Beginning (ஆரம்பம்)

On March 25, fashion designer Smriti Somasundaram ’26 made her debut at Andaaz, Harvard South Asian Association’s annual fashion show. Somasundaram is the first student designer to be featured on the Andaaz runway in the event’s decade-long history, crafting two pieces especially for the event. Somasundaram titled her line ஆரம்பம், or Arambam, meaning “beginning” in her mother tongue, Tamil, and signifying her debut as a Tamil designer.

Somasundaram modeled her own favorite of the two pieces—a Western fusion outfit featuring tiered-Gujarati style pants inlaid with gold flowers paired with a blush-pink, asymmetrical pleated blouse with white and gold details on the back. Mukta Dharmapurikar ’26 modeled Somasundaram’s second piece: a traditional ghagra choli, or a two-piece dress broken into a sleeveless top and a skirt. Both pieces were completely designed and created by Somasundaram, who began her journey with design during the pandemic.

While Somasundaram began sewing for practical reasons—altering her family’s Indian clothing—she eventually chose to employ her skills more creatively. “I told myself, if my first piece actually looked good, I will continue sewing,” she said, in regard to trying out sewing her own pieces of clothing. “If not, I’m just going to stick with altering and what I know.”

Her first piece, a fitted crimson top with balloon sleeves, would soon become one of her favorite pieces in her wardrobe. She would go on to design her prom dress, creating the maroon piece with a fitted bodice and flared skirt from scratch. Despite progressing in skills as a seamstress and designing more of her own pieces, Somasundaram shied away from designing Indian clothing.

“I could never connect making something in my bedroom in Seattle with the clothes my grandmother would buy me from street markets in India. I was too scared to get into South Asian clothing because it felt unreachable—I thought the designs were too grand for me.”

Upon coming to Harvard, however, Somasundaram was exposed to the diversity of Indian fashion. “Seeing all the different styles present in our community motivated me to take a different look at design,” she said.

SAA Co-President Shruthi Kumar ’24 recognized Somasundaram’s unique talents in the fall and immediately invited her to get involved with Andaaz. Although she was nervous, Somasundaram said, “when they asked me to do this, I got super excited because this was the kickstart that I needed to start trying South Asian wear. I said yes immediately.”

Somasundaram’s primary goal as she began designing the pieces was to spotlight “different cultures within South Asian groups,” while also creating designs that fused with Western culture. She created all of her South Asian pieces from Western fabrics, sourcing primarily from Sewfisticated Fabrics in Somerville. Somasundaram said, “I go into the store not knowing what kind of piece I want to make. I choose what sticks out to me, and I work from there.” Since coming to Harvard, this fabric store has been one of Somasundaram’s safe spaces, providing her with a break from fast-paced school life. “Designing and sewing is my happy place; it’s my favorite de-stressor,” she said.

After growing more comfortable in her ability to blend her South Asian identity with Western materials, she decided to expand her repertoire with a Ghagra Choli piece that emulated her South Indian background, and a piece inspired by traditional Gujarati wear. Gujarat is on the northwest side of India, while Somasundaram’s family is from Tamil Nadu, a state at the very bottom of the Subcontinent. The differences in cultural norms between the two regions are reflected in fashion, yet Somasundaram fell in love with flowing pants from Gujarat when she saw other students wear them.

“They were one piece I knew I was going to make no matter what. They’re my favorite piece out of everything I made,” she said.

Deciding on what clothes would complement the pants was more difficult, with Somasundaram ultimately deciding to create a saree-style top. A saree is an Indian fashion staple that consists of a stretch of fabric pleated specially around the wearer’s body and draped over the shoulder. The resulting, blush-pink blouse paired with the Gujarati pants was thus pleated carefully by Somasundaram, and to create the look of a draped saree, is one-shouldered.

For the past several months, Somasundaram has been working on these pieces, sewing mostly at the SEC makerspace. Somasundaram said, “they have sewing machines, mannequins, and everything. It’s my dream!”

She finished sewing the first outfit over spring break but was much more pressed for time with the creation of the Ghagra Choli. “I had three days to make a blouse and a skirt, and I had school. I was freaking out,” she said.

Somasundaram almost gave up because of the high-pressure situation. “After I saw the sun rise while I was working on my pieces, I told myself that maybe I wouldn’t do the show. I asked myself, ‘should I really be showcasing my pieces? What if they aren’t good enough?’” Moreover, by the afternoon before the show, she still did not have a model for her Ghagra Choli. Luckily, Dharmapurikar showed up for Somasundaram in the nick of time.

“[Somasundaram] was stressed, but it really turned out. I truly admire how she was able to replicate traditional Indian styles with Western fabrics,” Dharmapurikar recalled. “Even though I have never modeled before, it felt so special to be part of her first experience showcasing her work. To see her get recognition for something she is truly passionate about was amazing. I felt so lucky to have supported her.”

Featuring a student designer exemplified the core values of Andaaz—highlighting the beauty of Harvard’s South Asian community while prioritizing student agency. According to SAA Co-President Ali Makani ’24, “Through providing students with agency to wear whatever they would like in the show, diversity is shown and not imposed. We wanted to create an environment that is conducive to students representing themselves however they see fit. It was wonderful to highlight such talent from our community in Smriti.”

In reference to Somasundaram’s work, Co-President Kumar said, “I was so proud to see her. It’s the first time a student has ever hand-stitched and hand-designed South Asian pieces for our show. Fashion is something that we as South Asians need to explore and strut a lot more, and this is our space to do so. All of us in the South Asian diaspora are beautiful, and it’s so important to showcase what beauty looks like aside from the standards set for us by society. I am so happy that Smriti got to contribute to that this year, and I hope that she will continue to do so.”

SAA Cultural Chairs Sneha Shenoy ’25 and Srija Vem ’25 were the masterminds behind Andaaz and meticulously planned the show into a wonderful expression of diversity, cultural fusion, and joy. Regarding Somasundaram, Vem said, “It was really lovely to have someone who is part of our community do something so special. Having Smriti involved truly brought Andaaz’s message home.”

Shenoy added,“Her work is incredible. Especially considering that this is the first time she has created a South Asian line, that she chose to be part of Andaaz was such a special feeling.”

“I truly appreciated all that Ali, Shruthi, Sneha, and Srija did to make my debut a big deal. I felt like I was seen during Andaaz, and I am so thankful to them for highlighting me. It meant so much,” Somasundaram said.

Somasundaram hopes to continue designing for Andaaz for the rest of her college career—she has plans to design for other shows on campus and will be creating pieces for the Marine Debris Fashion Show presented by the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Somasundaram will continue to showcase her creativity as a designer through creating a sustainability-focused line for this show, which will be taking place on April 27.

Somasundaram is only beginning her design journey, and she will continue to take the fashion world by storm. We will undoubtedly be seeing more of her work on campus—and potentially beyond—in the coming years.