%2B%26%2BMitali%2BWadhwa%2B(R)%2Bco%2Bfounders%2BThe%2BPink%2BPost%2BIt.jpg) |
| Sharnamli (L) & Mitali (R) |
Hello Everyone! As you all may or may not know, The Pink Post It, Delhi's coolest trunk show is back for the Fall. However, before I share details on their Fall trunk show, I got down to catching up with one of the co-founders, Sharnamli Mehra Adhar to understand what exactly TPPI was all about, how she and Mitali Wadhwa came up with this concept, sourcing, price points, etc. I am a bit of a nosy parker and love digging deeper (no pun intended!). Besides, it's always interesting to learn what goes on behind the scenes and I love that fact that they're young entrepreneurs. Here goes!
P.S, Mitali also added her input in the second question :)
Hanadi: What is The Pink Post It?
Sharnamli: The Pink Post It is a series of curated shopping experiences. We wanted to provide a platform to young brands that gives them a credible space to showcase their products. Having said that, we noticed that there was a gap in the affordable luxury space wherein customers wanted fresher brands that moved away from the usual brands
they see at various trunk shows and exhibitions.
Hanadi: How did this concept come about?
Sharnamli: Mitali and I are hard core shopaholics like the rest of us ;) Having studied in college together in London and upon returning to Delhi after our degrees, we felt that everyone seemed to dress alike and there was a huge lack of personal style due to unavailability of affordable and innovative designs in the market. We then thought of showcasing clothes and accessories where people like us would come to shop for brands which they would not be able to find or scout for on their own. In addition, affordability was always an intrinsic part in this process.
Mitali:
Being a designer myself, I participated in various exhibitions and found that due to the high volume of exhibitors, no one was really selling. Furthermore, these events were not well curated. The owners were taking every designer that approached them. For instance, there were more than over twenty designers in the same category at one exhibition. Eventually, no designer really stood out nor did well.When we started, the exhibition business was in a nascent stage with only two/three players in the market.We felt there was a need for a well curated event where only a handful of designers were picked and everyone we selected, specialised in a category thereby providing each of them with a platform to be able to showcase their collection to a niche audience.
Hanadi: How hard or easy was it to execute it and make people aware about it?
Sharnamli: Its been a very exciting journey so far and we’ve learnt a lot from it. It just seems easy to execute from the outside but we went through a lot of meticulous planning to make sure that when customers come in they should find brands that excite them. A lot of times when we are stuck and can’t make a decision we put ourselves in the place of the customer to see whether we ourselves would buy the product. Making people aware initially was through our personal circles but we soon realized that we cannot just rely on that and have used social media to our advantage. We believe in not over advertising but advertising right. Therefore, our marketing channels are very targeted and focused in getting the people who are excited about fashion & shopping.
Hanadi: How do you choose what international designers you would like to feature at the trunk shows? And how do you forecast what you think will sell?
Sharnamli: International designers that we feature are usually more niche brands that are not necessarily available in the country. We always reach out to brands through reliable distributors and stores like Le Mill which we know sell official merchandise. Our forecasting technique is based again more on the research we do online and reading articles and blogs. A lot of times it is influenced by our travels. We always keep in mind the season and the buying mentality of Indian buyers who are very well heeled and travelled now. So the brands and products need to be updated with latest trends and in addition, have some sort of novelty factor attached.
Hanadi: How do you go about sourcing international merchandise?
Sharnmali: So far most of the international merchandise has been sold through brands like Le Mill, Moon River, Koovs amongst others. We always consult with their teams to give them a better understanding of the customer base we have. These stores are also renowned for quality and authenticity.
Hanadi: What price points do you work with?
Sharnamli: We generally work on a price range from Rs 1500 up till 1 lac, thereby showcasing something for everyone.
Hanadi: How do you choose what Indian designers to tie up with for the trunk shows?
Sharnmali: The Indian designers we showcase are a mix of the known and fairly new names.We make a decision after a careful screening process keeping in mind the current trends, quality, prices and the brand's prospective growth in the market. We also make sure we know where the product is available and where the designers showcase as we don’t want overly diluted brands. We want customers to be excited by the names. In fact, a lot of brands have also supported us and exclusively showcase with us :)
Hanadi: How often do you have these trunk shows and in what cities?
Sharnamli: In Delhi we only have the show two times a year once in Feb/March (for summer ) and once in Sept/Oct (for the festive season), so far we’ve been to Chandigarh and are looking to expand to Kolkata, Mumbai and maybe even Dubai soon.
Hanadi: Tell me, what is on your must have list from the upcoming trunk show in Delhi?
Sharnamli: On my lust list is definitely an Indian ensemble from Arpita Mehta's new collection from LFW. I'm also super excited to buy Outhouse's new collection, The Column being showcased in Delhi for the first time exclusively with The Pink Post-It. Oh, might I add, It is straight off the LFW runway! We also have really quirky and interesting home décor finds this time specially curated for Diwali and the festive season ahead so there is definitely a lot to choose from!
I hope you guys liked my interview with Sharnamli! Stay tuned for some photos on what you can expect to see (and buy) from their trunk show on the 6th September later today. For now, I'm going to go check out the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg!
