Presenting Ms.Namrata G a name synonymous with fashion!

As Indian business establishments make a mark for themselves across the world, global Indians at the helm of affairs of these happening setups are quite literally, going places. It stands to reason then, that globe-trotting Indian men and women strive to leave a good impression of themselves - and what better way to do this than to dress well?

In steps Namrata G, now a well known fashion name in Bangalore, whose perfect blend of fashion and technology is doing shoals to help global Indians enhance their international image.

Her fashion labels

The force behind Namrata G and Man By Nam - two labels for women and men respectively - Namrata G has been in this business since 1994 when she launched her line at the Kingfisher Derby. Armed with an MBA from Symbiosis, and a degree in design from The Design School, Bangalore, Namrata started out in a small way working from home. Her earlier years were well spent designing bridal trousseaus and offering personal fashion services. The year 2000 however, was a turning point as she launched her flagship store Kairos. Two years later, she branched out into men's wear with a second label - Man By Nam. Today, both labels boast of couture, prêt, casual and luxury clothing and fashion accessories - bags, shoes, jewellery et al.

Her widening scope of work

Namrata's business is all about fashion but certainly not limited to selling clothes! Her eye for detail, and ability to fuse glamour and style at a reasonable price have seen her delve into numerous allied streams - uniform design for corporate houses and educational institutions, training in image building and wardrobe management, working as a style consultant and personal grooming for corporate bigwigs.

The near future will see her expand her labels to include a niche, semi-formal mid-priced prêt range. Nam's clientele can be certain she will continue to create fusion wear - delivering a medley of exclusive traditional Indian design and global appeal to her customers.

Standing out in the crowd

Considering that fashion designing is nowadays synonymous with glamour and a good life, there is no dearth of fashion designers, or wannabes who seek to launch their own line of clothing. However, as all other businesses, the fashion industry has its own trends and challenges. The going is not always easy, and it is essential to stand out in the crowd. How does Namrata manage this?

In her words, "If I can make a person look like a million dollars...I have achieved my result." This pretty much sums up her approach - to promote clothes that radiate elegance and class, vis-à-vis ultra trendy wear. Namrata's fashion mantra incorporates ‘defined identity of design, classic cuts and custom wear,' essentially clothes that speak of her personal touch.

The challenges of customization

However, there are always two sides to every coin, as she explains, "being in the business of providing personalized and customized garments can limit growth. It can also be very time consuming - in terms of the whole process of conceptualizing to the production of the ensemble." To sum up the challenge, she quips "it is difficult to be everywhere." Evidently, a specialized approach implies you do not always have a product for everyone.

Besides this, Namrata also cites the launch of showrooms of retail apparel giants as a major challenge. She believes the opening of the readymade clothes retail sector has made it difficult to ensure customer loyalty - as a shopper today has many more options to spend his/her money, and less time to browse the available choice due to immense work pressures.

Multi-faceted marketing plans

Nevertheless, Namrata's has a well-devised marketing strategy aimed to circumvent rising competition. She organizes shows to spread word of her labels - these have taken her as far as Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dubai and Singapore overseas and Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune in India - and also relies on word of mouth advertising by satisfied clients.

Besides, she regularly advertises in local magazines and occasionally, in fashion periodicals. Consulting interviews during the course of which she shares fashion tips are a more subtle form of advertising she has adopted. Besides, her Web newsletter which is sent to a huge database helps draw traffic to her store. To receive this update, and have a range of fashion tips delivered at your desk, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Success!

No wonder then that Namrata's employee structure has widened and she has enhanced her production facility over the years. A new store at The Leela Galleria, Bangalore, is also in the pipeline. Awards and accolades have come her way and she has taken all these in her stride. Namrata was presented the Kingfisher Fashion Award in 2000, for excellence in design and her contribution to the fashion industry in south India, and The Enamor women achiever of the year award in 2003.

At the end of the day, the fashion business is like any other - it presents distinct challenges and opportunities. It is definitely not a soft sector - or easier to navigate ones way through than manufacturing or some other business. In fact, when asked whether being a woman has made her going tougher or easier, Namrata most definitely replies, "Neither."

Being a woman in the fashion industry

She points out it is like any other business, yet currently dominated by men. Namrata cites having a professional approach as essential to succeed, besides hard work and the zeal to outperform oneself. She reminisces of days when she put in nearly 16 hours of work. Of course, in this regard, women do face a drawback - the difficulty of balancing personal and professional lives.  She philosophically muses that gender roles have merged, as women take on roles that traditionally were part of a masculine domain. In fact, she personally thinks that woman make better managers, provided they set aside their emotions.

Evidently, this woman has! 

Charu Bahri is a freelance writer and author of two books. She also writes funding grants and software for a charity working in the health sector. 

Issue BG74 May07

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