Fashion takes the business route

When fashion heavyweights like JJ Valaya, Tarun Tahiliani went the retail-way, many expected the trend to catch up with the upcoming and established designers. After showcasing at the elite Milan Fashion Week, Ms. Charu Parashar has been smitten by the lure of retailing. Here she is lending her thoughts on the model and also her plans for the same.

Aadeetya Sriram (AS): How frequently do you introduce new collection?

Charu Parashar (CP): The collections that we work on basically depend upon the change in style trends and also seasons to a certain extent. We primarily work on the prêt collection, but are major source of interest is generated by Indian wear and wedding wear, which comprises around 60% of our total design stock and sales.

AS: Who are your clientele for the products?

CP: If you look at the varied offerings from our side, which include the accessories, the pricing that we operate on are for the niche segment of the society. Suits start up from Rs 30,000 and go up to lakhs. We have not been catering to the business segment as of yet, but with our stores we feel that our reach is bound to widen.

AS: Who or what is the inspiration for your designs?

CP: The inspiration behind this collection is royalty. My USP is a lot of colour. I have done a lot of tone-on-tone Swarovski and Diamante, nothing over the top; embellishments are very intricate. My designs and colours are never too loud, in-your-face types. Emphasis is on silhouette, and my clothes are never top to bottom embroidered.

AS: This is your first store. How many are expected in the next one year?

CP: After this, we plan to open up our first store in Mumbai; we have a definite plan and hence we do not want to rush with things. If everything is in place, we will be launching the Mumbai store by December. I am a designer who emphasises on sales; I attain sales of 95% from all multi-brand stores.

AS: How do you benefit from showcasing at fashion shows?

CP: I have been showcasing at fashion week like Wills, Dubai Fashion Week and a couple of more fashion shows, but I think fashion show does give you an edge when it comes to something like showcasing your design on the right kind of model. Wills is an amazing platform, given me business from every possible direction in the last five years.