‘Indian brands must be given more space internationally’

Winner of the Vogue Fashion Fund Accessories Award in 2016, designer Aditi Dhar was recently nominated as one of the international finalists for the Independent Handbag Designer Awards, held in New York in June 2017. 

Founder and creative director of her luxury accessory label Vitasta, Dhar is a graduate of the National Institute of Design. In 2011, Dhar launched Vitasta with the goal of producing high quality, functional bags to glamorous evening clutches, all at affordable price points.

Her label is getting international recognition for its designs. Dhar says, “Vitasta is the Sanskrit word for the river Jhelum, in Kashmir. The label is based on a simple vision of ‘Everyday Luxury’: A philosophy defined by elements of luxury, utility and simplicity. Every detail is handmade, an important element of the process is to add beauty that can only come from a human hand, and to disrupt the uniformity of mass production.The sensibility of the label has evolved from a confluence of Indian colours and craftsmanship, on modern functional shapes, and a strong respect for materials.”

“Indian women designers are ambitious, breaking stereotypes, confident, and adaptable. We have the talent, energy and drive to achieve great things not only for our own work or brand, but collectively for the industry. I want to look internationally, how we are perceived as a country of design and fashion entrepreneurs establishing global brands.”

The Indian market is flooded with international brands and when it comes to expensive bags and clutches, brands like Urban Satchel, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Crocodile are ruling the market. When asked about the competitive market in this luxury sector, Dhar says, “At Vitasta we try and create bags which offer functionality, high quality, and craftsmanship, at an affordable price. We are not looking at fast trends, churning out new collections constantly or having ubiquitous products with no purpose. We believe in slow purposeful fashion. This is what makes the label unique from other brands in the market.”

But do we pay less attention to handbags as compared to jewellery as a major accessory? About this, the designer says, “It’s definitely a big market, not as fragmented in India as it is internationally. Handbags are a fast growing market with 18% growth rate year over year.”

According to the designer, there is a certain gap in Indian market for modern accessory labels. “India has a large grey market for handbags and shoes, especially in leather, which is fed by its equally enormous export industry. Chinese-manufactured fashion imports are cheap and fast fashion is universal. In these market conditions, nurturing a label focused on contemporary design, high quality, and sustainable practices is incredibly challenging. But thankfully, that is now changing,” says Dhar.

Also, as India is known as the next hub for international brands, it could be one reason why people are more attracted towards foreign products than local ones. The designer opines that India has a potentially huge market for international and domestic brands alike. Yet people in India are also brand conscious. She says, “There is little exposure for domestic premium brands which offer well designed, high-quality products. For this our fashion community, media and fashion writers need to focus on building a platform focused exclusively on Indian brands.”

Talking about her nomination for this year’s Independent Handbag Designer Awards in New York, Dhar says, “I am honoured and it’s a big deal being in New York and showcasing our brand. I believe, more Indian brands need to be on the global platform and this is a perfect opportunity to do that, and to tell people about Indian design and what’s happening back home!”

The designer is also known for promoting homegrown leather labels. Dhar thinks that as an Indian designer, it’s one’s job to promote and showcase Indian designs. She says, “This is our DNA and you must identify your DNA, stay true to it, and then build on it. And showcase and promote it every chance you get–both the label and the people (craftsman/team) behind it. That is our strength and we should celebrate it every chance we get, especially on the global platform.”

Since Dhar has worked internationally, she thinks that Indian brands are not given fair treatment globally. She says, “There is a clear bias against considering Indian products, for both quality and reliability. We are great on design and buyers recognise that, but they think Indian production quality is not great, and that China is a better bet. People, industry and governments need to change that mindset. Small- to mid-sized brands also have compliance issues, and in today’s international market, compliance is becoming a necessity.”

But above all, Dhar thinks that India is growing in terms of the number of successful women entrepreneurs here. Talking about women designers in India, she says, “Indian women designers are ambitious, breaking stereotypes, confident, and adaptable. We have the talent, energy and drive to achieve great things not only for our own work or brand, but collectively for the industry. I want to look internationally, how we are perceived as a country of design and fashion entrepreneurs establishing global brands.

On the flip side, there are numerous challenges women face in a male -dominated society; it often comes down to gender conflicts and managing these conflicts. Any woman entrepreneur will tell you about this. However, the market has never been more open to women, we just have to get out there and do it. Study the market, find our niche, market our work tirelessly, find the funding if you don’t have it already, and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You can go much further than you imagined.”