Archana Walavalkar is on a mission to 'make India stylish'.
This morning you tried at least 10 outfits and rejected them all. Then, you picked one that you usually wear to work.
Happens almost every day, isn't it?
You wish someone could fix your dressing woes.
Mumbai-based Archana Walavalkar (pictured below), who has styled Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and Shahid Kapoor, turned that desire into a business opportunity by creating trendy, sought-after looks, online.
In a chat with Tista Sengupta/Rediff.com, the young entrepreneur talks about her latest venture, Stylecracker.com, India's only personalised styling portal.
You began your career as a stylist with Vogue magazine, then went on to styling Bollywood stars. Now, you've co-founded StyleCracker.
I have been styling for a decade now.
I was into editorial styling with (the magazines) L'officiel and Vogue.
After six-and-a-half years, I was appointed as fashion editor at Vogue.... it was my dream job.
The experience was fantastic. At 25, I got the chance to work with designers from across the globe.
I think it got a bit easy after a while. I wanted to explore more; I wanted to throw myself out there in the real world.
I decided to launch a styling company when Karan Johar called. He was making a movie with new, young talent (Varun Dhawan, Siddarth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt) and wanted me to style them.
That's how I began styling for movies… with Student Of The Year.
Since then, there has been no looking back.
I was offered Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt), Drishyam (Tabu) and Shaandaar (Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt)... and I just completed work on an upcoming movie Kapoor & Sons where I styled Alia Bhatt.
While I was doing all this, I launched StyleCracker two years ago with Dhiman Shah. It's the digital side of fashion, where we style people online.
Overall, the journey has been amazing and rewarding. I think I have been very lucky.
Is India ready for a personalised styling website?
Oh, absolutely! People want to be 'celebrities' in their own right.
Earlier, people used to think hiring a personal stylist was restricted to a select few, like celebs.
I wanted to change this mindset with StyleCracker.
We help bring out the best versions of people.
We make each of our users feel they have a unique style and personality.
Our stylists work 24x7 attending to queries from users on live chat and provide them styling tips.
They create personalised looks for each user on a daily basis.
If users want, they can even shop for that particular look on our website.
It's one-stop-shop for fashion and style. We have one lakh users on our portal today.
Who's your target audience and what are they looking for?
Anyone between the age group of 16-35, who is internet savvy and obviously fashion conscious.
We have a lot of college kids approaching us, along with housewives, professionals and entrepreneurs who are familiar with online shopping and have the spending power.
As of now, we get users from cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Lucknow and so on.
Mostly the queries are occasion based -- like it's someone's first interview or the first day at work or a Halloween party, and so on.
There are budget based questions too. For example, a user might look for a head-to-toe look within a particular range.
Fortunately, we have ample number of brands listed on our website that help our stylists provide proper assistance to our customers.
We've put in place a feedback system.
It works both ways -- we get direct reviews from our users and their shopping experience gets better each time!
How do you create what you think is the right look for a customer on your site or for a star whom you've been asked to style?
It requires a lot of research. I keep myself updated on new trends.
You also need to have an eye for detail and the ability to pick the right outfit for a person, depending on his or her personality.
For movies, you have to study the characters well to come up with a distinctive look.
What happens if someone buys the clothes that your site has recommended but, when they finally arrive, he or she does not like the look that has been curated?
If you are unhappy with a particular purchase, you can always return the products as per the concerned brand's policy.
What is the price range of the products available through your site?
The price range for individual items starts from Rs 200.
And you can shop entire looks in a budget of Rs 5,000 or more.
How many stylists do you have and how do you select and train them?
We have about 20 stylists on our team. To build our core team we tapped into our network, bringing on board the best professionals of the industry.
Referrals too, work well for us. Some also apply via social media and/or direct mail.
It is a three tier interview process, where we judge whether the applicant is suitable or not.
Training is a rigorous, on-going process. Daily interactive sessions -- for online as well as offline styling -- are held for the entire team.
How do the stylists decide on the look without having seen the customer?
As soon as a user signs up, we ask them to answer five super quick questions related to their body type, personal style, budget, size and age.
This gives us a fair idea of their profile.
We also encourage them to share images with us via our chat feature.
StyleCracker is most convenient for those who sign up using Facebook because they don't need to upload images separately.
What's next?
My focus is on the portal right now. We will be launching it as an app on Android and on IOS by December.
In 2016, we will introduce bridal wear and menswear.
What makes your business model unique?
It's India's only personalised styling platform. You might find websites doing similar stuff but not exactly what we do.
Along with our online presence, we also organise a pop-up flea market 'StyleCracker Borough' to keep our offline presence strong.
This April, we had our fifth edition in Mumbai at St Regis (hotel located at Lower Parel) with 120 brands putting up their collections on sale.
Around 12,000 people turned up and we had sales worth Rs 8 crores approximately.
We present established, emerging and home-grown brands together and our stylists help people shop the perfect look that suits their persona.
You will also find people between 45 to 50 years of age shopping from us here.
The upsides and downsides of this business?
Fashion is an intensely personal matter.
As you help a user solve their routine wardrobe dilemmas, you give them confidence to experiment with and enhance their individual style.
That's the best part about this business -- you touch so many people's lives and leave them with a smile.
There is no downside really. Each step -- whether good or bad -- is a learning experience.
What do you think about the present fashion scenario in India?
Everyone's eyeing the Indian market. It's an aspirational market and the next big thing in terms of fashion and style.
What's your personal style?
You will find me in the simplest and most comfortable outfits.
I go for staples like fine knit tees, ripped denims and leggings.
My style, in general, is very relaxed with a touch of glam. I usually opt for monochromes and neutrals hues. Most of my wardrobe is black, white, grey, navy and military.
I love my sneakers, but I also love to put on my stilettos when I step out for an occasion.
My wardrobe is a mix of branded clothing -- high-end and fast fashion -- and pieces from thrift shops and street markets.
Fashion faux pas that Indians should avoid?
Dress for your size, if not for your age.
Don't follow trends blindly.
There's no harm in keeping yourself updated, but you should know which trend suits your body type. For example, with respect to bottomwear, you need to make sure the fit is perfect.
Also, never dress over-the-top, especially during festivities. Tone it down a bit and balance the look well.
Lead Image: Courtesy Archana Walavalkar
