Every entrepreneur has that moment—an experience, a corporate rut; getting lucky enough to have the right mentor—who inspired into becoming an entrepreneur. After years of experience with dailies and both travel and luxury fashion magazines, the 3 years I worked with Condenast India as Net Editor was a learning curve.
Condenast India gave me the offer to join as Net Editor—Condenast India and launch Vogue India's website in terms of design, layout, technology and DAILY content. I learnt a lot by observing and interacting with editors Priya Tanna and Bandana Tewari. 3 years later — with a wealth of experience in launching and maintaining a luxury portal — I took the plunge as entrepreneur and launched luxury portal www.explosivefashion.in which was the ultimate challenge. I had taken the leap of faith, aware that I had a proven formula and the freedom to adapt it to a specific market. Starting a self owned venture is not an easy task; there are ups and downs in every field but thankfully there were no hiccups, just the worry if a publication with no corporate backing or endorsement would survive. Would I vanish into obscurity after the glamorous days of Vogue?
The biggest change was developing the entrepreneurial mindset. It took me a long time to get comfortable outside of a paycheque-every-month job. And, of course, arriving at the realisation that entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, not a job. I work all hours of the day and night! I also like the idea of controlling my destiny. The smarter and harder I work, the more success I achieve, and isn’t that the way it should be? It's also a step towards becoming the woman I wanted to be—the woman who is independent and doesn't rely on anyone to pay her bills. So I poured myself into work and had my finger in all pies — editorial, marketing, branding and social media marketing! I continue to enjoy each step of the way and don't see long hours as hurdles as I’m fiercely passionate about what I do.
Perhaps it's due to unrelenting hard work, enthusiasm and out-of-the-box content that Explosive Fashion is now at the forefront of style — reporting trends from fashion weeks and designer ateliers, championing new talent and critiquing restaurants, deconstructing runway beauty and penning travelogues, covering A-LIST soirees and art. The common thread is STYLE. I update the website with four stories each weekday so I sign up every one I meet for our e-newsletter and get the day's stores delivered to their INBOX. What makes Explosive Fashion work? Frequency of stories, integrity and independence! My editorial style has often been described as a storyteller—the story is about people I write on. I really care about fashion but 'feeling the designers' who created it, their inspiration, their story is more important than just documenting their collections. If fashion was just about pretty girls in pretty frocks it would be dull. I relish observing fashion evolve, seeing how it's constantly reinterpreted. I equally relish reviewing luxury hotels and restaurants and presenting its flavour to the world. Travel. Art. Heritage. Book Reviews. Beauty Trends.
However there are the challenges of keeping business going, the need to innovate and improve constantly, changing our offering as the market shifts. I've been told the content is not 'juicy'. It could have been; I know where skeletons are buried. But Explosive Fashion isn't an expose. And it isn't a celebrity circus. It's about style. I've navigated barbs from those who wonder why I don't just write! But don’t they see that we can't compartmentalise things anymore? Style cannot be confined to a single genre! Lastly, does the desire to be liked influence reviews? Possibly. I try to express my view without hurting anyone. Would my work be stronger if I didn't care about being liked? Maybe. But I'm not willing to go there even if it's perceived as a weakness…Well it's been 5 years and the self owned, self operated brand has no employees on the payroll; I find it simpler to work with illustrious fashion editors to contribute columns that add value. A tip for aspiring entrepreneurs? Believe in your vision, work hard and don't let others' opinions steer you from your path. Have a competitive mindset and an attitude that failure is not an option. Success WILL follow!
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