This mother-daughter duo is trying to bring ethic chic to women’s wardrobes, with a purposeful statement.
Delhi, India, 22, April 2021, ZEXPRWIRE, ‘Meaningful fashion’ is a term that has been on the lips of the fashion forward ever since Emily Spivack published her sartorial memoirs in her book “Worn Stories” in 2014. But a homegrown start-up is doing it in a quintessentially Indian way- going for a niche in ethnic chic fashion through well-conceptualized fusion of multi-ethnic designs, that come together to tell unique stories that resonate with their customers.
Delhi based Audilee Wardrobe Pvt. Ltd. are treading a path that has been hitherto trodden by a select few. Run by a mother-daughter duo, this little start-up is truly “for women, and by women”. Their commitment to the social cause doesn’t stop there- they are partnering with several unorganized women’s groups in and around Delhi-NCR, onboarding them as vendors who bulk produce their designs, while enabling them with the right knowhow, helping them streamline their own operations, and essentially take control of their own finances.
Their partners range from groups that seek employment for women from vulnerable sections of society, to groups that work to provide education to deprived sections of society. Audilee partners with them, and contracts them to mass produce their designs. At the same time, Audilee also has intensive training modules that their “vendors” go through, learning the basics of process excellence, quality assurance, portfolio management, supply chain management and finances. At the same time, Audilee is invested in their continued relationship- they generate a steady demand for the SKUs these partners produce, and also come up with new designs that they can contract these groups into producing them for. The founders are clear about their desire to grow and prosper together with their partners.
The brand that Audliee sell is named “Agnaaya”, which translates to “goddess born out of fire”. “It is almost poetic”, says Cheena Pasrija, the younger founding partner, “When we started with Audilee, we didn’t realize that we would eventually get to work with women with such fire within them.” Cheena, 29, is an IIM graduate, has the bulk of her prior work experience in lifestyle brands, and in the retail space. She found a founding partner in her mother, Seema Pasrija, a doctor by education, turned home-maker, who always had been a rather fashion forward personality, with a keen eye for designs. She found a partner, that had the ‘pulse’ of the target market- women who generally wear ethnic clothing based on their stage in life, or social norms, but are looking for ways to be express their individuality from within these constraints. As it turned out, Audilee has come to be about women who want to change their situation in life- on several levels.
The brand Agnaaya features womens’ garments and accessories, that feature several Indian designs from different parts of India, as well as fusion items. From dupattas, to handbags, to jewellery, to gift sets- Agnaaya is adorned with around 400+ SKUs, that they sell in a string of boutiques in and around Delhi, as well as online on Amazon, Instagram & Facebook.
“We are trying to bring different cultural stories together”, says Cheena, “to create designs that resonate with the women who buy them, so that they may wear something that has a story behind it, and come to mean something to them.” With a clear vision of what they want their company to be, and strong purpose that shines through in their product line, this duo is going places.