Brass Tacks Gold

December sales were not what I hoped they would be. I knew I was taking a risk with the focus on party wear, but I didn’t realize what a small segment of the market I was catering to with those styles - not because only a small segment is interested in party wear, but because those styles don’t necessarily appeal to everyone. I liked the collection though- and it was fun to design styles and put them out there because I wanted them to be a part of the collection, rather than editing them until they “fit in” with the styles that have done well in the past.

From customer feedback and sales, it seemed as if people either really liked the styles in the latest Winter Collection, or they really disliked them. There weren’t many in-betweens. In many ways this is a good thing because it means that the brand has a distinct point of view. However exploring the area of “fashion-forward, niche clothing” has meant catering to a narrower and slightly more high-end customer base – which, aside from the sales perspective, wasn’t really what I set out to do with Brass Tacks. What can I say- I got carried away with designing and forgot to think about commercial appeal!

I want to design creative clothes, but I also want to appeal to a wider, more mainstream customer. Enter new plan: Brass Tacks Gold. In every collection I will have 2 or 3 styles that are a little more adventurous and fashion-forward compared to the usual Brass Tacks collections. These styles can be quirky or glamorous, but they must be visually distinctive. From this past collection French Parfait (with more volume at the hip ruching) and Sculpted Dhoti fall into the Brass Tacks Gold aesthetic. For these styles I will have a small inventory, but these are the styles that will carry the brand image. The rest of the styles in the collection (around 10 styles) will stick to the core Brass Tacks aesthetic: simple, with small twists and tailoring details.

French Parfait (left) and Sculpted Dhoti (right)

2009 has been a difficult year with a lot of lessons learned. Now with the new pricing scheme, a “kurta” quota in every collection, and ‘Brass Tacks Gold’, I’m excited for this year.

Get this look: Sculpted Dhoti

I used to have a problem with the way media, and fashion magazines in particular, sell products. The cosmetics section in every magazine is cleverly called the “beauty” section (you’re not beautiful this month if you don’t wear xxx eyeshadow), and the writing on fashion and lifestyle almost makes you feel frumpy for not wearing the latest fashion trend (on their list of essentials this winter is a 42k wool cardigan) or not using words like staycation. Of course this could just be a case of sour grapes because every attempt I’ve made to get Brass Tacks featured in Vogue has been in vain. The closest I’ve come is Lavanya Nalli wearing one of my tops in her feature (thank you, Lavanya).

left: Lavanya Nalli in Vogue Magazine; right: "Swatches" from the Spring '09 collection.

But truth be told (and I like to tell the truth), I have a much better understanding for how the industry works now that I too have a product to sell. It’s not always about selling reality- it’s about creating a fantasy and giving people something cool or glamorous to aspire for. Owning the product is not the fantasy, but using/wearing it should make the owner feel a part of the fantasy.

Fashion shouldn’t be rigid in its instructions on what to wear and what not to wear. After all in an ideal world we should all wear something that is representative of our inner selves- and how homogeneous would the world be if we all shifted from one trend to another at the same time? Fashion can however open our minds to other forms of self-expression. Up until recently I never used to pay attention to fashion trends and I always focused on the overall look of a garment while designing. My new found insight has now taught me that it’s not only about the look, it’s about the feeling as well; I need to design clothes that make the wearer look and feel good.

"Sculpted Dhoti", in burnt orange and olive from the Winter '09 Collection.

Inspired by all the Harem and Turkish and Dhoti pants I’ve been seeing in magazines, I made my own pair of dhoti pants for this winter collection. I’ve always felt that this look is perfect for Indian women who are confident and proud enough to embrace their hips, and I really think it has a lot more attitude then a cocktail dress. So come over to my store and get this look- it can only help your stylish staycation get better. Oh and don’t forget to rock it with a pair of heels and a glass of single malt in hand. That’s right, Single malt is the new Mojito.

Okay, I’ll stop now.

Getting Back on Track

For once, hearing multiple opinions about my work has given me clarity and re-affirmed my faith in my original goals. A couple of weekends ago I went to Mumbai and met with fashion boutique owners to get feedback on my collections and design sensibilities. Most of the store owners said they liked my clothes but that it didn't fit in with the rest of the collections in their store. I understand where they are coming from- if someone walked into a high-end store willing to spend upwards of Rs 5000 on a garment, they wouldn’t want something simple looking (no matter how well cut or well tailored). One store owner added that women in Mumbai get put off by cotton!

At first I hid under the shelter of my brand positioning and stereotypes about Mumbai and Delhi (which is that they are into bling and my brand is far from that). Honestly however, there is a lot of creativity out there that has nothing to do with bling in the high-end fashion market. I came back from Mumbai wishing that my clothes were just as creative (rather than safe) and wondering if I should tap into the high-end market to make some money. But the truth of the matter is that Mumbai and Chennai are very different markets, and I am much more excited about designing affordable well-cut clothes made from high-quality handwoven textiles rather than a few high-end pieces. At the same time, I would be lying if I said that making money isn’t starting to become a pressure – hopefully that will change once I earn some!

My trouble and difficulty now lies with being in Chennai and figuring out my initial market here. I’ve talked about this before- how my fabrics appeal to older women who appreciate the textiles of traditional sarees but the cuts and silhouettes appeal to younger women. While I am trying hard to incorporate brighter colours and a good mix of traditional and modern textile designs in my collections, the toughest part is choosing which styles (cuts and silhouettes) to make. I get the feeling that women want something different, but not too different, and figuring out the fine line between Unique and "too different" is a lot tougher than it may seem. The halter dress (Black Orchid from the Monsoon collection) is young in style and many women liked bought it but many also said that it was too dressy and that they don’t have an occasion to wear it to. The sand washed cowl neck tops always do well, but cowl necks have now become a Brass Tacks staple and they are so safe! Snapdragon, one of my personal favourites, has a fitted torso and a wide sleeve and while customers love the fit, they prefer a regular cap sleeve rather than a wide one. What if I had made it with an ordinary cap sleeve though- wouldn’t that have made the top too ordinary?

I’m happy to hear suggestions on how to walk this tightrope, and in the meantime here is a photo of a blue ikat fabric in silk that I bought in Hyderabad to make Black Orchid (in blue).

Drying on my balcony (yes, I washed it myself).

At the store when I bought it.

Behind again

There was a time, not so long ago, when I had my collections planned out for the entire year ahead. Even if I hadn’t ordered the fabrics, at least knew what I was going to order; saving me hours of time deciding which colour, which design and which print to order. Now I’ve found myself running behind schedule for the winter collection (I’m still ordering my fabrics and will probably have to launch the collection a few weeks later than planned), and since I’ve been spending time focusing on the higher level stuff I’ve let go of a lot of small but important details.

The solution isn’t really to cut out on the higher level stuff- it’s important that I concentrate on the branding and marketing aspect of my business – but I guess I need to manage my time a lot better until I can afford an efficient assistant. I wouldn’t have put so much thought into coming out with a new pricing scheme for my collection (which is I think is paying off by the way) or listened harder to customer feedback about the lack of bright colours if I wasn’t spending the amount of time that I have analyzing past sales and talking to customers at the store. However all the new information that I have now has made me a slower decision maker (translation: indecisive). I think ten times before ordering fabrics now (“will this really be popular and still stand out as different?”) and I spend more time explaining design ideas to my suppliers.

This new process is a little more tedious, I have to admit. When I wasn’t thinking about customer appeal I selected fabrics that were more representative of my taste and my design aesthetic. Now I’m conscious of sales and catering to a wider variety of tastes that my customers have. So rather than nurturing that innate instinct that drew me to a particular fabric I am trying to hone my data analysis skills to choose fabrics that will increase my store popularity. Serves me right for majoring in economics.

All this high level work has resulted in the suffering of other small details (or low level management) that went a long way. I’ve stopped doing my random checks on garments at the production unit and I’m starting to find small errors with finished garments at the store. I’ve stopped my training sessions with my sales staff and I find they are settling into complacency. When do founders of businesses get to leave behind the small stuff to focus only on high level decision making?

Right now I’m ordering ikat fabrics for an ankle length cotton dress for the spring collection. I had originally wanted Uzbekistan ikat inspired designs, but those might be hard to design and replicate in Andhra. So here are some designs from my supplier in Andhra and I’m trying to figure out which ones would work better and what colours I should change. Think of these fabrics made into a thin cotton dress, fitted at the empire line and with a halter neck or a low neck with thin shoulder straps. Thoughts or suggestions?

I really like this one but might have to change a few colours to make it look brighter. Perhaps indigo instead of black or fill the white spaces with indigo.

This has promise but needs a complete colour makeover. I was thinking of going ultra modern with yellow, pink and peacock blue (it will look muted when mixed with the off-white weft yarn).

Monsoon Collection 2009

Every time I launch a new collection I say I’m excited about it, but this time it’s not just the excitement of putting something new out there and waiting to see the response. It’s exciting because I’ve tried harder to incorporate feedback about pricing, while also trying to make clothes that are less safe. I’ve stayed away from the shaped “shift dress” pattern this time with my evening dresses: one is a silk halter dress in ikat ("Black Orchid") and the other is a printed tussar dress with ruched sleeves ("Epiphyte"). My summer collection had a lot of sleeveless tops so this collection is a bit stronger in the sleeves department, but most important of all, with this collection begins a new pricing scheme that I’m starting.

Normally the costing for my garments is the sum of materials and tailoring cost (which is standard across all styles) multiplied by a profit margin. With this collection I’ve tried to get a more accurate measure of the tailoring cost per style (some styles are simple and one tailor can make 4 garments in a day, while others are more complicated and can take a tailor nearly 6 hours to make one piece). This means that the simpler garments have become less expensive than what they would have been compared to the old pricing scheme, but it also means that the complex garments have become more expensive. Hopefully it will be for the good however, because now I offer a wider range of prices at my store (Rs 660 to Rs 3000).

The goal for this collection was to take the “Brass Tacks look” up by a notch or two and try styles that are more adventurous and more glamourous as well. Except for the “Shirt Dress” which has a very different look (I like it, but it definitely stands apart from the rest of the collection), I’m happy with how cohesive this collection has turned out. In fact it’s more cohesive than some of my past collections even though the theme isn’t as strong.

Below are some of the creative shots from this collection. I wanted the flowers to add to the glamour aspect without looking like an incongruous prop, so I made them accessories that complimented the outfit. I tried so hard to source Hanging Heliconias for the khadi dress ("Lady Bird") but couldn’t find any the day before the shoot so we had to cut regular Heliconias and string them together with wires. My photographer did wonders with the lighting to create a fabulous backdrop, the model was enthusiastic and helpful throughout the day, and the owners of my favourite childhood store lent their jewellery for the shoot (just in case you were wondering, back in the day I used to buy their handmade paper and I didn’t start buying their jewellery until a few years ago).

"Lady Bird", cotton khadi dress with pleat details at the neck. The shrug (“Colombo Shrug”) that is photographed in this dress got ready only by 4pm so I didn’t get to shoot it with the dress in the catalogue shots.


"Black Orchid", a halter neck dress made from handwoven mulberry silk with diamond shaped ikat designs. White Orchids were draped on her arms (by the model's friend who showed up in the evening to lend a hand) and I love the final outcome- looks like orchids are growing on her arm!


"Epiphyte", a printed tussar-silk dress with a fitted empire line and ruched sleeves. These Aranthera Anne Black orchids we used to braid into the model's hair and twist around her neck were so easy to work with. The flowers never fell off despite all the twisting and the colour looked great with the dress.

Jewellery: Courtesy of Aesthetics, Radha Krishna Salai (ph: 044- 2811-1973).

The rest of the pictures will be up on the website soon.

Conforming to Stand Out

In the last couple of months I’ve been going through a lot of self-doubt about my brand; wondering if what I want to do is a viable plan, and if there are enough people out there who share my taste. A lot of the feedback I’ve been hearing of late is that my clothes have cuts and styles that are "very young" but in fabrics that are meant for “old people”.

Ouch, right?

But let's set aside how crushed I feel when I see young women try on my clothes and say “it makes me look like I’m forty”. After all I suppose I can look on the bright side and take some strange comfort in the fact that they can see what I am trying to do at Brass Tacks. The whole point at Brass Tacks is to take handwoven fabrics and give them a makeover in the form of tailored, stylish clothing. However if my target customer still feels that the fabrics are making the overall garment look old, then I’ve not succeeded in my design goal.

One lady told me that the designs look “confused” because they are neither for older women (too tailored and fitted with adventurous cuts) nor are they for younger women (“old” colours and fabrics). Well if I have to be either “here” or “there” to make this for-profit model work, then here are my choices:

Plan A: Continue doing what I do with Brass Tacks designs, but also incorporate more mill made fabrics that are easier to care for, less expensive, and most importantly “young looking”. So for example if I am making an evening dresses in cotton khadi and it does relatively well, I might consider repeating it in mill made silk in a popular colour like magenta or turquoise (you know, colours that really pop). This way I will be able to cater to a wider range of tastes without losing the core ideals and fabrics that I love.

Plan B: Very similar to A, except to keep the brand image intact I need to have the less expensive and more mass appeal range of clothing under a different brand name. This will also allow me to monitor more closely which brand attracts more people or if there is an overlap, but in terms of logistics it’s a bit harder to do at the moment.

And while I figure out which plan to go with for my Winter collection, my team is scrambling to put the Monsoon collection together (sans two tailors who have swine flu). We finally managed to get the pattern right for this halter dress that I am making in a black silk with diamond shaped ikat designs. I tried it on today and breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily forgetting my deadlines, the amount of work I have ahead of me in the next 2 weeks, and all the bills I have to pay.

See I’m not confused. I’m just negotiating new territory on my own terms.

Flirting with Lycra

Geeky blog title I know, but I can explain. A couple of months ago I bought these fabulous cotton pants with a little lycra woven into the fabric. They fit me perfectly and they are so versatile- for hot and cool days, for almost every occasion, and for pretty much every top I own. I love these pants so much that I rarely wear my jeans or my own Brass Tacks linen pants anymore. One evening I washed my pants at night so that I could wear them again the next morning and that’s when I realized there was something strange going on here. As my own brand ambassador, it is hypocritical that I live in trousers that Brass Tacks doesn’t produce?

One of Brass Tacks’ selling points, using only natural fibres, evolved while explaining my brand’s specialty to entrepreneurs and marketing consultants. Many of them liked the idea of natural fabrics because selling yourself as an eco-friendly brand is really in vogue right now. For me using natural fabrics was a given (rather than a choice) because I never wear synthetic fibres, barring the occasional cotton garment with lycra mixed into the weave. The real selling point of my brand, to me, is the marriage of handwoven textiles with a cosmopolitan, tailored look.

I have always maintained that in order to complete an outfit, I may use mill-made fabric (like my linen trousers). So then is it so bad to use a bit of lycra in my trousers to create a more fitted look if it completes an outfit? Some of my kurtas (worn like tunics) and mini-dresses do look best with leggings or really fitted Capri pants- neither of which I make. Also, for my collection photo-shoots I’m forced to pair all my tops, kurtas, and mini-dresses with my linen trousers even though I know some of them would look much better with a fitted pair of pants (I don’t think it’s fair to show an outfit on the website unless it’s 100% Brass Tacks). But the real question here is why am I not making a complete outfit in my own company if I am constantly recommending a pair of leggings or fitted Capri pants to customers who buy my tunics? Would I be letting down my brand, or could using lycra enable me to sell more hand-loom garments? Studies (seconded by my experiences in retail) show that women are more likely to make a purchase if they can buy a complete outfit in the same store.

I used to think I was the only one with a strange waist-hip proportion that made it hard to shop for trousers in India. Talking to my friends and customers has made me realize that there are very few brands that exist in India that retail affordable, well-cut trousers (with or without lycra). This is just more incentive to provide more variety at my store, and add one well-cut pair of cotton trousers and another fitted pair with lycra.

But as you can see I’m a bit torn. I don’t want to get greedy and in the process dilute my brand image. So send in your thoughts and feedback; reassure me or dissuade me.

Above, an example of a tunic that would look better as a complete outfit with fitted pants rather than the looser linen ones shown here.

It's an Acquired Taste

I know that I cater to a very niche market through Brass Tacks, but sometimes I worry that within that niche my personal favourites probably cater to just a handful. This isn’t to say I don’t like everything I design; it just means that I’m aware of my taste and my tendency to choose fabrics that are not necessarily popular.

I’ve known this for a while, especially with my love for checks and stripes. I have used these fabrics before, but I’m always hesitant and I carefully pick the ones that I think will have universal appeal.

Recently I’ve been feeling a lot more strongly about my passion for traditional checks. Why should I choose only the checks that cater to a wide audience- isn’t part of creating a brand image having a distinct point of view and taking a few risks? A conversation I had with one of my customers the other day made me realize that if I spend too much energy focusing on what will sell really well, I might lose touch with my inspiration, thereby losing the point of view I set out to show. This customer (she’s a textile designer) was there to talk to the host of a show on NDTV-Hindu* about my store, and she told me that while she loves the fact that I use soft, thin cotton that crushes, she probably shouldn’t say that on TV because most people dislike that about cotton. Hearing her say that reminded me of a look that I too love. Sometimes I get so wrapped up trying to change the associations people have of traditional textiles in order to create something that is cosmopolitan, urban and marketable, that I forget (or push aside) what I love. Soft, thin cotton that crushes at your elbows and knees has a certain old world charm to it that I love. It’s natural in a very honest way unlike stiff, starched cotton or poly-cotton blends. Those may not crinkle, but they lack soul.

A huge focus at Brass Tacks is to take handloom fabric, and re-articulate them as modern silhouettes. It’s not enough to think about how a fabric may feel, or how a style may look. The final combination of fabric, silhouette, drape and tailoring forms a product that will trigger certain associations for customers. It’s my personal opinion that there are many women in India who feel that khadi, crushed cotton, and other traditional textiles are frumpy or old-school in a very unfashionable way. Especially when it comes to woven textiles, the traditional checks are not popular because ...well, I really don’t know why. Maybe not enough high-end designers make it look glamorous in the way that they make embroidery and sequins on chiffon silk look glamorous? A lot of textile magazines and books that I read lead me to believe that our traditional checks would be really popular in Europe and the pockets of the US and Japan, and maybe that’s because their associations of that fabric are different.

Recently I went through my mother’s collection of old Kanjeevaram sarees and I’m in love with them. The stripes and checks are amazing; with colour combinations I would never have imagined would look so stunning. I’m determined to use textiles inspired by these designs, but apparently no weaver in Kanjeevaram will weave cotton yardage anymore. That’s not my main problem though: the toughest challenge at hand is to design styles with these textiles, while staying true to the design aesthetic of these stripes and checks. Below are a few photos from my mother’s collection.






*The shoot at my store was for a show on NDTV-Hindu, and will air in about a month. I am so thankful to everyone who came over that day and spent so much time helping out. Really, I was touched to see how many people came and patiently waited for camera time.

Pushing Creative Boundaries

I recently wrote to a fashion critic asking for feedback and thoughts about my brand and my designs. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply within a couple of days, but it took a while for his feedback to sink in. He said that I needed to push myself and do something that is not just different, but completely revolutionary.

Not to get defensive, but when you make clothes that have semi mass-appeal, it's hard to be revolutionary. I came into this business for my love of textiles, so part of my goal is to work towards ordering larger volumes from weavers (so that they will be more receptive to working on quality and experimenting with different fabric constructions). To order larger volumes I have to make more garments, so even though my clothes are not as mass-market as a store in a mall, I do want the clothes to cater to a relatively large niche. My point is that when you try to make clothes that are not highly exclusive, it is difficult to be revolutionary. The fashion critic is trying to tell me, I think, that only if I do something revolutionary will I get noticed and create that buzz that gets many people talking about my store.

After my initial reaction ("Of course I am doing something revolutionary! Who else uses beautiful fabrics to make such well-cut clothes at affordable prices?") I realized that he did have a point. Unless someone were to really engage with the garments, feel the fabric, try them on to appreciate the fit and the feel of soft fabrics against skin, it is difficult to understand how special they are. It is true that many women walk into my store and ask me why the prices are so high for cotton clothing. Should I focus more on the visual aspect of my garments; make sure they are visually distinct in some way that is easily (and immediately) noticeable?

Still, I'm a bit confused. There have been styles that are less conventional like Kolam Kurta and Marsupium (pics below), but while Kolam Kurta flew off the shelves I noticed that Marsupium was bought mostly by women who live abroad. In my latest collection, Pastry Layers is my most unconventional style. It remains to be seen how much attention it attracts.

The challenge ahead of me is to be more unconventional (and perhaps revolutionary!) without forgetting my target customer. The first step in that direction is being creative at the fabric stage, so I need to choose my fabrics for future collections really carefully. Good timing, as I'm in the process of finalizing my Monsoon Collection fabrics this week.

Designing for Heat and Humidity

Summer is already here, and it’s hard to get work done in this heat. On most days I just want to sleep during the hottest hours, unless of course I’m sitting in an air conditioned room, mildly caffeinated, and listening to some good music (that’s Q-Tip’s Renaissance these days).

Unfortunately I can’t always have that. My summer collection is already a couple of weeks late and I have to spend time at the workshop everyday to make sure the styles get completed on time. Feeling energetic for the long drive to my production unit and looking presentable for work everyday has been a bit challenging in this heat, but it’s also made me think deeper into what kind of clothes I design for each collection.

For the first few collections, I consciously followed a particular colour story, and the fabric choice was obvious to me - summer would require cotton and thinner fabrics whereas winter would give me freedom to play with different silks. Sometime last year, I felt that my photo-shoots needed to be more effective in portraying the brand image, and that’s when the idea of having a theme for each collection evolved. At first the themes were more visual (for the creative shots) but then I started thinking about the themes in terms of how it would affect the total “look” of the collection, and how to connect each style to the theme in some way.

For this summer collection (that will hopefully be in the store by early May), I’ve explored the idea of “light” clothes. Not just literally light, in terms of weight, but also clothes that make you feel light – either because of the colour or certain design elements. Summer in Chennai is so hot, but what really gets to people is the heavy, humid air. The effect of a cool shower is lost within an hour if you go outside because the humidity and the pollution leave you feeling sticky and heavy very quickly. The upcoming collection has styles that will hopefully give the wearer a buoyancy of sorts to deal with the muggy days to come. Plus, a little bit of style helps put you in that positive (and light!) frame of mind you need to deal with the heat.

I do have to keep my brand and my target customer in mind, so I can’t go too crazy with the theme (or rather, I have to think of creative ways to interpret the theme but still retain the Brass Tacks look). It would be a different story if I had a runway collection that was inspired by the theme and then a ready-to-wear line that was….well, also inspired by the theme but more wearable. Still, I’ve tried to work on different sewing techniques, I’ve incorporated “light” trims, and some garments have an intentionally unfinished look (e.g. darts stitched on the outside or raw edges at the seams) because to me that is lighter than a completely tailored and fitted look.

The collection will be up on the site in a few weeks but for now here are some of the swatches I will use: