How new age fashion designers are creating a difference within fashion retail?
How new age fashion designers are creating a difference within fashion retail?

Everyone thinks of being a doctor, an engineer or businessmen but there are very less people who dare to pursue their passion as their profession. Society has become so competitive that the young folks tend to run after money and authority leaving behind their passions. Fighting all the odds our society brings us some inspirational folks such as Anurag Gupta who follow their amateur interest and become successful.

A graduate from NIIFT Mohali India in 2012, he started his career working with Manish Arora and also worked with Varun Bahl as a senior Designer.  Having five years of experience in the industry, Gupta decided to launch his label in 2017 with the Name of LABEL ANURAG GUPTA. He launched his A/W18 collection at Lakme Fashion Week in Gen Next category in which only five designers were chosen from all over India leaving behind 10,000 competitors.

Kindly shed light on the journey of label Anurag Gupta. How did the brand started and journey so far? Also shed light on your entrepreneurial journey? 

Establishing my own brand is like a dream come true for me, belonging to creative industry it was difficult at every level to convince and attain support to pursue such a field.

I am a graduatefrom NIIFT Mohali India in 2012 and started my career working with Manish Arora and also worked with Varun Bahl as a senior Designer. Having five years of experience in the industry, I decided to launch my label in 2017 with the Name of LABEL ANURAG GUPTA. I launched my A/W18 collection at Lakme Fashion Week in Gen Next category in which only five designers were chosen from all over India leaving behind 10,000 competitors.It was one of the best day of my life when I got this opportunity at such an early stage of my career. As an entrepreneur my journey till now has been great, it’s that exclusivity of my products which has led to such a great establishment.

 Indian fashion market is already crowded with many premium international, domestic brands and niche fashion designers. In such scenario, how your fashion labels stand out to others?  

Yes, this is what the actual challenge is when you belong to a creative field, people expect exquisite products and designs and that is what my brand gives them. All my products are made of Khadi, the buttons are also handmade, all the embroidery done is by the artisans and not machines. The USP of my products is that they illuminate in dark without using any radiant chemical.

This is the reason that competition was not a challenge for me as I presented such unique products in market which no one could have thought of , proposing true identity of creativity.

According to you, what are the factors propelling growth in fashion retail market of India?

I believe the urge for innovation in the new retail system is dynamic. There advent of online facilitators has also boomed the growth in a big way. The need for an alternative vending platform and its demand is  well dispersed with the network we have now.

What is your current distribution in the online and offline space. Do you have retail store or plan to open in near future. Going forward, what are the plans to scale up the distribution? According to you, what are the major challenges as far as fashion retail is concerned?

I have my own network of retail stores that I supply to.  The cycle has so far been effective in getting my brand across to the client base. I don’t actively deal much in online platforms but my experience so far has been fairly good. Next year I am planning to fuel up with more spread out retail network.

The major challenge I see I the retail of fashion is time factor that is unforgiving when it comes to smooth follow up of business. The room delay is intolerable.

Is your start-up backed by any VC or PE? Do you have plans to raise funds?

No, mine is a self funded company, I believe that it’s better to earn so much that there is no outsourcing required for funding as I personally consider it as a financial liability. My preference is to always stay a boot strapped company but if the time demands an outsourced investment I will surely go for it.

At last, kindly highlight your growth plans? 

My growth plans is to develop my brand as India’s most preferred brand because it intends to promote the concept of Make In India, everything her is made in India from cloth to buttons used. I aspire to be one of   India’s top designer who is renowned for his unique concept of promoting being an Indian in his designed clothes. I see my growth as a something organic and multifaced.  I envision indian fashion finding its own unique  pitch in the world of fashion

 

 

 

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