Being a retailer not the easiest of jobs: Priya Vasudevan

Collage, a fashion store, which completed five years in the city, is not just any other boutique. It houses designers who are usually not from Bangalore, but always focuses on the real talent behind the designers, minus the riff-raff and the frills. With a keen eye for details, Priya Vasudevan, the woman behind Collage, is reputed to be one of those retailers in the city who won’t stand for mediocrity. Here, she talks about her tryst with the fashion industry…

Being a retailer is not the easiest of jobs, it is hard work like any other, not all glamour as most think it is and a world of unforgiving criticism. Anyone who is in a profession, which opens its doors to the public for its business, will tell you this. What I will tell you is why I love it! It is a world where creativity meets consumerism, opinion meets options and moods meet colour. After five years of being on the floor of my Bangalore store, I feel I have now dug my heels in the ground to want to continue this.

The toughest part of retail, in general  is selecting a market as one cannot possibly cater to every one’s whims and fancy. The niche has to be zeroed in and merchandising has to be done accordingly. To keep a store looking fresh and inviting, season after season, is a test for the nerves.

It is impossible to get everything right from the word go. The trick is to not get it all wrong!! When a store starts out...It’s all about the perspective. Then one learns to listen closely on the floor to figure out what works. As for me, I had a lot to learn about what needs to be done for a client, for my chosen designers and for myself. It is very daunting as it all comes together so fast and rapidly.

It takes years of practice to sort out what must be incorporated and what can be left out. The learning never stops as retail is about constant change, be it in time, season, mood or just anything random you can think of. Even the vocabulary changes; there was a time when one sat with their designer and picked out colours saying red, blue, yellow or green. At the most, one said light or dark or merge two colours to specify, then came the fuchsia, teal and plum era. Even that has passed by. You see every shade has to be pinned. When I last checked it was slate, sage, blush, salmon, and carrot, pearl is specifying a kind of white. There are many whites. To say blanche instead of white is stylish, apart from being correct. I have actually called up a few and asked exactly what colour is the word they have used. Pretty humbling,  I must say. And that’s just the colours bit; there is the mix of merchandise, silhouettes, sizes, pricing and the f-word — finance — to think of. Each detail has its own plot and sub plot. There is so much to assimilate and present.  After that all one can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope it clicks.

Bangalore is a very tricky market, yes! A tough market, yes! But it is also a market that reacts to what you do, instantly. Good work will fetch you praise, it is forgiving when you falter... as long as you don’t do it very often. It can be loyal and fun and it will keep you on your toes. This city needs, apart from options and well priced merchandise, more monitoring, more effort and my personal favourite... more guts!