Brings breathable collection for you all season

I am really fussy when it comes to clothes, especially because I travel a lot and I have to travel light. I always have to think about what I wear as the Indian climate is very funny all year round. Especially it is hot and humid in most corners. Being born and brought up in Kolkata cotton is my favourite fabric and it is the only fabric that I preferred all year long. Cotton is easy to carry, breathable, light on the skin, quick to dry and takes the least amount of space in the bag if ironed and kept. Honestly, I grab anything possible made out of cotton. 

My preferences are sleeveless or spaghetti tops. Mid-length dresses with pockets which are very important or short dresses which can nearly be worn just like that or can be teamed up with shorts, jeans, trousers, skirts nearly anything.

So when I got my first hands-on Dhaage Doree top. I was really in love. Weightless fabric clothes at a very affordable price. Each of her collection is a unique product and single piece made, a variety of options available in different sizes. I tried my hands on a couple of different items from  Dhaage Doree and all of them turned out to be perfect from the stitch to the fit everything was just as I thought it should be. Felt like it was customised only for me for my body and who doesn’t like that?

1. Tells me something about you. Your life, career, family etc the face behind the brand.

I am Swapna Divekar. Professionally an interior designer. So basically I am from a creative background. A wife and a mother to 6 yr old daughter Akshara
I was working with a well-known MNC for a long time. It was a routine life. Head to work in the morning, come back home in the evening. Spend weekends with kids. Then my husband got a job offer from UAE wherein he had to relocate their alone for 3 yrs. Initially, things were going fine as I had my mom’s support to look after my daughter when I head to work. But as the days passed managing everything alone became really difficult. Job, home, look after two different sets of generations. My mom and my kid. Although mom never complained about anything somewhere I understood that day by day as Akshara is growing old it’s becoming difficult to manage. I mean in terms of the energy level of a kid and senior citizen. Travelling in Mumbai I would not say is hectic as I am used to chaos and crowd, but through the time it became exhausting. Work was good but travelling would drain all my energy out. So I decided to quit my job and be at home with my mom n kid so that if there is an emergency or problem I am present.

2. Basically, how did Dhaage_doree come into existence?

During weekends it was my duty to keep office wear ready for ironing. It was at times difficult to figure out what to wear every day to work which should be comfortable and at the same time look neat. Wearing a salwar kameez was a big NO as getting into a crowded local train was more important than taking care of chunni. Also, all the ironed clothes used to get badly crushed by the time I use to reach the office. So I thought to myself that why not come up with a clothing line which will serve only women especially the working class. Just wear n go. No need to check if anything is peeping out from somewhere, the shirt is tucked in properly, no creases. That’s where Dhaage Doree came in which serves comfortable clothes made in breathable fabrics like cotton, keeping in mind Mumbai’s humid climate. Our country is so rich in terms of cultural heritage then why not use our own fabrics. We have a huge range in cotton from indigos, block prints, ikkat, ajrakh, kalamkari and so many others. That’s where out tag line comes “Wear Desi Flaunt Desi”

 

3. How did you start this business?

Like any other typical middle-class Indian family, I was opposed too for not getting into all this madness. But my husband gave me full freedom right from day 01.
Started with the sourcing of fabric which involved a lot of travelling to various wholesale dealers, weavers, cotton mills. Then bargaining for a good margin was a tough job because I was not ready to compromise on the quality of the fabric. After that finding a good tailor. Initially, I got a lot of sample dresses made from good tailors to check their knowledge, how detail they go if a client asks for intricate pattern, checking the speed of work along with quality and of course pricing. Of course, I made a lot of mistakes earlier, but I learnt from it. That’s how one grows.

4. What are your plans for the future?

I am not any A-line brand. I want to cater to those who know how to carry a simple outfit with class. I am planning to start with a new segment “Recycle your Emotions ” wherein I want to design outfit from old sarees. I know this is not a new concept but I am pretty sure that many women will be surprised to know how elegant an outfit looks which is made from saree.

5. What lead you into this?

Who doesn’t like wearing good clothes? When it comes to fashion everyone is now more updated with ongoing trends.
I like when many of my clients come up with their inputs for outfits. I myself don’t follow any trends because I believe comfort is more important than style. My only objective behind getting into a clothing line started is to make simple outfits which look classy.

6. What is your speciality?

Wear Desi. Flaunt Desi. I do not manufacture any particular design or pattern. All the patterns are purely customized post discussing with clients.
I make sure whatever fabric I buy, I prewash it and then stitch which hardly any of the brands does.

7. Your customers base and achievements so far from the time you have started!

I am actually waiting for most of them to share a picture of wearing my collection. But to be very honest I have so far catered to more than 50 clients since October 2017. I don’t want to rush into anything because I don’t run a store. Probably that’s why the number of clients is so less. People have now slowly started to recognize my brand via Instagram and offline as I have done a couple of exhibitions in the past.

https://www.instagram.com/dhaage_doree/

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