Why Kshitij Kankaria’s SOAK is more than just another creative agency

Kshitij Kankaria’s foray into fashion seems normal—he studied design in NIFT Gandhinagar, an unassuming branch of the design school. In between breaks and to fight boredom on weekends, Kankaria found himself attending lectures at the neighbouring IIM and the NID resource library. Plans to start a clothing line evaporated as he recognised a gap between editorial stylists and those who worked with celebrities. Kankaria carved out a niche for himself where he started consulting brands in firming up their voices. Not satisfied with the end product, Kankaria took it upon himself to gather up like minded creatives from different disciplines to offer end to end consulting and started his own creative agency SOAK.

Kankaria has a way of creating evocative imagery that’s Indian in its very essence without exotifying or feeding into any tropes. His visuals found a voice in independent publications like Dazed & Confused, i-D Magazine, Ten Magazine, Odda and Paper Magazine to name a few. Kankaria has been instrumental in bridging the gap between ideas of India through a Western lens and of Indian creatives trying to fit a mould that appealed to those on the other side of the pond. Louis Vuitton, Story MFG, Y Project, Ayu, Raw Mango, Itoh and Ashish are just some of the brands he happens to have worked with on projects. A gig he is proud of? Rebranding the sparkling wine Katkoot under the mentorship of Michelle Lamy. Meanwhile the artists represented by SOAK have worked with the likes of Rick Owens, Ferragamo and Comme des Garçons.

For someone who forged his own path in design, it is important to him that the next generation of creatives has a little more direction and guidance than he had to arrive somewhere. Motivated to make this idea of being successful in the creative space more democratic, Kankaria added another layer to his agency, the SOAK foundation in which those well-versed in their respective vocations can share their learnings with a younger generation. Ahead Vogue chats with Kankaria on his plans for the agency.

Tell us about the origins of SOAK. When did this idea come to you?

When I was consulting brands for their visual language, I realised how quickly brands can get boxed into a style, and how important it is to have a single mind aligned with the brand to make it all work. It’s hard to build a team whose whole purpose is to understand the soul and intent of the brand, and at the same time keep the freshness and business going.

So about a year ago, the idea came to me to round up a team of creative directors, writers and visual artists to form a new-age creative agency who serve a purpose greater than just doing the job right.

What is the larger purpose of SOAK foundation?

With the SOAK foundation, we really wanted to create a place where young ones could see the possibility of being in any creative career of their choice. We want to start with imparting basic education, awareness and safeguarding.

Across the globe, it’s a privilege to be working in a creative field. So with Atma (our NGO partner) we really wanted to start a humble place to support creatives in any possible capacity, right from committing a mandatory percentage of SOAK fee towards it, to helping the new generation experience real careers by assisting the best names in the field. We are also planning a curriculum for them in the beginning of their education to see what their mind and heart feel about a particular field whether it is visual art, coding, photography, fashion designing, dance—and help them to pursue it. We are also supporting Rubaroo, an organisation that works with kids who might come from a history of domestic or sexual abuse to take care of their mental health and encourage them to pursue their education.

You came from a family background of doctors. How did you make it big in fashion?

I really don’t know how it all happened. All I know is that I had great freedom to be whatever I wanted to be, and with that comes clarity. My parents didn’t know or cared about fashion, so when I came in I knew that I was on my own, and that if I made a mistake, I would be paying a big price for it. So I just kept working hard and doing my best with all my heart and capacity— and I guess it eventually paid off.

You have worked with some amazing names in the industry. How did those connections come about? Can you tell us about some of the projects you have in the pipeline?

I think most of my work got noticed because I was Indian and my aesthetic was always unique in any other part of the world. Being based out of India, there is not much that can get you on the map in the international industry, so my aim was to somehow keep my style of work very prominent and have my stamp on it.

I’ve been on a few projects in Paris and in Italy—one of them being this amazing luxury wine company called Katkoot for which I’m the strategy and communication director, and the other, a personal project which I’ve been working on over a year. And there’s a few really exciting launches with SOAK too.

How do you maintain creative control while working with large scale brands?

Nowadays, brands come to me for what I do, which is a great place to be for any creative because there is no one dictating your work; you just have to understand the objective of a project and deliver in the best capacity. I treat a large scale brand or a new brand with equal effort, and the aim is to always deliver what they came for and give them truly the best that they can have.

Why is individuality important in fashion now?

Individuality has always been very important to fashion. People really want to know your personal story and personality through your work, because that's the only thing which can keep things new and exciting. Fashion has always been all about that. Nowadays brands also want to represent diversity, uniqueness and inclusivity, and that can only come if you celebrate individuality.

How did your book Bandra Sentimental come about? Is there another one in the pipeline?

Bandra Sentimental was purely the vision of Romain Sellier, who wanted me to be a part of it and capture the soul of Bandra (my neighbourhood) through my eyes. I’ve been working with a few amazing individuals for over a year now on a project which is set to be released around the end of November—and I’ve never been more excited for anything else.

Diversity and representation is the need of the hour, how are you trying to change the perception of brown talent in fashion?

It’s not an easy thing to come from a small town and not give into the already set notions of working in fashion. I’m not trying to change the perspective on anything; I just wanted to work hard and put out honest work. It was important for me to make a space for myself, and to represent what I believe in which is to celebrate where I come from. I want to show the world the true representation of India in its full glory. I’d say I’m the lucky one, but definitely not the only one.

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