Waiting and Watching
Last week has been exhausting with my launch at Daaram and then a busy week here in Chennai without a break. But it has been worth it and I feel as if I’ve learned a thing or two about myself as well as about Brass Tacks.
Daaram pulls in an interesting crowd. The store is very particular that they retail only handloom products so rather than sharing a common socio-economic background, their customers share a common interest. Having said that, the look and a price of a product does determine your market, and Daaram’s clothes are very straightforward and their prices are low (tops start at Rs 250 and their most expensive kurta is Rs 1100).
The really great thing for me is that the store has a lot of people walking in everyday, and by sheer numbers even if a few of them are interested in Brass Tacks, that’s a good start for me. The feedback I got from many customers was indicative that Daaram and I are yet to reach out to the kind of person who will wear Brass Tacks. Many of the women felt the clothes were “too western” (the tops were too short- i.e. not covering the hip like a kurti), too many of them were sleeveless, or the prices were too high. Still, there were quite a few young women who came in, tried on many pieces and bought a few.
At first my expectations were really high (note to self: stop doing that!) but by the last day I had gone to the other extreme, feeling really skeptical about things sales picking up. I had to remind myself that things were not so different at my own store when I started out. The partners at Daaram seem very confident that Brass Tacks will do well and that there is a demand for that genre of clothing. It’s just a question of time and reaching out to the kind of people who are into tailored clothing with interesting (and sometimes quirky) details. And so much for creating such a strong distinction between a Daaram and a Brass Tacks customer- many women were happy to buy both, which means I am still figuring out who my customer is.
Another interesting thing I noticed is that being surrounded by so much handwoven fabric in subtle colours made me think about designs that are a bit…well, less tailored than the usual Brass Tacks look. I often get inspiration for designs from the fabric itself, and mill made fabrics or handwoven fabrics in mercerized cotton lend themselves very well to crisp, tailored, fitted clothing. But the soft, dull yarn in the fabrics at Daaram made me think of design ideas for shapely but still flowy styles. I’ve ordered some khadi yardage for those styles and hopefully those ideas in my head will evolve into something tangible for my Winter Collection.
Below, some pictures of the Brass Tacks corner at Daaram:
Daaram pulls in an interesting crowd. The store is very particular that they retail only handloom products so rather than sharing a common socio-economic background, their customers share a common interest. Having said that, the look and a price of a product does determine your market, and Daaram’s clothes are very straightforward and their prices are low (tops start at Rs 250 and their most expensive kurta is Rs 1100).
The really great thing for me is that the store has a lot of people walking in everyday, and by sheer numbers even if a few of them are interested in Brass Tacks, that’s a good start for me. The feedback I got from many customers was indicative that Daaram and I are yet to reach out to the kind of person who will wear Brass Tacks. Many of the women felt the clothes were “too western” (the tops were too short- i.e. not covering the hip like a kurti), too many of them were sleeveless, or the prices were too high. Still, there were quite a few young women who came in, tried on many pieces and bought a few.
At first my expectations were really high (note to self: stop doing that!) but by the last day I had gone to the other extreme, feeling really skeptical about things sales picking up. I had to remind myself that things were not so different at my own store when I started out. The partners at Daaram seem very confident that Brass Tacks will do well and that there is a demand for that genre of clothing. It’s just a question of time and reaching out to the kind of people who are into tailored clothing with interesting (and sometimes quirky) details. And so much for creating such a strong distinction between a Daaram and a Brass Tacks customer- many women were happy to buy both, which means I am still figuring out who my customer is.
Another interesting thing I noticed is that being surrounded by so much handwoven fabric in subtle colours made me think about designs that are a bit…well, less tailored than the usual Brass Tacks look. I often get inspiration for designs from the fabric itself, and mill made fabrics or handwoven fabrics in mercerized cotton lend themselves very well to crisp, tailored, fitted clothing. But the soft, dull yarn in the fabrics at Daaram made me think of design ideas for shapely but still flowy styles. I’ve ordered some khadi yardage for those styles and hopefully those ideas in my head will evolve into something tangible for my Winter Collection.
Below, some pictures of the Brass Tacks corner at Daaram:
Labels: design process, growth, marketing, retail
posted by Anaka at
7:39 AM
9 Comments:
hey anaka, let me tell you no matter what business youre in you never know when the customer/client will walk in, but you always have to think highly (so delete note to self:)). The pics from the new store r great and with the right words doing the rounds youll soon have the troops coming in. good luck !
your market is in bombay - you bet.
on the basis of whatever you hve written -i thought the length of the kurti is long. so i have to cut and restitch.
Retail is a very tricky business. But i'm glad you found someone like minded. There are enough of them who do not answer calls, reply to mails, and totally disrespect your products. So i think daram was a good choice!
Aarthi: Thanks for visiting my blog. I do have a lot of love for what I'm doing, but what I meant with the note to self was that I should keep my expectations low and not assume that everyone is going to love my work right away.
Anrosh- you think? I'm a bit scared of Bombay and Delhi; the competition (with so many other brands) and the taste that is not always subtle. But I could be wrong. We'll find out by the end of the year when I find a retailer there :)
Kalyani: tell me about it. You have to keep at it without losing your sense of humour (I know, easier said than done).
kalyani, have you checked out
http://www.etsy.com/ ?
Good luck to you. So far, I like what I see. You line looks very nice - stylish, comfortable and practical.
take care...
Love the way the garments are displayed in the second picture.
Thank you Shireena and Arya! Hope you both get a chance to try on Brass Tacks clothes one day- then you can give me first hand feedback.
I think Lycra to add a better fit is a great idea...and I don't think it will lessen brand value. Your clothes are beautifully cut and if lycra enhances that, go for it!!
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