashion is a big contributor to environmental deterioration.

At Desoire, fabrics are either made from recycled or organic materials. All packaging is recyclable and biodegradable when possible. The company is registered with the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network, a collection of almost 300 other companies committed to global sustainability.

Desoire is committed specifically to sustainable development goals 12 and 13: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Desoire is also looking into a new concept of sample making. This is currently a very time intensive process, that produces a lot of waste as designers work to figure out the sizing of their clothes. With new 3D sampling technology, creators use a digital system to see their designs on an avatar. This helps eliminate the time and fabric wasted as one can more accurately tell proportions before the first sample is created.

As of now, Desoire is an online only company, but Sikder hopes to one day have a physical location. Next up, she is working on a skirt design to be available soon. “It’s something our consumer platform is showing interest and enthusiasm in,” Sikder said.

In addition to changing the fashion industry, Siker wants to inspire tomorrow’s leaders. “One thing I hope I can achieve is letting young entrepreneurs know their dreams are possible,” she said. Her advice is to find what you’re passionate about, believe in yourself and eventually you’ll make baby steps towards your dream.

So far she is on track to reach her goals. Her genderless fashion brand is being well received and has already been featured in multiple publications. Desoire is a brand, Sikder said, designed so everyone can embrace their femininity.

This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBC Universal.

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