The site esthetics are very global – something many sites here are not able to attain. What is it like to currently be at the forefront with no other industry benchmarks?

Pernia I liken it to viral videos, when you try and make a video to go viral it rarely does. In the best instances viral ‘just happens’. If you do something because you love it, people sense that. It has a better chance at connecting with people and feeling authentic, which is a large part of what people react to. I’ve realized it’s better to focus on what you’re doing- rather than what it can become.

I did not invent online stores so I didn’t go into it thinking I have no benchmark – because there certainly are. There are a lot of international sites I love (like Net a Porter). Also  – and this is important – I never differentiate things as ‘Indian’ or ‘international’, I think globally. We’ve entered a business that already has a proven business model, we didn’t have to invent anything so in that sense it is easier. For Natalie Massenet (founder of Net-a porter) it was hard!

What were the initial thoughts behind launching Pernia’s Pop-up Shop?

Pernia I wanted to start my own business and realized there was a need for a ‘real’ designer store, I was coming across all these stores that claimed to be ‘designer stores’ and were not. They were re-branding generic designers, sometimes from Lajpat Nagar, and taking advantage of the consumers. To be fair, customers will only know what they are exposed to.  At that time, people didn’t know any better. I knew I could do a better job.

I never differentiate things as ‘Indian’ or ‘international’, I think globally – Pernia

Pernia, you have a strong sense of style and esthetic, arguably you are the one with the creative vision for the site. What was the reason behind hiring a Creative Director at this stage?

I didn’t realize what it takes to do something like this.  I know many people who own stores – even my mom had a shop. A physical shop is very different from running an online store. You’re constantly required to have the homepage look new and luring customers requires constant photo-shoots. Not to mention social media engagement and press. It’s triple the amount of work.

We are just a year old now and it’s time to let the brand grow bigger than myself. Currently, everyone associates the store directly with me – as they should – it does have my name on it. I have clients who write me emails about wrong sizing – it cannot be that anymore. Also, currently I spend half my day working and half my day dancing as I’m working on my classical dance career.  I needed someone to step in because I can’t continue to commit the same amount of time, both are so important to me.

This is why I made a decision that we needed a creative director. I need someone to take the brand forward  – which is why we hired Edward. I made a conscious decision because any good brand has to outgrow the founder. Our CEO, Prabhakar Shastry is great – he manages all the technical and financial parts of the site. I did want someone young because our team, the brand and clients are all very young.  My whole approach in life is about enjoying what you are doing and I think only those businesses and people are happy – and that’s the environment of my office. And that’s the type of person I wanted to have in my company.

I made a conscious decision (to hire a creative director) because any good brand has to outgrow the founder. – Pernia

Edward, your background is in print media (as a former Fashion Editor of Vogue India), how has the experience on the digital front been so far?

Digital is instant, with the shortest timelines whereas in print we worked three months in advance. As a fashion editor at Vogue, I was responsible for creating an image that was aspirational; it was largely about a mood or feeling – not necessarily the product. Here, it’s about selling that exact product. Click and buy. It’s not as irreverent and it’s instant, we are shooting on a weekly basis.

Digital is instant, with the shortest timelines whereas in print we worked three months in advance. – Edward

At the core of it, I am still styling – what I do here is very much ‘me’, because I believe in the product. My signature style has not changed because the product is less editorial. Also, in print editorials there is no way to measure the impact of the images I was creating on direct product sales, access to that information is powerful.

Fashion branding is still not fully understood in our market, do you feel a sense of responsibility to the brands you carry?

Pernia I feel responsible for myself and for my customers. I hate false advertising and I feel for what my customer has to deal with out there. And I feel responsible to myself, because this business literally has my name on it. Designers are smart. They are only going to give their clothes to make money, or to someone whom they believe in. The moment they feel like they are not happy, they can take their stuff out.  They are not obligated to sell through me for life. I don’t feel responsible for them because they are my equals.

That being said, I like that we get to introduce new designers. Sometimes people who just graduated or have never had a fashion show. Having people buy their stuff is so exciting and it’s a big part of what the shop is about. For example, Riddhi Mehra sells clothes out of her home in Sainik farms. All her styles are sold-out except the one Dia Mirza wore -which is another learning for me. I thought celebrity style is really important – but India customers are becoming so confident about their choices. They’re changing. It was easier to sway them before. I’ve underestimated Indian customers, they are brand conscious but they are also style conscious – they will buy an unknown designer that costs as much as a Sabyasachi sari.

Edward  I agree, though I want the best for everyone and feel responsible towards the designers if they don’t sell as well as we hoped. We are curating a selection for customers that we believe in and of course want them to sell!  We’re lucky that we have not had to ask anyone to leave because of sales performance. It’s my duty to excite them every week that we have a new drop on the site. In fact, we have to excite them every time they come to the site.

Who is the woman shopping on your site?  What do you offer her beyond clothing and accessories?

Pernia Our woman is young, both outside and in India. We believe in good service, education and giving earnest advice. A lot of what we do on the site is advising. People writing into us and call us all the time and we are there for our customer, whatever they need. We’ve had people discuss the depth of a blouse neckline for twenty minutes. That’s how you gain their trust and make the stay with you.

We’ve had people discuss the depth of a blouse neckline for twenty minutes. That’s how you gain their trust – Pernia

I have our customer care email on my blackberry because I want to see every email from every customer.  It’s one of my top concerns in the business.

What are some of the learning’s and challenges you can share?

Pernia Locating good talent is the hardest thing. We have a great office but HR has also been a large challenge. Putting people together and developing a corporate culture, for everyone to work seamlessly together takes a lot of effort.  Being a woman is difficult, people don’t take you as seriously. When you’re young as well, it’s extra tough, trying to be a boss when everyone is the same age as you, or much older, is challenging. I found the right people and that really helped me.

Being a woman is difficult, people don’t take you as seriously. When you’re young as well, it’s extra tough. – Pernia

Also, I was not tech savvy at the beginning.  I feel really good now knowing how things function. This job takes a lot of perseverance. Especially because I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. You can be the best programmer but it takes so much more. You need to have a vision. Passion for the product. Similarly – being a wonderful stylist also doesn’t mean you can open up an e-shop.  I really underestimated how much goes into putting this together. A lot of people underestimate what it takes and that’s why they’re dropping like flies. It takes a lot – a balance of both technology and innate understanding of how people consume fashion.

How do you excite a customer every singe day?  You have to excite them everyday. It’s so hard. But it’s also so exciting. The answer to that is to do everything really quickly – react to everything. A lot of time we learn on the job – well put something up and get a good reaction and decide to shoot a campaign with it the next day. Because we have access to this info we can keep changing the site accordingly.  It’s a huge advantage.

What do you see as the future of e-commerce in India?

Edward  I’m looking forward to seeing more interaction, digital is definitely the future. Making everything more interactive, including video content, imagining 3D viewing … one day! I’m looking forward to making the shopping experience exciting for the consumer.

When you have competition, it forces you to do better. – Pernia

Pernia The future of the space is bright. There’s a lot going to happen. Whereas perhaps we’ve opened the market for a niche online boutique space, there are many smart people in India who will try and succeed in this space –that is a good thing. For example, when I saw the Myntra commercial about how to shop online, I feel happy because even my customers then understand how to shop online. I think people will learn from my mistakes and do it in a different way. Also, when you have competition, it forces you to do better. For example, when I do a solo performance, I do whatever I want but when I’m in a group I am on my A-game. Because if I am even a little bit off everyone is going to know, secondly what are you going to do that is going to make someone look at you? I have to be that good in a group – catch everyone’s attention with ten other girls there. How do I do that? It makes me work that much harder. Competition is a good thing – especially since I’m very competitive. No matter what – we have first mover advantage. And, nobody can be me.

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Pernia Qureshi is the Founder of Pernia’s Pop-up Shop Edward Lalrempuia is a stylist and the Creative Director of Pernia’s Pop-up Shop.