Prashant Goyal The Man Behind HERITAGE INDIA FASHIONS

Updated: Feb 5, 2020

Heritage India Fashions has been a global leader in Indian Ethnic Fashion. From wedding sarees and lehengas to contemporary Indo-western outfits, the store also has an exquisite collection of jewelry, traditional wedding accessories, handbags, and footwear. With over a million customers globally, designer Prashant Goyal has even greater visions for his company.

Clothing and design have always been part of Prashant’s family. In the late 1800’s his family were wholesalers of rich velvets and beautiful cotton fabrics; fast forward to 1977 when Prashant’s father opened The Dress Shoppe in East Village, New York. The store sold traditional Indian designs but also sold other designer clothes in the store. Prashant grew up in the shop, working alongside his father, whose love for design and fabrics inspired Prashant to work full time at the Dress Shoppe after going to college to study business management. Heritage India Fashions is located in Manhattan, New York, on 131 Lexington Ave.

“My father was a genius when it came to his eye for fabrics. Whether a rich velvet or a beautiful

silk, he loved color, and that inspired me to created beautiful designs that were elegant and

prompted happiness in the clients that would wear them.”

Prashant took over the family business and, in 2017, opened Heritage India Fashions in

Manhattan, New York. He began focusing specifically on Indian culture and heritage in his

fashion, but incorporating western cuts and styles, creating unique formal designs that could be

worn for corporate jobs and formal events alike.

His bridal and formal wear have intricate, hand-embroidered designs, using threads made of the

precious metals gold and silver, set with gemstones and Swarovski crystals. He has a keen eye

for color, texture, has collected fabrics from the 18th century, the 1920s and 1930s, with a

growing emphasize on fair trade and ecofriendly fabrics.

In his travels through the world, especially when visiting smaller villages, Prashant would be

inspired by the vibrant colors of the local culture, began to collect vintage and rare fabrics. All of

these fabrics are kept in their office in Delhi, where all of their designs are handmade. Prashant

has a team of eight artists that execute his visions before they are sent to a staff that sews each

piece by hand. For the older, rarer fabrics, Prashant creates unique, one-of-a-kind designs. He

uses these, along with silks and organic fabrics, to create designs that are a fusion of western

influence and traditional India formal wear to create beautiful, trendy clothes that appeal to his

wide client base.

Heritage India Fashions is located in Manhattan, New York, on 131 Lexington Ave.

His vision has proven to be successful; Prashant has been the headline designer for several fashions shows, and both his men and women’s formal apparel have published in multiple fashion magazines. An additional testament is his very loyal base of clients that have come to rely on his intrinsic, high-quality designs.

Both Prashant and his wife Ruchi, who is the stylist for their clientele, both have an excellent eye for color and texture, curating an ensemble that enhances both the personality and the skin tone of each client. Together they have styled an extensive list of Hollywood and Bollywood stars, an the brilliantly colored apparel can be seen worn on television shows, such as Madam Secretary, House of Cards, and Quantico. Prashant additionally designed pieces for Disney productions, the film Eat Pray Love, which starred Julia Roberts, and has designed for several government officials, including an anarkali gown for Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.

Heritage India Fashions has casual Indian wear, but his line also includes ornate lehengas, sarees, and anarkalis for women and formal sherwanis and kurtas men for weddings and Indian parties. In an era where fast fashion has changed the fashion industry, Prashant hasn’t been tempted to use cheaper materials or cut costs on the employee’s salaries. Instead, he plans to expand the company throughout the United States, maintaining high-quality designs unique to each store. Prashant is emphatic: “It’s not about the cost, but the quality. I want each client to know that our designs will last them for 50 years.”

Heritage India Fashions’ factory is in India, where Prashant stresses the importance of fair trade for his company, and taking care of their workers, especially in an environment where poor working conditions pervade the clothing industry.

“Coming from the United States, it was hard to see disadvantaged women or kids without clothes. There are many factories that don’t care about the condition that the worker's families live in, as long as the workers show up to work. I don’t want to see kids on the streets, begging, or women who are abused, but don’t have the means to leave the situation.”

Prashant had a vision to provide real, lasting support to the workers and their families. He set up a unique employment contract set up with the workers in his factory. A percentage their income is to be set aside for school, clothing, and books for their children, and another portion is to be set aside for the women who are the caretakers of the home. This system encourages the employees to have both security and stability that they can maintain on their own.

“It’s a great movement that benefits the families and guarantees there is money set aside for providing for the women and children’s needs. We originally started supporting eight families. Now we support over 100 families in India, and we hope to increase that number,” Prashant states. “Fifteen years later, some of their children have grown up and want to be engineers and doctors because they can see the possibilities are there for them, too. It is necessary to take care of the people that work for you.”

Heritage India Fashions is located in Manhattan, New York, on 131 Lexington Ave.

web :https://heritageindiafashions.com/

Inst : https://www.instagram.com/heritageindiafashions/

DESIGNER : Prashant Goyal https://www.instagram.com/mr.prashantgoyal/

MAKEUP : Pachá Make-up Team https://www.instagram.com/makeuppacha/

Apoorva Rao https://www.instagram.com/ap_designz/

Ashley Simone https://www.instagram.com/ashley.simone716/

AUTHOR OF THE STORY : Nicole Bee King https://www.instagram.com/nickybeeking/

HAIRSTYLIST : Lorena Oliveira https://www.instagram.com/scattered.pieces/

PHOTOGRAPHERS : Luiz Camargo https://www.instagram.com/low.iez/

Marcos Vasconcelos https://www.instagram.com/marcosvasconcelosnyc/

CELEBRITY MODEL : Jennifer Murphy https://www.instagram.com/jennifermurphygogirl/