Creating stories through chaos’ is what 25-year-old fashion designer Panya Gupta’s brand, PHUE, aims for. Power of Hue (PHUE) focuses on providing clothing described as wearable art, by bringing art onto a platform for anyone who wants to be the connoisseur of their own story. Among the celebrities who have sported her creations are Erica Fernandes, Tina Datta, Neeti Mohan, Nikhita Gandhi, Jonita Gandhi, and Shalmali Kholgade.
Delhi-based Gupta, who runs her size-inclusive company from her parents’ rooftop with the help of two darzis, introduced her band in July 2021. Born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Gupta hails from a family that is not connected to fashion or the design industry. Her only connection to fashion is her mother, who wanted to be a designer.
Gupta’s mother made a lot of her clothes and stored scrap fabric in boxes, that Gupta raided as a child to create a scrapbook from different materials, tassels, and laces. “A significant part of that desire I imbibed in my childhood, and I wanted to become a designer since I was five years old. I wasn’t a great artist; I was barely one, and I couldn’t draw well or communicate the ideas I had in my head. I had piles of sketchbooks filled with drawings of garments I dreamed I would be able to make one day,” Gupta says about her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
After taking a year drop after graduation, Gupta took art classes for eight-nine months to improve her drawing and alongside also did a yearlong diploma from NIFT, New Delhi, as a student of Leather Design.
Balmain, Sies Marjan, Mugler, Rich Mnisi, Papa Don’t Preach by Shubika, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabanne, Halpern Studio, Emanuel Ungaro, and Dhruv Kapoor are some of the brands and designers that have inspired Gupta over the years.
Gupta’s brand PHUE focuses on sustainability and applies it to every aspect of the business — production, packaging, material usage, marketing, etc. The brand uses varied materials — polyester, Rexin to PU — to find the right fit for its consumers. “Currently, we are targeting sustainability in aspects of production, characteristics that are under our direct control. PHUE does not fall under the fast fashion category. We don’t follow practices that fast fashion brands follow, like turning over inventory at rapid speed, constantly introducing new styles, and offering excessive discounts that lead to heavy losses,” she adds.
The 25-year-old Gupta believes to dream big and hopes to see Margot Robbie in her design walking down the Met Gala. While she also hopes to see Priyanka Chopra & Deepika Padukone wearing her designs.
Running a business has its share of ups and downs and that is what guided Gupta when she started her journey. She advises young designers and entrepreneurs to never give up on learning and to be receptive and open to everything that may come their way. “Only when you allow yourself to assimilate as much as you can from your surroundings can you begin to grow. Do everything there is to do, do it yourself. In the beginning, it might seem tedious to do everything by yourself. But in the future, when you have a team of people to do those tasks for you, you will be a better leader and know what has to be done. No job is menial; everything is necessary, learn and do as much as you can by yourself. You will get equipped with better skills to deal with different situations,” Gupta signs off.
