How new age entrepreneurs are redefining traditional gifting segment?

Gifting is a very important concept for the Indian market and this industry is expected to touch USD 84 billion by 2024 from USD 65 million, at present.  Izhaar by Core Designs is the latest entrant in customized gifting space.  The brand has been started by Ruchika Bansal who is also the creative director of the brand. Bansal sensed this growing market and launched the brand at right time. The company has opened its first store in the capital city New Delhi. In an exclusive conversation, Ruchita further talks about the new store and her plans going forward.

 Interview Excerpts..

Tell us about Izhaar, its inception and the journey so far.

It all started 6 years ago when my daughter left for boarding school. I started with designing envelopes, carry bags, making candles, etc. Helping my family in wedding shopping was something I enjoyed a lot. I combined the two things I loved and Izhaar was born.I strongly believe in the concept of reusability and each component of my creations comes with an attached utility quotient allowing the receiver to keep using her/ his gift, bonded with the special memories it brings back.The journey has been great so far, I have learned about the industry and people each day bit by bit and there is a lot yet to be done.

Congratulations on the store launch of your label. Why did you choose this location for first store?

Thank you. We have recently opened two new stores in Delhi’s Defence Colony and Mumbai’s Turner Road. The reason is mostly for tapping a fresh market and attracting the lot to new gifting and invitation trends. Also, these are one of the prime locations which would be convenient for most of our target customers.

Tell us about the brand’s USP. How is Izhaar different from other brands/ labels in the segment?

Our gifting and invitation ideas revolve around the aspect of being useful and are sustainable and this has become our USP. Our ideas revolve majorly around making it personal for the clients. Each idea specially caters to the varying taste and preferences of the customers. We try to incorporate as much of their ideas with ours and deliver something unique each time. We are all about celebrations of unbridled happiness, superlative achievements, joyous togetherness and momentous occasions. Originality and creativity is our core passion so that our clients can present a specially created expression of their feelings.

What does the brand logo symbolize?

The logo symbolises a unicorn that is mysterious, auspicious and luxurious. Our concepts are an amalgamation of all these and that makes us magically different.

Tell us about the intricacies and details of the store. Who has designed the newly opened Izhaar store?

Our store is all about vibrancy and we love to play with colours. We have tried to keep it as bright and beautiful with the use of our signature patterns and lights to restore the familiarity across all the stores. Most of the designing have been done in-house with designing suggestions from AnupamBansal.

Elucidate about Izhaar’s prized collections and also about some of your favourites among those.

All our pieces have been built on unique stories and it would be highly biased of us to choose a few. However, the latest addition to this collection is the Padmaavat invite that we did for Vaibhav and Ishita from Delhi. This elaborate wedding invite done by our team was a token to the much awaited movie and feel of the year. Another one to name is the handpainted invite, Saptrang that showcased Arushi’s love for Rajasthan and the traditional vibes.

Tell us about your manufacturing units. From where do you source the ingredients for thesepieces?

Our manufacturing unit is based in Gurugram with a skilled production team. Most of the ingredients are in-house, however, we source as and per the unique requirements keeping the quality intact.

Tell us about your core target consumers?

We are here for the experimental lot who wouldn’t mind shelling out some extra for the uniqueness that enfolds.

Tell us about your current retail presence in India and abroad. What are your plans forexpansion?

We have our corporate office in Gurugram and have recently opened two stores in Delhi and Mumbai. We would like to cater and cover the market in India for now and will gradually look for expanding abroad in the coming years.