“It’s through this brand that I express my love for the world, its people, and the environment.”Shudhan Kohli

Noblivity Spotlights Emerging Designer Shudhan Kohli

Company/Designer Name:   The Big Blue Bike | Shudhan Kohli

Designer Background Summary:

I’m from a very international background. I was born to a father from England and mother from India in a small fishing town in Kenya. As I grew older, I turned into a true adventurer at heart and traveled solo through very many countries meeting and living with people from every walk of life. My travels instilled in me a strong passion for the world and its people. Having explored the natural beauty of our planet, from the wild African Savannah to the salt flats 5000m above sea level in Bolivia, I knew that I wanted to actively participate in its conservation. It is from these passions that the Big Blue Bike came about and it is through this brand that I express my love for the world, its people, and the environment.

How did you get started?

My first encounter with baby alpaca fiber was when I was crossing through the Andes Mountains of Peru. Its rich feel and exceptional warmth won me over. Upon returning to the US, I researched and found out the role of alpacas in the various Andean communities and their environmentally friendly attributes (especially compared to cashmere goats that are tearing up the land in Asia causing sand storms across Mongolia and China) and I knew I wanted to work with them. At the time, I was well into a career as a consultant in Los Angeles – a lifestyle that my spirit quickly grew uneasy with. When I felt it was time to be true to myself, I fit everything I owned into two bags and took off to Peru. Out of a hostel dorm, I lay the foundations of the Big Blue Bike, and the rest is history!

What inspires your designs?

I love the natural colors that alpacas produce. It is as close to nature as you will get, actually wearing the colors off the back of the alpaca – so picking our colors is easy! When I’m creating our designs, I keep in mind the young urbanite and their lifestyle while also allowing our women to express their skill with their handmade knits. Combining the women’s handmade knit work with an earthy feel and chic style is what I go for.

How would you describe your design style, design signatures and who is your targeted customer?

My intended target is the young, urban dweller that has a strong inclination towards sound ethics and environmental conservation. The individuals who strive for spiritual, physical and mental well-being at the same time not shying away from looking trendy and chic. Our styles have a classic feel with a contemporary flair, so you could pull off wearing it to the cocktail party on Friday night, to the trendy coffee bar downtown and even the farmer’s market on Sunday morning. If I may, I’d like to describe my designs as “earthy-chic.”

What designers inspire you?

As much as I respect the works of every designer, because they do so well in accessing the universal wealth of creativity, my inspirations come from my passions, the lifestyles of people and nature.

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

I embarked on my project to Peru not knowing a single person in the entire country nor the language. This in itself was a challenge, however, creating partnerships with people that aligned with my ideals and the direction I wanted my brand to go in took some investigation and perseverance.

How did you overcome them?

My history of vagabond ways allowed me to pick up my life and drop it in a random corner of the world and come out successfully. I already spoke four different languages; this in itself provided me with the comfort that adding one more language to the list, Spanish, was not entirely impossible. Working with people and assessing the ones that you actually do want to partner with is an instinct refined over time. Once again, it was my travels and the people I experienced in the past that helped me make the right decisions. 

What has been your greatest moment on your journey so far?

It was my birthday in Lima, and I was in bed with an eye infection and a high fever from a severe throat infection. I was having what was easily the worst birthday imaginable, until I got a phone call that my final samples for my first collection were ready at last. Seeing the clothes in my hands, produced with the quality and concept I wanted was easily one of the greatest moments in this journey. Watching my models posing in what resulted from months of hard work, persistence and patience made me realize that it is such moments that make you forget all the hardship and toil you faced along the way and make it all so worth it!

What has been the biggest change in your designs so far?

This is the first collection we have produced.

If money were no object what would you do right now?

Money is never an object as long as there is the right kind of desire and drive. A few goals that my desire and drive are working towards are financial empowerment of women, children’s education and infrastructure development in disadvantaged societies. It is this combination that builds societies, improves lives and sustains the improvement over generations to come and I plan on using the Big Blue Bike to achieve these goals. We have already set out on working on the first goal, the financial empowerment of women. Quoting a 2001 World Bank policy research paper, “Placing more resources in the hands of women results in greater spending on human capital goods: household services, health, education and food.” By employing and paying high wages to women in impoverished regions of Lima for our handmade collection ensures that not only are they being employed and paid fairly, but the resources are being directed in areas which will create a true impact in their communities.

What are the best and worst things about being a designer?

I’m not a designer in a professional sense; I don’t know how to answer this.

Describe your typical day?

The first thing I do when I wake up is head down to the park by my apartment that overlooks the ocean. After 20-30 minutes of yoga sun salutations, I grab a surf board and hit the waves for an hour or so. I return to my home office to respond to emails, read BBC world news and go through my schedule of the day. I typically have meetings up until late afternoon. After a day full of meetings, I spend the latter end of the afternoon in a coffee shop with my laptop taking care of business. Right after sunset, I either take a jog alongside the ocean or hit the rock climbing wall for an hour. Depending on how much work I have left over, I either spend my evenings on my laptop, reading a book, or having wine with friends.

What’s your philosophy of life?

My philosophy of life is to never have regrets. Do everything that your heart desires, pursue that dream, that passion or whatever it is that provides contentment to your heart. If you wake up every morning dreading and cursing at whatever you’re about to do, you’re not being true to your being. Be faithful to your being is what separates those that exist and those that actually live.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

Nothing, I have lived my ideal life and am very thankful for that. I have traveled the world, met spectacular people, developed amazing relationships, explored and experienced to the fullest extent that anyone in their low twenties could. I have now embarked on a wonderful and successful project in the Big Blue Bike that allows me to work with and express all my passions, I am very fortunate.

When will you know you have made it?

I have already made it. I made it when I discovered my passion, because that’s half the battle. It takes exploration and discovery of the self to realize ones passions. What follows is the courage and drive to pursue it, but that’s the easy part since your passion will always be there fueling you.

The Big Blue Bike Alpaca Sweater Collection is available at The MarketPlace Noblivity.com!