Three friends passionate about fashion — Bhavana Pandey, Dolly Sidhwani and Nandita Mahtani — have come together to develop a trendy women’s wear brand, Love Genration. That’s ‘generation’ without the e. “Phonetically, it sounds fine and we think the quirkiness works for a fun brand like ours,” Pandey tells us. The trio is fresh off the plane from Paris, where they took part in the recently-held tradeshow, Who’s Next, to debut their high-street label.
Brand newMahtani, Pandey and Sidhwani have always been spotted dressed to the nines, so it’s no surprise then that they got together for a fashion venture. “We have been friends for almost 15 years,” says Pandey. “Nandita is a fashion designer, Dolly comes from an export business background and I have always been doing events, launching other brands. Fashion was often a hot topic of discussion between us.” One of the things that stood out during those discussions was the huge gap in the women’s wear market. “There are a lot of international brands, but to get a really stylish, Indian brand which is trendy, yet affordable is difficult,” she added. And the ladies hope to cater to that need in the market with their label, which averages at Rs. 1,200-1,500
“It’s cool and in sync with what’s happening in fashion around the world. We want to be trendsetters and want people to fall in love with our collection,” says Sidhwani. For Mahtani, who already has a high-end eponymous fashion label, this was a dream come true. “I have wanted to do something in this space for a long time,” she says.
One for allThe three have their distinct style when it comes to dressing, and that, believes Pandey, works for their brand. “Even the buyers get distinct styles,” she says. “They don’t get stuck with what Nandita believes in or what Dolly or I believe in.” Mahtani hopes that the clothes will appeal to all kinds of girls and women.
“We have been very particular about the quality, finish and feel of the fabric,” says Mahtani. “We won’t put out something that we won’t wear ourselves.” Fellow founder Pandey says that the focus is on women’s apparel, mainly tops and dresses, and that they will be putting out six collections each for the spring/summer and autumn/winter collections. “We guarantee quality, affordability and style,” she adds.
Having known each other for so many years, the entrepreneurs are well aware of their individual and collective strengths, so the division of work came easily. “Nandita will head the design department, while Bhavana’s forte is marketing,” explains Sidhwani. Her own role includes heading production, keeping the design process in mind. Mahtani says, “We have our designated roles, but at the same time, we look at everything together as well.”
What’s in store?Love Genration, surprisingly, will debut in Paris. “The committee from France had come down a couple of months ago and met a couple of designers, including me,” says Mahtani, explaining how it all happened. Her own fashion label was selected to be a part of the ‘designer’ category, and the trio’s brainchild has bagged a spot in the ‘trendy’ category. “Everything happened organically, and we are quite excited about showing in Paris,” the designer said.
The fashion brand has tied up with Shoppers Stop and the apparel will also be available at a couple of other multi-brand outlets by mid-September. “We are also in talks with some online partners,” says Pandey.
“Plans for the future include our own stores, website and getting into accessories. Our vision is to see our brand as the widest-selling Indian brand across the world.”
Sidhwani has the last word when she says, “First Paris, then we conquer the world!”
The author is a freelance writer
