Ever since Sohaya Misra unveiled her ‘Chola’ label at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016, Gen Next show, she has created a niche for her label. The ‘Chola’ label has been a favourite of Bollywood icons like Neha Dhupia and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja when she appeared on the fashion scene. Her extreme, layering, asymmetric, silhouettes and adventurous constructions are Sohaya’s leit motif in every collection.
 
For Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018 Sohaya’s ‘Chola’ label presented “Bye Felicia” which meant dismissing the irrelevant. With such an esoteric theme, Sohaya ensured that the garments lived up to the title but leaned towards the drag culture and the gender-neutral genre.
 
She gave the colour grey pride of place in her collection, but ensured that her favourites - black and white - were very much present with hints of colours coming in occasionally. She allowed grey to make fashion statements in an expressive manner for her characteristic silhouettes and layering. There was a hint of self-exploration in the way, the apparel offered comfort, spirituality or transvestic fetishism. Sohaya’s fluid pants, wide-bodied tops and stylish coats came together seamlessly for the coming season.
Linens, recycled and organic cotton were transformed into edgy pieces with clean lines. Everything from giant bows, exaggerated silhouettes to stripes and funky, intricate face jewellery made an appearance on the runway.
 
Bending the rules of gender norms, Prateik Babbar strutted in a pair of grey, wrap around pants with mock buttons along the front and an oversized black jacket with detailing on the sleeves. He was accompanied by multi-talented Jason Arland sporting a sheer, heavily layered and frilled off-white gown with an enchanting veil that brought the gender neutral theme to the forefront.
The makeup was as innovative and unconventional as the gender neutral clothes.
 
“Bye Felicia” by Sohaya Misra for her label ‘Chola’ invited the dressers to be what they wished; no matter how much off the beaten path their behaviour will be. Sohaya Misra’s message was that everyone must have the strength when it’s a question of coming out fashionably.