Fresh from her stint at Lakme Fashion Week, Mumbai-born Ahmedabad-based fashion designer Pallavi Goenka is back in town, the city she made her home three years ago.
Pallavi learnt fashion under gurus who are synonymous with global fashion industry and rule fashionistas' wardrobes - Wendell Rodricks and Neeta Lulla.
"I love staying in Ahmedabad! When I first moved here from Mumbai, people were apprehensive how my career would pan out from a small city. But here I am, doing what I love and spending quality time with Ishna (her six-year-old daughter), something I wouldn't have dreamt of doing in Mumbai," says Pallavi.
Pallavi started her career at 18, with her store opposite Rocky S's in Mumbai. In college, she had mentors in Rodricks and Lulla who were there at Pallavi's LFW debut. Marriage happened soon and Pallavi took a break from designing to look into her husband's bed-linen export business. She believes this was conscious decision as it taught her the corporate machinery and the importance of being organised.
"Almost 80% designers today are not organised. They are creative but notorious for not meeting deadlines. In that respect, I now know what goes into making a garment apart from art behind it," says Pallavi.
Speaking of Ktha, her own design range, she believes that every garment has a story behind it. Pallavi breathes traditional styles into contemporary cuts to make garments practical yet attractive for young Indian women. Elaborating on this, Pallavi says, "My target audience is the working women who find it cumbersome to wrap around a saree but want to carry that tradition in modern, smart outfits.”
Pallavi believes India is at cusp of a renaissance not only in fashion, but also in food and lifestyle. According to her, tier II cities like Ahmedabad with their large disposable incomes will be the drivers of this change. “Ahmedabad clients are maturing and getting exposed to designer clothes now," she observes. In last two years, she has seen Amdavadis influenced by Mumbai's fashionistas and they do not mind taking a flight to Maximum city just for an outfit!
"Also, in a two-day preview that I had at a store on CG Road during lean summer months this year, I made sales that I wouldn't have made in six months of retail in top stores of India!”
“If one is approachable and reasonable, Ahmedabad is a very good market (for designers),” she adds.
Pallavi, however, believes that much can be done about Ahmedabad’s night life which is quite a deterrent to the fashion scene here. "Gujarat being a dry state, it becomes very difficult to entertain my European buyers as they want to fly out to Mumbai in the evening just for the alcohol."
“I hope, in the future, we make some headway into this department as well,” she adds, matter-of-factly.
