An ever-evolving and developing industry like Fashion tends to influence people and their lifestyle like no other. However, in our quest to be at par with the “trendy”, our traditional craftsmanship has taken a backseat. Anushree Garg, a fashion visionary and entrepreneur recognized this issue and started her own brand that curate traditional handmade outfits. She has persistently worked to keep Indian craftsmanship alive by custom-making outfits by working with hand embroiders and such local artisans, supporting the handicraft industry. Read to know more.
5 MIN BIT WITH ANUSHREE GARG
Interview
Questions and answers
Instagram has contributed a lot to how people perceive fashion, due you customize your products based on trends?
I don’t have a retail store like other brands. I do curate products based on trends, but we also customize them according to our customers’ requirements and wish.
What drew your passion to promote local artisans?
It was due to my mother who has a liking for handcraft and has a good collection of sarees. She has been my inspiration all this while. She has also worked with hand block printing artists from Jaipur and Akola. She has always been an avid supporter of hand crafted clothing and has worked with artisans. I saw the way recent times was affecting the industry and a lot of good craftsmen had to find other jobs to sustain.
Have you been in conflict with your own creative process?
That is something I go through on a daily basis. Due to social media, fashion is growing rapidly. And this at times confuses us as to what is working for the brand and clients. However, we make sure to strike a balance between being in trend and following our niche.
Do you have any pet peeves about the industry and how do you deal with them through your brand?
My biggest pet peeve is not treating craftsmen/employees correctly or rightly.
I respect the people working for me as these people are the source of my income and I, theirs. Their hard work and efforts are why I have a product in the end. I try to support them in the best possible way I can and treating them well is a step forward. Change happens with one person at a time.
Could you tell us about the most time taking and elaborate designs from your portfolio to date?
Usually, I do pretty simple outfits, but the collection I am working on is a new hand block printed pastel collection with hand embroidery which is something new for the brand as we usually do simple and minimal outfits.
What are the targets, consumers, for your product and how can people know about your collection?
I conduct my business directly through Instagram. You will find my contact info and about the collections on Irum’s page. For target customers, I don’t have a specific age group. Because we customize outfits as per the client’s wish, we have customers of different ages approaching.