We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sanaa Venkateswar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sanaa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My sewing journey began at a very young age, thanks to my mum, who was both a big influence and my first teacher. She had a natural sense of style and always enjoyed making her clothes. She encouraged me to get involved and taught me the basics to build my life skills—simple stitches and threading a needle. These early moments sparked my interest in fashion and set the foundation for everything that followed.

As I got older, I had the opportunity to build on those skills through my high school teacher, who played a pivotal role in expanding my knowledge. They were passionate about design and technique, and they helped me develop a deeper understanding of pattern-making and garment construction. During this time, I realized that sewing is not just about following steps; it’s about creativity, precision, and learning how to troubleshoot when things go wrong. When I moved on to college, I took things more seriously and honed my technique with the guidance of my professors. They helped me fine-tune my skills (even in areas that I wasn’t so keen on) and taught me how to approach sewing with a more professional mindset. They emphasized the importance of practice—not just repetition, but mindful practice. They encouraged me to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. That’s something that helped me speed up my learning process. The more I sewed, the better I got at identifying where I could improve and refine my approach.

What’s been key to my progress is being open to learning and accepting that mistakes are part of the journey. Sometimes a seam doesn’t turn out quite right or a design doesn’t come together as planned. But instead of getting discouraged, I try to see it as an opportunity to learn and figure out what went wrong. Whether it’s adjusting my technique or simply trying a new approach, those moments of imperfection are what have ultimately pushed me to improve.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an upcoming fashion designer of Indian descent, raised in Muscat, Oman, and a recent graduate from SCAD Atlanta.

My focus lies in womenswear, where I explore the art of transforming simple, often overlooked fabrics into haute couture. I am drawn to the challenge of taking materials in their purest, most unassuming form and reimagining them into garments that embody elegance, sophistication, and storytelling.

For me, fashion is not only about design but about reinvention—turning the ordinary into the extraordinary while maintaining a strong connection to sustainability and thoughtful craftsmanship. My work bridges cultural heritage, personal memory, and contemporary design, celebrating both tradition and innovation. As I continue my journey, I aim to create wearable art that empowers women and speaks to the beauty of transformation, proving that simplicity, when nurtured with vision, can become couture.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The goal that drives me is to create wearable art that speaks to more than surface beauty.

I want my pieces to embody sustainability, storytelling, and transformation—turning discarded or humble materials like something as simple as linen, into garments that carry new meaning.

Fashion, to me, is not just about dressing the body but about sparking dialogue: about memory, identity, and the relationship we hold with the natural world. My mission is to show that clothing can be both artful and responsible, that what we wear can tell a story of care—for ourselves, for our planet, and for each other.

Sharing my work is my way of inspiring people to see garments not as disposable items, but as vessels of memory, emotion, and possibility. In that exchange—between maker, wearer, and world—I find the true reward of being a creative.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the chance to shape the intangible—memories, emotions, and fleeting ideas—into something that others can see, touch, or feel. Often, my inspiration comes from simple, overlooked details: the texture of a fabric, the way light hits a surface, or the memory of a place I’ve called home.

To me, creativity is like weaving together fragments of my life into stories that don’t always need words to be understood. What I love most is that balance between freedom and vulnerability—the freedom to express myself without limits, and the vulnerability of sharing something so personal with the world. When someone connects with my work, whether it stirs a memory of their own or simply makes them pause for a moment, I feel an incredible sense of fulfillment. It reminds me that creativity is not just about making; it’s about creating bridges between people, experiences, and perspectives.

Another rewarding aspect is the sense of discovery that comes with the process. Being a creative means learning to embrace the unexpected—mistakes often turn into the most meaningful details, and limitations can spark solutions that feel fresh and authentic. There’s also a deep satisfaction in knowing that my work carries pieces of my journey within it, almost like leaving small footprints that tell a story of where I’ve been and what I’ve seen.

More than the final outcome, it’s the journey of exploration, resilience, and growth that I treasure most. In the end, creativity feels like a dialogue—between myself, my materials, and the people who encounter my work—and that dialogue is what makes being a creative endlessly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sanaavenkateswar.wixsite.com/sanugla
• Instagram: @sanugla
• Linkedin: Sanaa Venkateswar – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanaa-venkateswar-66197a261/

Image Credits

Dark Photoshoot : Azalea Cox
Blue/White Photoshoot : Samriddhi Jain