Inspirations

Hi,
Wanted to give you some beautiful pictures that have inspired and rejuvenated me over the last 10 days. These are from my trip to Alaska, and being a self made designer is all about finding those few special moments where passion and creativity flow through your soul.

My new color obsession is black and white with a splash of red. Wonder where that came from:)

The Trials and Tribulations of being an Entreprenuer

Its been about 3 months since my last blog post. Now, a lot of people may wonder what happened to the travels and sartorial commentary on Indian fashion industry. The truth of the matter is, it was time to get started on my own brand of clothing that is about to launch in the U.S.

In the last 3 months, I have been getting my product and designs ready, figured business administration needs such as trademark, registration and even which accounting software to use (oh yes, a self employed person has to do everything- literally:)), got samples, networked, traveled and went through the many pitfalls of sales that I had not even imagined would be a challenge. I guess I have been busy trying to get my brand Avni of the ground.

I thought I would take a moment today to educate entrepreneurs or wanna be entrepreneurs about some trials and tribulations of starting a business. I am still going through most of these on a day to day basis, but am learning to work more efficiently as a result.

1)Working for oneself: Now, this may seem like the best thing in the world, let me tell you it is tougher than being in meetings in the corporate world all day. You have to keep your self self motivated, engaged and most importantly- not bored. Yes, you may love what you do and the vision is so clear in your head, but being by yourself all day, everyday has so many repercussions on the mind that it will take monumental efforts to get out of feeling lethargic. Take frequent strolls outside for fresh air, listen to music, use café as your “office” and most importantly keep the vision clear and in front of your mind at all times. If life gets too frustrating alone, get happy hour with friends a couple of times a week to blow off some steam.

2)The buck stops with you: You are the only one who can make a decision for your fledgling company. There are numerous times when you will question decisions and sometimes even wish you had someone else making it for you, but at the end of the day each decision you make will determine the direction and fate of your vision. (Believe me , I have begged and even fought with my husband on decisions that I felt he should help with because fear of making decisions that could be wrong is so high). No one and nothing can have more passion about your vision other than you and you have to trust that, even if the decision is wrong. Ultimately it is the learning that will help you succeed.

3)Fear of sales: Don’t ever for one second believe you will not be scared and anxious. You will be having nervous twitches and sleepless nights regarding sales. I decided to do it the easy way by just emailing people and maybe calling after (even that was a fear that made me procrastinate), but obviously with all this negative energy nothing worked. Finally, I had to haul myself out and face buyers face to face, so I started cold calling in person. It is LIBERATING. Don’t believe me? Well, how about this. Close your eyes and think that this is going to be the day that you will exchange the most wonderful positive energy with someone. Whether you will have sales or not, they will remember you and as you get better at it, will have good conversations and you will get publicity and some leads. I wear my own designs and walk into stores and it makes a huge difference to me and to them.

4)You are the one person show: Everything from printing, to accounting, to even figuring dry cleaning needs is part of the job. Being self employed is not glamorous and certainly not easy. I had to read books on trademark filing, pattern making, accounting and at the same time start thinking about my next collection all around the same time frame. Its multi-tasking on steroids and one has to be the jack of all trades to get it right. Also, if you are as anal and controlling as I am, you probably want to do everything yourself to start.

5)Breaks are important: Now, you may think you have to work extra hard for yourself because you really are on the go 24 hours a day. It’s true that there is no substitute for hard work, but breaks and stabilizing your stress and mind is as important if not more. If you are stressed out and continue working- the work will not be good and you will feel miserable. Take a break when you need to- could be middle of the day or evening or weekend. Initially, I had this constant urge to fill every minute of my day with thoughts of work and why I am not working more. Coming from a job where I had meetings non stop- even over lunch, I felt this constant need to be busy. Not a good way to be self-employed. Just as you were miserable in your job, you will be miserable as an entrepreneur and eventually lose sight of the vision and passion.

Well, this is some food for thought. As I mentioned before, I go through most of these trials on a day to day basis- but at the end of each day the thought of seeing my brand come to fruition is well worth it. :)

Korean Hand Embroidery

For the last 7 days I had the opportunity to take a trip to South Korea and visit few of its beautiful cities. As always, I had to find out about sources and kinds of local hand made fabrics. I came across a Museum of Korean embroidery online and had a chance to visit on my last day at Seoul. Although, the museum itself was just a large room showcasing a small collection of embroidered fabrics, it gave little information on any of them. I did happen to buy a book from the museum that was a lot more informative and I hope to find some of these hand crafted textiles in person someday.

Disappointed but not giving up yet, I happened to come across a shop selling hand embroidered accessories called Kukjae Embroidery. The shop was very small but crowded and had very neat and pretty looking embroidery on everything from small hand held mirrors to large purses. Attached are some pics of my purchases. There was a school/workshop near the shop where all these wonderful accessories were made. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to visit the workshop and see some of the hand work in action, but I am glad I found some interesting items at the store. Maybe on my next visit to South Korea I can deep dive into hand crafts from a different culture.

Accesories at Lakme Fashion Week

So continuing my rendezvous with Lakme Fashion week, I had the opportunity to check out some of the best accessories I have seen in a while. From gorgeous clutches to funky jewelry, the shows definitely took the use of accessories to a different level. Check out my purchases from two designers- Eina Ahluwalia and Suhani Pittie. Eina used a creative combination of cloth and sterling silver, while Suhani played with metal in funky ways.

More photos and descriptions on www.lakmefashionweek.co.in

Lakme Fashion Week- Mumbai

Lakme Fashion week is one of the biggest events in the fashion world in Mumbai. The status, glitz, and glamor is so integral to this event, that it attracts big fashion names and Bollywood stars to participate. This time, I had the opportunity to be an observer at a few events.

My first day, I watched the Summer/Spring collections of Abdul Halder and Digvijay Singh. Both had very different styles, Halder was all about the traditional Indian clothing and bling that goes with it, while DigVijay Singh used muted colors and complex drapings. Halder showcased mainly bridal couture but also showed intricate jackets and skirts. It was all about the bright embroidery and zari work that is such an attraction for Indian consumers. Personally, this was not my style which is more simplistic. Digvijay Singh's collection was more modern and had used natural dyes to create the beautiful colors. In spite of the modern allure such as dresses, jackets and various elements- the clothing still had a very traditional base. As was seen throughout the Fashion week, Bollywood show stoppers was another common theme that designers used for publicity. It distracted me from the garments but definitely provided higher status in the media coverage. All in all, it was obviously geared for Indian markets and for a western consumer the complexity of the clothing is not very practical.

Attached are some of my favorite looks. You can check out more photos and details at www.lakmefashionweek.co.in

The Non profit world (NGO)

On my travels to various artisans, especially in the state of Gujarat, I had to interact with the non-profit or as its known in India the NGO (non-government organization) world. The non-profit and artisan world intersect in various ways which is important for people trying to find or source artisans.

Some non profits handle everything for the artisans from marketing, manufacturing to providing for families. Shrujan and Kalaraksha are such examples. Both are in Kutch, Gujarat and both specialize in embroidered finished clothing and accessories. Shrujan has been working with the artisans for over 30 years and provides all kinds of perks such as transportation, food and even education for the children. They have developed the skill sets of various artisans to match high retail standards and helped gain good footing within India. The downside is that they do not allow direct interaction with the artisans in any way and control all outputs per their designs and direction. The retail store was extremely expensive and I found it hard to believe that they could actually sell large quantities at such high prices. Kalaraksha on the other hand insisted that anyone trying to source through them had to employ not only artisans that do embroidery, but also their workshop that created finished garments and accessories. For someone trying to create western clothing, this is daunting because the skill sets in the villages to create western attire is very limited. In spite of these cons the loyalty that the artisans have towards both organizations is very strong and no amount of money or fame would motivate them to leave. I experiences this first hand when the Soof embroidery artisan that I visited informed me that she cannot take up any external work unless she has free time from Kalaraksha.

There are other organizations such as Khamir, Qasab in Kutch and Pradhan in Bhagalpur that take a different approach. They want to empower their artisans to work directly with designers or fabric merchants. They will still act as middlemen to ensure timely and quality deliveries, but their work is more to push their artisans forward and not only their work. Attached is a video taken at Khamir where some of the weavers were working. They have even collaborated with designers in Europe to create recycled plastic mats and bags which is the innovative aspect that economically boosts people in the area.

What to expect while buying artisan fabrics?

1) Customized look- each artisan interprets the design, fabric per their perception. It is almost impossible to find 2 designs given to 2 artisans look the same. There is usually some variation ranging from minor differences in hand woven to major differences in embroidery. This results in clothing that showcases the differences in human perception and creativity beautifully.

2) More than a materialistic addition to our daily lives. Artisans spend anywhere from few days to a year or so dedicated to creating their art. There is a connection that is unique and one that they carry with them forever. Some of them have spent a lifetime protecting their art such as Rogan, which was at risk of being extinct during partition. Being a conscious consumer will provide more richness and depth to the concept of buying.

3) A learning tool to understand rural India and the history that has passed through. A lot of the art is being created by women who put in details about their struggles and daily lives. Some of the motifs, such as in Kantha, are hundreds of years old and continue to be created in order to uphold tradition and to ensure the stories of these women are not lost.

4) Proliferating the art which is being lost in our fast world. In the age of powerlooms and fast paced manufacturing, hand weaving is fast declining and has a potential of being lost forever. Currently, Banaras has seen over 50% of its weaver population lose its craftsmanship because of the power loom threats and the economic instability of the handicraft.

5) Ethical and economic aspects. There are 220 thousand handlooms still existent in India today and they support the livelihood of a million or more. Ethically and consciously keeping this art alive preserves not only history, but helps all the artisans get economically stronger.

These are some of my perceptions and I hope to create awareness so that everyone can be empowered to consume ethically and consciously. Let me know some of your, if any.
In the meantime, enjoy some of the faces that are behind these beautiful arts.