Since its inception, Amiraah has been playing the role of a catalyst for Kanpur's fashion scene, curating haute selections of some of the biggest names in the fashion industry. In a chat with Paulami Chatterjee, Pooja Gupta, founder of Amiraah discusses her designer venture and future plans.
When was Amiraah established?
Amiraah was established in 2015 as a multidesigner store with primary focus on reviving and spotlighting homespun craftmanship. Spread across 5,000 sq ft in Kanpur, Amiraah curates haute selections of some of the biggest names in the fashion industry like Tarun Tahilani, AM-PM, Namrata Joshipura, Anushree Reddy, Kavita Bhartiya, Joy Mitra, and more. With a client roster of over 150 designers, both household names and upcoming, the retail brand continues to build itself as the Mecca of fashion in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
What steps do you undertake towards brand building?
We have focused on building a strong community online and offline through extensive social media campaigns and word of mouth recommendations. Ever since we have launched our website we have also put in energies on digitalisation of our products and making our collective accessible to our online shoppers. We have also set up a dedicated client support team to responsibly assist and address all concerns of our customers coming to our website. For our walk-ins and regulars at the store, we keep the shopping experience as interactive as possible, notifying our database of upcoming offers, discounts and other activities, exhibitions and influencer-based collaborations.
Which other product categories do you plan to move into future?
I come from an interior design background and after establishing my own design studio with IDesign Studio and next with Amiraah, I believe I would like to further integrate the two and introduce furniture and home décor as product categories. I'm excited to start this new chapter as my passion lies with furniture.
What was the inspiration that led to the formation/founding of the brand?
I've always been drawn towards the symbiotic relationship of design and creativity. Naturally I gravitated into fashion as it is an integral part of interior design. Amiraah stems from the philosophy of preserving indigenous arts and homespun craftsmanship and extending the same vision of cultural, deep rooted Indian aesthetics for the design and outlook of the store. That is why we have all sustainable, make in India brands on board with us. And we move ahead with the core values of our culture.
Which categories the brand is into?
Amiraah caters to womenswear that includes indutvas or ethnicwear, indowesterns, minimalist Indianwear, bags and accessories such as clutches, purses, jewellery and shoes.
What has been your growth story in the last three years (excluding 2020)?
It has honestly been a tremendous journey and I'd like to say that Amiraah as a brand has grown in leaps and bounds. We've doubled on our turnover, created and curated a space for homegrown indie brands to showcase their collections and push through more sustainable and ethical production practices. Needless to say, the ongoing pandemic has restructured the way in which the fashion industry used to once work but I believe the positive impact is that many brands have innovated and creatively sustained themselves.
What has been the impact of Covid in terms of sales, staff cutdown, rentals etc?
The first initial three months of lockdown were frankly difficult to navigate as sales had drastically reduced for the Amiraah store. People weren't going out anywhere or had any reason or occasion to celebrate and so the walk-ins completely stopped.
We had to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate our position, find solutions for problems we didn't think would ever arise. Unfortunately, tough calls had to be made from downsizing staff to salary cut downs, rentals, general and miscellaneous amenities to putting off a lot new avenues that we wanted to explore -- all this to keep the brand afloat.
Even when we were looking to onboard new designers or re-supply stocks, there were many production issues that often led to the quality of the pieces being compromised. Most often the designers' biggest issues were in the production process itself, as many of the workers were quarantined or sent back to their home towns.
Who are your target audience?
We target the luxury segment with the who's who of Kanpur and neighbouring areas and those seeking high-end fashionable bridalwear gravitating to our store. These high-end luxury spenders are conversant with current fashion trends and are mindful of sustainable practices. They choose to invest in pieces that are aesthetically and ethically appealing.
What is the USP of your brand?
Amiraah is a purely Made in India brand, focusing on spotlighting and promoting Indian aesthetics, designers and workmanships. We aim to supplement the revival of Indian crafts and innovation in handmade practices. All our designer's creations are curated to further the movement of slow fashion which promotes ecological integrity, sustainability and kindness to all things living.
Sustainability and circularity are the buzz words today. How do you incorporate them into your product lines?
At Amiraah we use sustainable packaging material for all our pieces such as cotton and jute bags. We currently house sustainable brands such as Doodlage and Sparrow who have recycled and upcycled pieces in their clothing line.
What are your long-term sustainability goals?
We want to fully incorporate plastic free packaging material and this is a part of my business agenda to figure how can I go about implementing something like this and who are the people I could possibly reach out to. For example, lehenga covers are made of non-recyclable plastic and finding an alternative sustainable material to this is definitely at the top of my list. (PC)
Which category sells the most?
Bridal and Indian womenswear.
What is your market positioning? What are your price points?
We are the Mecca of Made in India sustainable fashion with brands that spotlight on reviving and restoring homespun craftmanship and practice sustainable methods of production. Our Indianwear collection starts from the range of Rs. 5000 to Rs 60,000-70,000, going up to Rs 1 lakh.
What is your retail and web presence like?
Amiraah is the fashion hub of the city and people look forward to shopping with us and are generally up to date with all the upcoming sales, offers, exhibitions. We are known as the luxury destination of Kanpur. We also sell online through our own website.
Which are your major markets?
India, Dubai, US, Canada and Singapore.
What is the breakup of your product categories for the export market?
We do operate in the export markets through our online sale and cater to specific countries like Canada, US, Dubai and Singapore. However, consumers can pick everything that is available through our online digital store.
This article was first published in the February 2021 edition of the print magazine.
Published on: 27/04/2021
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
