LABEL September 2013 | Page 12

Information Technology SoluThe AND Story… Anita Dongre’s success journey They say entrepreneurs are tough nuts to crack…they are a bunch of people who are extremely ambitious and passionate. Above all they epitomize the Power of Belief in oneself! In this issue of LABEL we bring to you the journey of India’s finest Fashion DesignerAnita Dongre. Anita Dongre revolutionized the entire fashion industry by making fashionable and designer garments affordable to the booming middle class population of India. Every entrepreneur goes through ups and downs in his journey and Anita Dongre was no such exception. Constraints on her side were several since fashion to women in India was at a very nascent stage and Business by women in India was an alien concept back then. Anita started her journey with the opening of the first AND store in Mumbai during the 200’s.Prior to this she was involved in supplying Indian wear to shops in Mumbai. One fine day Anita Decided to label her creation and that’s where the lady entrepreneur started facing rejections from retailers. Retailers rejected her clothing material by saying “Kaun khareedega yeh, madam? Isme embroidery nahin hai!”.Being on the supply side of the fashion industry she knew fashion is dynamic and ever-changing, today bell bottoms may be a hit but tomorrow it will be passé. This knowledge and belief in one self made her continue the journey in spite of roadblocks. Anita had studied the Indian fashion space thoroughly and realized that there is a market for her non embroidered dresses-The Young Urban Women. After facing rejections from retailers with a strong research on her product, Anita decided to start her own fashion brand in the year 1999 named AND (Anita Dongre Designs).Her first store was set up within a space of 300 sq ft in Cross Roads Mumbai (Sobo central as it’s known today).