Trendsetter of the Week

Prerna Singh is a young and dynamic management professional and the author of various books, articles and whitepapers. She has also successfully managed the publication of numerous journals and magazines of international repute. She has laid the foundation of the Promising Indians’ Society with a vision to bridge the communication gap among the PIOs, NRIs and citizens of India and to connect them on a platform that would present innovative and lucrative business opportunities to all and augment their socio-economic opportunities.

The main aim of the Society is to unite Indians globally and bring them together and to applaud them for their outstanding achievements. The Society will celebrate their success in India and thereby, help aspiring Indians and organisations to carry forward their legacies in different spheres of professional lives. Prerna is supported in her endeavour by her unique strength of innovation and ability to strategize and leads a team of competent professionals to execute her strategy at the ground level.

A self-motivated businesswoman with an analytical mind-set, Prerna foresees the strengths of the Indian markets and capitalises on the opportunities through innovation and undying determination. She thrives on a constant desire to learn and continually upgrade her skills.

By laying the foundation of the Promising Indians’ Society, Prerna has unequivocally embarked on a new journey that shall provide every Indian the opportunity to learn, grow and appreciate the strengths of India and its socio- economic strengths as our country takes a leap into a brighter future.

Prerna is a dynamic individual and upcoming entrepreneur and philanthropist. Her keen interest in the infrastructure sector, accompanied with an analytical approach to determine investment opportunities in India, motivates her to go an extra mile in unleashing business synergies. A woman with great business mind-set, Prerna shall undoubtedly be one of the renowned names in the remarkably valued entrepreneur industry.

My fashion motto? 

To be Simply Awesome

3 words to describe my sense of style? 

Minimalistic, elegant & classy

My 5 essential wardrobe elements? 

My dresses, Fragrance, footwear, Denims, Earrings + Bangles

My favourite style influencers? 

Sonam Kapoor & Priyanka Chopra

You wouldn’t catch me wearing?

Blue denim & white shirt

My favorite party attire?

My favorite party attire is shimmering crepe exclusive dress or evening gown in western and in Indian lehanga with lot of flair and elaborate dupatta

Brands I love?

Fab India

Zara . Prada

My go to  accessory? 

Bangles

I would not leave my home without?

Shades

Trendsetter of the Week

Publecity is a industrial themed pub in Pune. This concept is very new to Pune, we have used a lot of metal, scrape material, oil drums.

My fashion motto?

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” — Rachel Zoe

My wardrobe essentials?

Jumpsuits, Little black dress, denim jacket, gown, jeans and t-shirt

My style icons?

Deepika Padukone

Victoria Beckham
Kate Middleton

The worst trend to become popular?

bell bottom pants

My go to office attire?

White shirt and black formal skirt

My favourite brands?

Michael cinco

Sherry hill

I can’t leave the house without?

car keys, sun glasses, my purse, lip gloss, Kajal

Trendsetter of the Week : Kriti Bhatia

Kriti Bhatia is a PhD Research Scholar (Dept. of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics), Urbanist and an inquisitive sociologist as she likes to be called.

She is the Founding Partner of Jan Ki Baat (India’s largest on-ground election-driven citizen-centric platform).

She holds her Bachelors in Economics from the Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and Masters in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She pursued Public Policy and Economic Reasoning from the Takshashila Institution, Bangalore. She has worked with the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi for about 2 years (on Regional Economic Integration and political economy and trade of jute in the Indian subcontinent) and has undertaken projects with prestigious organisations like the World Bank (on output assessment of ITIs and ITCs), International Committee of the Red Cross (on Economic security in conflict regions and International Humanitarian Law), TaTa Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (World Bank and MRVC funded project on Engendering the suburban rail network – making public transport inclusive) and with Members of Parliament (providing legislative research inputs on Socio-Economic issues and policies).

She has authored a number of articles and papers for reputed platforms and has presented her cutting-edge work at various International and National conferences. Her vision is to contribute towards a world free from inequities of Knowledge and income.

My fashion motto? 

Elegance is key

3 words to describe my sense of style? 

Boho Chic, vivid, Indo-Western

My 5 essential wardrobe elements?

Long skirts, one-piece maxi dresses, bardot tops, traditional kurtis, jumpsuits

One thing that most people don’t know about me?

Can carry Indian and Western formals with equal ease

My favourite party attire?

Sweetheart neckline gown

The worst trend to ever become popular is?

Frills

Who should everyone be following right now?

Olivier Rousteing

The first thing I notice about people? 

Their eyes

My style secret?

Last-minute accessorizing

The best fashion advice I have ever receive?

Just be yourself

At the end of the day, what would you want your wardrobe to say about you?

Wardrobe full of different hues and breezy attires tend to reflect my sprightly personality

I’m dying to splurge on.. (fashion item)

Perhaps a Chopard watch

Trendsetter of the Week : Sharmita Bhinder

Sharmita Banerjee Bhinder practiced civil criminal law in Dost and high court Chandigarh for two years, she trains various corporates and started an NGO, ‘Empower’ for special children.

She has also trained in Angel healing, Pranic and spiritual healing and became a spiritual healer.

My fashion motto?

Be unique! Create your style – Don’t blend in or follow but be the one to be followed 

My 5 essential wardrobe elements?

A black skirt, a white top, scarves, a handbag, shades, saree and bindi

My favourite style influencers?

Shabana Azmi, Kiran Thakur Singh Kher

My favorite work attire?

Saree

Brands I love?
Byloom International, Sabyasachi

I would not leave my home without?

Kajal, bindi, sunscreen and phone

Dressire x Designers : Pinky Ahuja

What are the key elements for you when designing a collection for each season?

While designing our  collection we always keep creativity with comfort in mind. It is a very important thing. Also the beautiful colours according to beautiful skin tone.
KRCOUTURE stands for KAJALRANI COUTURE

What are your plans for the future?

I want to see KRCOUTURE in Dubai and London one day. Want to enter international market.

What advice would you give to young women readers who want to follow a similar career path as you?

My advice to all young upcoming designers is follow your passion with determination & love what you do and success follows you.

What sparked your interest in fashion?

Every Woman is beautiful but it is her style quotient that makes her confident and different. Styling has always been my passion. Be it a family dinner ,a school fete,college annual day , weddings  or just any occasion I  always loved to style myself.
This passion was loved by near and dear ones in my family and friends and they would  often take me with them for their shopping spree.They felt confident with my Choice. This inspired me!

I want every woman to feel confident in her own body.
So here at KRCOUTURE we want every woman to feel confident and beautiful.Rani and I are college buddies both having passion for good food good clothes good life. We always wanted to do something professionally. Wanted to express our passion further. So when our kids reached their mid teens, we launched KRCOUTURE in PUNE at NIBM ROAD at TARASHA MULTIDESIGNER STORE .WE share this store with two more brands so our customers get a wide range.I believe together we grow so having a great team makes challenges easy.

 

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your company?
How would you describe your brand?

KRCOUTURE is for woman of substance. She is a daughter, a wife a mother a grandmother  modern yet classy and chic so basically we serve women of all ages  and size

Dressire x Designer : Deepti Acharya

I graduated from School of fashion technology and post completing my internship I started working in Pune.

Those times, this field wasn’t as common as Medicine and Engineering. Getting into this line, today I give complete credit to my family who supported me in my early days.

I have a work shop and I mass manufacture kids clothing and sell pan India.

One thing I believe in strongly is that nothing comes easy, you got to prove yourself and work smart towards your passion.

My love for children and passion for fashion led me to start Rose Couture, a clothing line designed especially for girls aged six months to six years. Rose Couture showcases some of the most colourful and floral designs. The clothes are made just for occasion and party wear, keeping in mind all the latest trends in kids’ fashion.

We started working on initial concept by scribbling on paper in the month of June 2016 and registered our company Spectrum clothing on October 26/2016 having our brand name as Rose couture.

Starting from sourcing the team to the legal part of the start-up, each day has been a new experience.

When your product is good, adds some value and you have some well-wishers and strong mentorship around, I think the journey becomes great.

We started working with e-com portals like First Cry and realized many loop holes in terms of cut sizes, wrong returns and then took decision to enter into the retail market as well

Today we sell across major cities like Gujarat, Assam, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad through distribution and agency.

From one team member, we are today a team of 15 young ladies.

I think I am blessed in that case, my family is been extremely supportive when I was working then and running my own organization now. And I feel that trust comes when they see your passion and loyalty towards your work.

I’ve learned from my own experience, when you switch career and start businesses: Prepare to work harder than you ever have.

Women need to understand the importance of business network building.

It’s important to have a strong purpose and strong WHY which will help you for the long run.

I am teaching my team to be career driven than job seeker. Building a sense of belonging and taking ownership. Making them believe in outcome than output. It takes a good amount of time to build a business, having a positive outlook and not stopping to believe is very important. There has never been a successful business owner that hasn’t run into some challenges. most important Integrity towards suppliers and making them feel part of the journey together is the ultimate way towards success.

I strongly promote #Women Empowerment by training & hiring young women from the lower socio-economic backgrounds & aim to provide strong purpose to their lives. It’s soul satisfying to see these young ladies making mark in their lives, contributing to their families finicially,helping young siblings in educational support or buying vehicle on their own or supporting parents to pay home loans etc.

I also to aim to employ young females with “special needs”. (Physically challenged)
with minor Down syndrome or disability like hearing impaired etc. and want to to come in main stream as I believe Beyond Disabilities there are Infinite Possibilities. I am truly passionate about my dream.

At Rose Couture it is believed “Number of products we create is equal to number of smiles we create on the faces of our little shoppers!”

Our Vision describes the WHAT

What we are trying to achieve in the future.

To be one of the most “Customer Preferred” Brand Leader in Clothing Line for Kids in India and globally because we know a child’s favourite outfit can make every day a great one.

Our Mission describes the WHY

Declares our organization’s purpose, or why it exists

• To make every child “Feel beautiful” and “Look beautiful”
• To work collaboratively with women to Empower themselves to contribute to their family and community’s social, cultural, and economic growth.
• To create products that provides opportunities of Growth for our company and team members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trendsetter of the Week : Rajshri Jain

Rajshri Jain began her teaching career in 1989 and has more than 10 years of experience in the field. She has served as the Education Counselor at New Cambridge Public School and is closely associated with the management and administration of the institute.

She is a multi faceted woman who believes in following your passions diligently while maintaining work life balance at the same time.

My fashion motto?

To look elegant and gorgeous

3 words to describe my sense of style? 

Beautiful

Elegant
Trendy

My 5 essential wardrobe elements?

Red chiffon saree
Little black dress
Blue denim
LV bag
Gucci perfume

My favourite style influencers?

Nita Ambani/Julia Roberts

One thing that most people don’t know about me?

I am never jealous of anyone

My favourite party attire?

a jumpsuit

The first thing I notice about people?

Their eyes

The best fashion advice I have ever received?
minimal makeup

If I could go back to any fashion era in history, the one I would choose is?

90’s(Sridevi era)

At the end of the day, what would you want your wardrobe to say about you?

She is elegant and stylish

I’m dying to splurge on.. (fashion item)
a traditional long polki necklace

Dressire X Designers : Reema Dhawan

Reema Dhawan is a fashion designer, entrepreneur & stylist. “Strive for progress with perfection”  is her mantra. She believed she could so she did.

When Beauty and Fashion come together something magical is created. Here we present the beauty and fashion powerhouse herself, Reema Dhawan!

She is the director of the company “Deez Creations” that manufactures readymade high end garments. Her reputation as a designer & fashion Stylist precedes itself. The lady behind the charming looks, the master herself in domestic market as well as exports, Reema with her exceptional and unique style has reached audiences in a range of mediums, from fashion to corporate events, fashion shows, fashion & beauty pageants shows to magazine covers & news papers! 

Apart from all the honours & felicitations, she herself was among the finalist of Mrs Delhi NCR 2015 as a combination of beauty with brains! Her approach to life is ‘ live & learn ‘ She believes in hard work & dedication. She works for many NGOs to help the needy.

According to her, children are her biggest inspiration. She leads a beautiful journey from being a simple housewife to the Director of her company.

What is the inspiration behind your designs?

Creativity & inspiration is all around us. Fashion for me is the comfort in our own skin. I design Indian ,western & Indo westerns for the daily lifestyles & comforts. While designing the outfits, colors & prints play a pivotal role. For each and every design & collection there’s a serious amount of hard work, sleepless nights and true dedication behind it. You really have to work hard to make your dreams turn into reality. The background of my exports in garments had always pushed me hard towards the domestic work too . Indian Traditional garments line has always been my favorite . The world of fashion has a long and varied artistic history. Trends change on a seasonal basis and often reflect the overall sentiment of culture at any given time. Taking inspiration from both modern and historical fashion is a great way to infuse something new and fresh in designing!

 

 

Challenges faced while setting business & brand?

Well, every field requires dreams and dedication to fulfill it! See it to achieve it. Lots of planning, patience & persistence is required for making dreams come true.

Setting up an entire unit, good machines, skilled labour & perfect quality with new designs to be given every season is all required. Nothing comes easy but a sheer dedication can surely make all dream into real.

My husband’s support was the biggest support with me while handling my house, kids & my work simultaneously!

Branding is art,  it’s trial and error and it’s crafting something new and different. When a company has a lot of money and an established fan base, branding looks one way. For a small business with limited resources and a small staff, branding looks a lot different. Deliberate and planned brand strategies are primarily responsible for making businesses successful. For small business, brand strategies pose larger challenges. There is no plug-in formula that makes sure a business is successful. My brand & my work is a promise made to the customers that lets them know what they can expect from our designs and what makes us stand out from the rest.

Especially my brand “Showsstyle” & our company “ Deez Creations” from 22 years is a promise to customer to choose us over and over for quality of manufacturing & designing in readymade high end lifestyles garments. In all these years, we did manufacture from big international brands like Zara, Mango, Dockers, Bershka, H&M , Motherhood, Lindex & many more to well reputed famous domestic famous brand lines! And our own brand like “Turquoise”earlier & “ShowsStyle” as newly launched brand Now !!

 

What are your plans for the future?

Setting up the showrooms of my own brand “Showstyle” & to give customers the best of designs. As garments are our second skin, one should look good & confident.

 

The intent makes it happen. If one is determined to do something, analyzing how tough it is going to be, might just get you off the starting line. What is important is an honest intent, backed with the perseverance to make it happen, no matter what. Nothing in life worth having comes easy.

 

What do you think are the keys to professional and business success for women in India?

The phenomenon of women entrepreneurship in India is not new. You will see dearth of women entrepreneurs in lifestyle businesses like beauty, fashion, gems & jewels, education, food, logistics, social enterprises. They have just been outside of the radar of the new-age definition of startup entrepreneurs. The fact that women in India are ready to play a new game in business. I believe any woman in business faces the same challenges and is driven by the same entrepreneurial spirit. The difference lies in the sport they choose amongst the vast selection in business – and that decides the rules of the game. Here’s my Hifi to all the women preparing to grow and build in this new arena. Pick the dreams with courage & master the rules .

What advice would you give to young women readers who want to follow a similar career path as you?
You don’tget what you wish for. You get what you work for. So Never ever give up your dreams rather give up your fears.
Every great dream begins with a dream. Always remember you have within you the strength ,the patience & the passion to reach for the stars to change from your world to the world outside.
Keep going 

What sparked your interest in fashion?

I have been interested in fashion since I was little. I always enjoyed playing with my Barbies, creating new outfit combinations for them and sketching designs.

After my high school & graduation, I did my degree in Fashion & Textiles designing. Colors & styles always inspired me to bring something new in designing. My company Deez Creations manufactures lifestyle clothing And under “Showstyle” brand, multiple designs are there in the domestic market .

Things you love about running your own business?

I love the creative freedom and independence I have every day. I love the energy I get daily from following my passion. I have hard days but at the end of the day I feel very empowered that I was able to stick it out and follow a path I truly love.

 

What challenges did you face when launching your brand? 

All your dreams can come true if you have a vision to see beyond. All you have to put is your heart & soul in it. And Never ever give up!

Trendsetter of the Week :

Nimrata is a professional Tarot card reader, a Reiki grandmaster. She is associated with the magazine “Glimpse”.

She loves to read and is a classy dresser.

3 words to describe my sense of style?

Original, chic & classy

My 5 essential wardrobe elements?

Tommy jeans, black shirt, white chickan kari  anarkali,  heels, a floral dress

You wouldn’t catch me wearing?

Leggings under a skirt

The first thing I notice about people?

Their bags and shoes

If I could go back to any fashion era in history, the one I would choose is?

The Mughal era

 

Dressire x Designers : Hina Shukla

An entrepreneur and a Managing director of H&S Designers. Her studio has a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear falls within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions such as evening wear or party dresses.

 

What is the inspiration behind your designs?

As we all know inspiration can come when we least expect it and at times from the most unexpected place . I was inspired by looking at the ritual in the wedding “sola shringar” . The 16 colours make me go crazy and I start to visualise dresses matching to that.

What are the key elements for you when designing a collection for each season?

According to me the first and foremost key is the colour, silhouette and texture of the fabric.

What challenges did you face when launching your brand?

Well abandoning another career and dedicating whole day and night was the biggest challenge. But as they say entrepreneurship comes with a host of challenges. Rewarding challenges, but harsh challenges nonetheless, I faced the same too. Then comes Rule making – It’s fun to be the boss until you have to enforce something. Sooner or later, you’ll have to come up with the rules in your business, from how many vacation days your workers get to what the proper protocol is when filing a complaint about a coworker. These details aren’t fun to create, and they aren’t fun to think about, but they are necessary for every business.

What are your plans for the future?

In next few years, want to see my stores in top 10 countries of the world. In few Asian countries we have already started like Thailand and Malaysia etc.

What do you think are the keys to professional and business success for women in India? 

Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my grand mom gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. “If you’re different, you will stand out.”

What advice would you give to young women readers who want to follow a similar career path as you? 

My advice to young women is to NOT be overly obsessed with their career path when they start out, to try out different avenues to help them learn what is the best fit. They will know soon enough.”

What sparked your interest in fashion?

I originally wanted to be a fashion designer. During my free times I used to design clothes for Lord Krishna and Radha which made me realize my creative part . And I love to be creative. Always wanted to experiment new things and when I thought about this venture many ideas started floating in my mind.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your company?

You are nothing without drive and determination. Two fundamentals of business. Without them, you will be stuck at the start line. These two attributes will drag you out of bed, no matter how bad it gets, get you into work, and push you onwards. They separate the men from the boys, and the women from the girls. They will determine your success or failure. You need them, and if you don’t, you have to develop them.

 

How would you describe your brand?

H&S is a team of talented, driven, dedicated, innovative and ambitious individuals.

 

Dressire x Designers : Meeti Batra

Trendsetter of the Week : Gunjan Sharma

The journey so far was not as easy as it get through from Job to Proprietorship, Freelancer to Consultant, and Vice president to Director in various fields. She not only drove things but gained expertise to outshine from the crowd in her role. Gunjan Sharma, is one of the director in an event management company named DeMazzo Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. She is not only professionally focused but also actively involved in social activities and helps people from different walks of life with varied problems concerning Health, financial, Career, counselling and self-esteem.

Gunjan is a vice president and core member of Shaurya Achievers Society and plays a significant role in driving awareness amongst the people to stop acid attack and providing support to Acid attack survivors and needy people for their betterment and identity. She is always keen to motivate and transform other people in such a way that they can have a happy, healthy and a peaceful life ahead. She believes that three essentials of life are to know your true self to feed your soul, to clothe yourself with confidence and gratitude to live peacefully. Whenever she gets time she loves to spend her time in orphanages, Old age homes, govt hospitals specially kids sharing with them gifts and time, donating clothes to underprivileged, books and other useful stuff. Shaurya Achievers society reward people from different sector who have done outstanding job in their field and helping society in their style at different intervals. Shaurya Acheivers award and Real life achievers award for Differently abled people along with “The Khwaab – fashion show” could not have possible without her lead. As she always says, “this is the beginning and there is a long way to go”.

What is your Fashion Motto?

To, me clothing is a form of self expression- there are hints about who you are in what you wear.

3 words to describe my sense of style?

Classic– love good pieces that will last for seasons.

Feminine – I want my clothes to say I am a woman, whether through obvious and unique outfits, Long or one piece attire with jeggings , an accessory (necklace, earrings, shoes/heels) or just make up (accentuating my eyes).

Practical – the clothes are there to serve the purpose and not be an obstacle to my activities. I don’t want a high maintenance look that’s out of shape the moment I take a photo of it

My five essential wardrobe elements?

Perfect pair of formal trousers and shirts, A saree to wear on your ethnic days at work, A kurti/gowns for daily wear, The black dress, The black pump

My favourite style influencers?

Sushmita Sen, Michelle Obama

My favourtie party attire?

Black one piece dress

An Indian brand I love?

Fabindia