Chennai and Fashion

I used to be so wary of journalists who would ask me questions on fashion trends. I’ve always felt uneasy when it comes to talking about fashion authoritatively. I never studied design, and just because I do design and make garments for a living doesn’t make me an expert. However, I do have opinions on some trends, and although my experience running a store is very limited and caters to a niche customer base, I’ve got some thoughts on how women in Chennai engage with fashion and make it their own.

So recently, when a journalist from Femina magazine spoke with me over the phone about changes in fashion over the last few years in Chennai, I had a lot to say. I didn’t have any time to give a pre-meditated response and my answers were very much guided by her questions. I read the paragraph that came in Femina the other day, and I felt bad for coming across as harsh on Chennai. I sounded, on paper, like the stereotypical person from Mumbai or Delhi who thinks of Madraasis as conservative people from a village. Of course that’s not what I think- I wouldn’t have started a business here if that was the case.

But before I explain, I have to say that it is tough to make generalizations about a city- especially any Indian city because they are growing rapidly and the culture of each city changes as the mix of the population changes. Chennai today has so much more access to media and a larger segment of the population today has a relative who either lives abroad or at least in Bangalore or Mumbai (where dressing in western clothes is a lot more acceptable). Each socio-income group has a different take on what is acceptable and what is appropriate, and this is what I’ve learned from interactions with customers at my store over the last couple of years.

1. Showing skin is only a night-time thing

For the longest time my customers complained that I had too many sleeveless clothes in my collections. They felt it was either inappropriate for their work place or their age, or sometimes they just felt it was too revealing. But then when I made halter dresses and tops with a low back, they flew off the shelves. What does this mean? Maybe some things are not considered appropriate for day wear, but different rules apply for evening wear? Or perhaps the evening wear attracts a totally different customer- one who wouldn’t really wear the Brass Tacks cotton clothes during the day anyway.

2. Hips need to be hidden

Brass Tacks clothes are pretty fitted- this means that even if they aren’t tight, they are shapely. I also try hard to work on cosmopolitan silhouettes, so aside from tunics/kurtas that go with leggings or tight pants, I stay away from that genre of “indo-western” wear (i.e. kurtis). My reasons on staying away from the kurti have a lot to do with how I am convinced they are not very flattering – but more on that in another blog post. Many women above say, 35, hate wearing clothes that don’t cover their hips. The thinking is that if the hips are covered, they are hidden and no one will ever guess how big they are.

True, they are hidden in a long kurti, but in my opinion the logic about disguising the hip size is faulty. The looser the kurti, the bigger the hips must be, right? Anyway, my point here is that many women in Chennai want their hips covered. This makes it hard to sell a look that isn’t the conventional indo-western kurti look. It also makes me think that a lot of women are in their comfort zone with the kurti look so they are averse to experimenting outside that. Does this make them conservative? Not necessarily, but it does – in my humble opinion- mean that they are fearful of experimenting or being adventurous with fashion.

3. Sexy: desired but forbidden

I often have customers who try on something that fits really well, but the customer ends up buying one size up because they felt the first garment showed off their figure in a way that is not appropriate. I usually just attribute this discomfort of contoured, shapely clothes to years of wearing loose, ill-fitting clothes. A few months ago a customer came to buy a dress to wear at a friend’s wedding party. She was with her friends and she tried on many dresses. I passed by as she tried on a silk dress with an organza layer, and I remarked that it looked very flattering on her- the dress had taken her body shape nicely. “That’s the problem”, she said, “it fits too well”. I learned from her that her family and relatives will be at this party, and it would not be becoming for a woman of her age (she couldn’t have been older than 32) to wear something so sexy.

This is by far the most interesting thing I have learned. Something about Tamil culture makes many women think it’s immoral or frivolous to be fun and sexy. Those sort of clothes are alright when you’re very young (when you still have the body of a teenager) but as you grow older you have to “dress your age” or “dress sensible” which usually translates to a sari, or clothes that are not fitted. I was once at a lunch party with many women who were in their 40s, and one of them said (in reference to why she would never shop at Brass Tacks), “we should dress our age, and we are no longer in our twenties”. I’m not commenting on what’s right or wrong here; just observing the effect this must have on purchases. Just imagine if your entire friend and family circle had such strong views on what is age appropriate, surely that must influence what you end up buying. This is Madras after all, and what people say and think matters to many of us.

Still, I have to say that there are women who are adventurous, bold, and just dying for opportunities to experiment with different colours, silhouettes and fabrics. Chennai is changing, and along with change comes different notions of what is age-appropriate and what is “too sexy”.

Stressed Entrepreneur Seeks Capable Partner

For those of you who have been following my blog, you will know that I’ve had a recent staff crisis at my store. Before that I spent a lot of time organizing my biggest budget photoshoot yet, and before that I was dealing with the busiest season of the year, getting phonecalls and text messages at all times of day and night about alterations pieces (“can you please keep the store open for another 45 minutes- I’m leaving Annanagar just now and traffic is bad”). For the rest of you, long story short: there are few breaks of peace and quiet when you are running your own company.

Recently I took a two and a half day trip to a resort near Pondicherry to celebrate my first anniversary with my husband. Most of the first day was spent swimming in the sun, and lying down near the pool trying to read, only to fall asleep before waking up to a meal of beer and fries (see, I’m easy to please). It was heaven, and it made me realize how much I value free time; nothing like some quality lazy time to help the brain come up with creative ideas.

On the second day I started getting calls and text messages after breakfast about how the new sales girl was unwell and couldn’t come to work, and so I had to coordinate between the others to make sure someone was there to cover her shift. And that’s when it hit me for the hundredth time, only much harder than ever before: even if I can’t make frequent trips to a posh resort with a nice pool and people within ear shot to take another order of fries, I do want to have a couple of days in the week when I can just relax without having to worry about the store.

It’s not that I feel I’ve paid my dues and my days of working hard should be behind me. On the contrary, if you give me a few days with nothing to do, I will eventually start to work on something related to Brass Tacks. However I feel that I am overloaded right now, and with so much on my plate I can’t do an excellent job of anything. Designing, which is supposed to be the most fun and creative part, often gets pushed to the last minute when I’m tired and stressed. This is far from the life I dreamed of when I started Brass Tacks, and this staffing crisis was a wakeup call for me to get up and start working towards exactly what I want.

That second day after those phone calls, I pulled out my writing pad and pen and started putting down numbers. That swim can wait, let me first figure out how many garments I need to produce and how much that would cost if I were to open a larger store.

I need to find a business partner for a new store. I want a larger store, with better facilities (nice toilets, a room to eat, larger billing area, a place for staff to keep their bags, umbrellas, etc) and of course more space for merchandise. My partner should be willing to make some investment, and his/her responsibilities would include running the store. I would be in charge of production and design, and of course I’ll always be happy to help out at the store because when I’m in a good mood I really do love talking to customers and helping them find clothes that make them happy.

The building where my store is currently located is a corporation building (translation: decrepit old building with no maintenance and lousy amenities). Yes, yes, I know the location is fabulous because it is on the main road and right next to Shilpi (sari store) and Silver Moonlight (jewelry store). But honestly I’m not sure if it is worth it to stay in a location that comes up with so many problems. The parking situation is not always great, the maddening one-way street experiments make it really hard for people from Adyar to come to my store, the area is really dirty (sometimes when people use the backyard as a dump the stink comes into the store via the air-conditioner) and my staff hate the toilet and eating area. I guess in the end it all boils down to basics (oh, brass tacks! I am just realizing the irony of my situation).

I am still in the nascent stage of working out a business model that is appealing to a partner, and that will free up my time so I can work on more creative designs for both Brass Tacks Gold and Brass Tacks Madras. But the search for a partner begins right now, and I really think this could be the start of a better Brass Tacks store with faster growth for the company. As always, I’d love to hear thoughts and suggestions, and if you know of capable people who would be interested in running a franchise, send them my way.