Pursuing a career in fashion in India is not an easy road to travel. However, if you manage to make a niche for yourself and your brand, a host of new avenues open up. That’s what the founders of The Pink Post Inc realised when they first came together to launch their brand. The Pink Post Inc is now synonymous with accessible fashion and experiential events. We caught up with the brains behind the brand – Sharnamli Mehra Adhar and Mitali Wadhwa – for a quick chat on fashion, women in the professional arena and what their advice would be to budding entrepreneurs.
Recently, Sharnamli and Mitali were a part of the Find Them On Bumble Bizz campaign. This initiative by Bumble celebrated women across India who have made a name for themselves in their respective professions.
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Read on to know what they had to say.
All About Eve: A woman in business in India was a novel concept till very recently, and now we have Bumble Bizz, celebrating a community of such women. How do you think this will help to encourage more female entrepreneurship in India?
Sharnamli Mehra Adhar and Mitali Wadhwa: Being women in business ourselves, we couldn’t celebrate the launch of Bumble Bizz in India enough. Finally, women can feel secure and comfortable when making connections online. Until now, we relied on referrals and word of mouth to help get connected but, with Bumble Bizz, entrepreneurs can meet and expand their network. It’s an overall boost to women entrepreneurs in the country such as ourselves.
AAE: What do you think is the step forward to bring more Indian women into the professional fold?
Sharnamli: Creating easy access to information and networks is the first step, according to me. A like-minded community where you can learn about hiring, taxes, banking would, I feel, make women entrepreneurs more confident of branching out on their own
Mitali: I run my own label as well, and I feel that now with something like Bumble Bizz around, it makes setting up your own business or professional practice that much faster and easier.
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AAE: Everyone faces some sort of obstacles in their line of work, at least in the beginning. What sort of challenges have you faced in your career?
Sharnamli and Mitali: When we started out, we were just two young girls trying to do something in an exhibition industry that had really old established players. Sometimes, our biggest challenge was to be taken seriously and to make people understand that we meant serious business.
It’s always been very important to us to keep our show curation well-balanced and to bring quality over quantity to our followers and shoppers. This, in itself, was a challenge as the existing players were much larger show formats than us. Slowly but steadily, people have understood our voice and what The Pink Post Inc stands for. Over the years, the support has been immense and now it feels great to see so many shows that use a similar format as us. It makes us feel that we created a new path too.
AAE: What inspired you to create The Pink Post Inc?
Mitali: At the time that we started The Pink Post Inc, in 2013, we felt there was a huge gap for a show where young and trendy brands were showcased. The market had a concentration of big bridal shows that only had the well-established designers. There was no place where young women could shop for themselves and their home. That’s where we stepped in.
Sharnamli: The main idea behind The Pink Post Inc has been to create a space for young home-grown brands to showcase their work. We always try to handpick brands that are relevant and affordable. We want our clientele to be able to shop without burning a hole in their pockets.
AAE: What advice would you give to young women who are just starting their careers, especially in fashion and luxury?
Sharnamli and Mitali: Our advice to them would be to keep chasing your dream, even though there will be tough competition. It’s important to innovate and present a product that will help change the landscape of your industry. One easy tip would be to start small and spend on your product. Branch out once you have a better foothold in the market.
Check out some of our other interviews from the Bumble Bizz campaign here, here and here.
