BODY LANGUAGE A TOOL TO LEADERSHIP

WITH NOTHING LOST IN TRANSLATION, 

POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE IS 

THE LEADER’S HACK TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION

~With our body doing the talking, the manner in which emotions dictate the way leaders behave is how the world perceives them to be~

In the world of letters and numbers, we sometimes forget that it can be action that can speak louder and more powerfully than words. Body language, despite being in the subconscious mind, is a very potent tool in making the other person realize if there is a disparity between what you are saying and thinking. As we strive to make relationships work in personal as well as corporate settings, it is important to come across and present one’s self as credible and convincing. After all, the manner in which you use your personal space, physical gestures, posture, facial expressions and eye contact can be all the difference in you being perceived as either a leader or a follower.

It is probably when we shift the context to the corporate world, do we realize the true importance of body language. After all, the remotest signs of poor body language can see deals not go through as well as the company suffering losses. What a manager can do here, in order to become a good leader is display good body language. For that will not only help them motivate and bond with their employees, but deliver ideas with credibility, thus projecting charisma in a way never seen before. At the end of the day, this is a useful skill set to have.

And as we come to the bond between trust and body language, we see that the two go absolutely hand-in-hand. After all, one is only able to establish trust where there is a perfect sync between what is said and the way our body reacts to it. Should that not be the case, you run the risk of being seen with a lot of uncertainty and being scrutinized.

RULING THE WORKPLACE

One cannot help but notice that it’s never the smartest or the intelligent ones who are the most powerful in a group or company. So then why are they perceived to have any sort of leadership qualities? The answer is in the details should we look closely. It’s the body language that acts like a magnet drawing people and good vibes to them.

While the list is endless as to how positive body language effects the work environment for the better, from the perspective of a leader and their skills, we must speak about their impeccable knack to read their surroundings and respond accordingly. And if the sky is the limit and you want to move up the corporate ladder, you need to not only understand how your body language impacts perception, you also need to be consciously aware of your emotions and use body to maneuver them.

YOUR BODY TAKES OWNERSHIP WHILE MAKING A DECISION

When you go from one body type/posture to another – your mind has no choice but to respond to it- mandatorily. Without fail. And if they are used in sync, they can create immediate changes. Research around the world has proven that even before we can make a decision, its outcome can be predicted from mental activity in the brain. Internal bodily signals can be deeply informative, which is why sensing them can provide an extra channel of information to influence decision making. Not only does the body tell us about the way we feel, it helps us to empathize with the joy, pain and sorrow of others as well. With time, we are slowly realizing just how much the way we think and feel is shaped by this dynamic interaction between body and brain.

In this context, we could also seek inspiration from Guru Gorakhnath who advocated the school of thought, that every person has a spiritual center. While we may not be aware of its existence, Guru Gorakhnath says that it is within the control of a person to perceive this energy and then choose to work on awakening this dormant self and channeling this positivity towards an optimistic mind and energy.

YOUR BODY DEFINES THE WAY YOU EMOTE

Our emotions have a direct connection to our body that lets them have a big impact not only on our mental self but also on our bodily state. If we consider our feelings when they bother us, we can not only help ourselves but also bring harmony to our mental and physical states.

The impact of emotions on our health cannot be underestimated. Emotions play a vital role and have a huge impact on how we feel, on our zest for life, and in creating internal situations that can lead to health or disease. The health of the mind and the body are inextricably interlinked with one affecting the other and vice versa.

THE BODY REMEMBERS

All that happens within the body and mind is stored by the very tissues of the body, whether or not you consciously remember a particular trigger, event, emotion, etc. Emotions such as fear, anger and sorrow produce a contraction within the body on many levels – physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, and this contraction is also manifested by a restriction of the breath.  Our resistance to feeling these negative emotions maintains the energetic contraction and builds up within the body producing scars which we can carry for a lifetime. Unless one consciously undertakes to release these stored-up emotions, they remain trapped within the tissues.

YOUR POSTURE TOO, DOES THE TALKING

Our posture affects not just how we we perceive ourselves, but how others do too. There exist “power poses” that when displayed, show immense confidence and affect your decision making in a positive way. On the other hand, if you have a tendency to slouch, one might judge you to be less capable. Institutions around the world have been studying the bond between posture and the mind for years. Improving the way you sit improves not only the way your brain functions, but your mood and memory levels as well. This isn’t just restricted to the way you sit, it also pertains to walking. In a host of interconnected ways, good posture equals a happier brain which leads to better relationships, health, work and other positive effects in your life.

BE IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND WITH SOMATICS

One of the best ways to improve your confidence and be more self-aware and mindful of 

what you say and how you present yourself when it comes to body language is Somatics.

As mentioned earlier, the mind, body, spirit and emotions are all related and connected to each other. By developing an awareness of this connection, somatics helps one release the negative vibes and emotions from certain experiences from the past. The primary aim here being to free you from the stress and pain that is stopping you from performing to your fullest potential. Since all of us have unconscious actions and thoughts that we are not aware of, somatics helps us learn about our actions and increases awareness. By being aware of your body, you can see these changes and be aware of your emotions. Practicing this on a frequent basis opens up a host of possibilities, offers utmost transparency, builds optimism and leadership skills like never before.

In today’s world where deadlines and results mean everything, leadership that is more commanding and controlling may not be the best approach. Leaders who offer their vision, and add meaning and empathy to the conversation can motivate everyone to perform to the best of their abilities.

My Learning with the Statup Mentoring

TOP 10 CONSIDERATIONS FOR STARTUPS IN STAGE 1

By Vipul mathur

Being part of an Startup journey is very enriching. It certainly makes one richer, sometimes financially and lots of time experientially. I am later.

As a founder member and CXO of abof.com, a part successful entrepreneur and now a mentor to startups, I had interesting learnings pertaining to Startups and the stages they go through in their lifecycle.

Having  lead large and  mid sized organization as CXO/ CEO, I also deeply appreciate the difference in the levers which brings success in startups, mid-sized and large organizational systems.

Despite only one of the ten startups succeeding, still the most common conversation over coffee or beer in Bangalore is building and nurturing dreams called startups.

I wonder. Is it the thrill of creating something which would make world a better place tomorrow, or it’s a lure of large moneys which follows? Is it the entrepreneurial creativity which wants to express itself before the age catches up or the confidence of putting the earned skillset to the test in the mid age ? Whatever it is, it the hottest topic in Coffeeshops and now in Boardrooms.

India has 3.6 lac registered startups. Of which only 8% are registered with DIIT. Which is also the proportion which succeed.

Large Conglomerates are incubating the startups in lieu of their research or innovation departments. As the speed and output of startups at far lower resources is unmatched. As it’s fueled by passion more than money or appraisals. There are now structured way to invite, nurture, harness and reward the startups working for conglomerates. P&G Global marketing officer Jim stengel’s book – Unleashing the Innovators establishes the Fortune 500 companies reigniting their entrepreneurial DNA through           startup incubation.

Any organization goes through broadly 3 main stages.

Startup phase 1 . Seed or angel funded. Experimentation phase. Trying to experiment with a good business idea before its known as one. Largely operate in 10-20 cr of revenue.

Startup phase 2. Venture capitalist / strategic investor funded. Rapid Expansion phase. Valuation focused. Creating larger teams and acquiring market. Largely between 20-100 cr of revenue.

Startup phase 3. Seed B/C funding. Meaningful expansion. Profit focused. Long term capability building. Largely between 100-500 cr of revenue.

Each of the phases goes through their woes.

Lets look at the 10 most critical things which Stage 1 startups should consider.

• 1.       Right partner
• 2.       Right need and solution
• 3.       Start Mentorship from Day one
• 4.       Long term
• 5.       Clarity of idea and thought
• 6.       Road map and focus
• 7.       Faster to market
• 8.       Right team
• 9.       Establish your expertise.
• 10.   Networking

Right Partner.

This is first yet most critical and important step. It’s like Marriage. Choosing the co-founder who thinks alike. Is equally passionate about the solution and the possibilities. Someone who compliments you. And is willing to go through the roller coaster ride. Understands that the outcome in couple of years could be anything, but the learning and joy on the ride would be worth the time and effort.

If there is doubt about the longevity of partnership, might as well take calls right upfront.

Right need and Solution

There is risk of getting trapped in confirmation Bias. Where One looks at evidences to confirm an existing belief. This may lead to wrong estimation of the real need. And hence the size of the opportunity. In one of my mentoring, I invited the Promotors to run a low cost, written survey to ascertain the pain which people feel in absence of the product, and how much are they willing to pay more to get the offered services. Results were disturbing, and lead to the strategy shift right at the initial stage.

Mentorship from Day one

Most of the startups are fueled with idea, energy and hope. But seldom with the experience and

networking. This is one of the easiest and most recommended tip. Get mentor(s) ! There is no time or resources to commit the same mistakes which somebody else has done. Identify the right mentor. And be open to listen to the critique. This can make the journey a fairly straight path with lesser convulsions. Mentors have innate capability to bring to light the perspectives which are not visible to promotors. And can prevents potential losses.

Long term

Creating a successful enterprise, usually turns out to be longer than expected. I heard a promotor saying this to me… “first 3 years were very difficult, next 3 were difficult…..”. Account for 5-8 years for business to be in place where it can self-propel. It’s certainly a long term game, and real results starts to appear normally after 3 years. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going! My recommendation would be to create a realistic road map and then add 50% more time and money to the same, with no logic. It may turn out to be closer to the reality.

Clarity of Idea and thought

Almost always, Investors give much more weightage to the clarity of idea, rather than quality of idea. Clear idea can be executed easily and hence executed well. My invitation to the startups has been to use mentors as the sounding boards to distill the idea, and make it short and clear.

Morris chang mentioned that Without strategy execution is aimless and without execution strategy is useless. Idea is only a starting point, execution is what shows the light of the day.

Road map and Focus

Road is likely to be full of bumps and lures. When a new opportunity emerges, it would be interesting for promotors to ask a question. Why I started, what I started ? Can I handle more than one opportunity ?

In my experience startups are bunch of enthusiastic people, hopeful and confident people, and runs a huge risk of over estimating one’s band width and underestimate the real challenges of market. Best is to make one success much larger, by focusing on the agreed roadmap. A good question to ask would be “Am I country’s or world’s best in what I do”. If not, there is lots yet to be done.

Faster to Market

Competition is always catching up and times are changing much too fast. There is much merit in getting to market as fast as possible. Testing the hypothesis. Learning and making amendments and then going again with a Bang. And get to scale and mind of stakeholders before competition responds.

Right Team

Organisations can run as fast as its people. This is often ignored. And needs significant investment of time and money to get and hold onto right people. Check if team is willing to learn and enthused about the possibilities. Teams at inception should have mindset of entrepreneur rather than employee.

Establish your expertise

Promotors should establish their expertise with investors. Without being shy. It’s their responsibility, duty and prerogative which should be fully exploited.

Networking

Most of the startups do not succeed because they run out of money 

or they get limited on

their expansion. And for both, networking is immensely helpful. Networking takes persistence and patience. And promotors should build this up as an important activity in their calendar. Sometimes Mentors or so called board of directors can he helpful through their connect.

The life changes as the organization starts to become larger. The challenges and insights are different. I would elaborate on them in my subsequent series.

I IN MY WAY OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM

I IN MY WAY OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM

I went to Jaipur for my school’s Silver jubilee reunion. Old friends came together. We met and interacted with each other like school boys. Shared our journeys and our success.

One thing was obvious that some of these 40 plus have created far more wealth than others. I know my class mates very well, wealthier ones are not special/ extra intelligent. They were rather on the lower grades in school.

I was stuck with a question, what makes some of them Wealthier? Far wealthier than I am…

Some of them are wealthy enough, that they do not have to work for money anymore now. I found them working for community and Rotary clubs, traveling and learning new things. And also still going energetically into new ventures etc.

Burdened with the question, when will i have enough money to be able to do things of my choice. And not work for banks and EMIs? Why are some of them wealthier than I am? I was seeking answers!

Incidentally I attended a program called Millionaire mind intensive ( MMI - http://mmiin.com/) couple of years back, on recommendation of a neighbor. And it challenged my 40 year old belief system about money and wealth. Dangerous program 😉

That program shook me! As program claimed that each one of us get to the desired level of wealth!

 We do not create more wealth than what we have, because we do not wish to. ( What… r u kidding ?)

It went on saying that we kill the developing wealth if it falls outside of our permissible wealth limit. Who would not want wealth? In short program suggested that ones who are wealthy are so because they choose to become that wealthy…

The program challenged lots of my beliefs which were restrictive in wealth creation.

I am examining them even today and they seems more like myths now. What is your view on them? I am keen to explore your views on this.

1)      Money brings stress and responsibility. It reduces the freedom.

Big time limiting belief for me! On reflection and now with experience I know that Money brings freedom to do what we wish to do. It enables what we and our family wish to do... Clothes / classes/ vacations/ cars etc.

Money creates assurance and security and hence actually reduces stress. It creates freedom of learning, experimenting, time and hence joy! Money reduces stress was a new finding for me.

I looked at our religion and mythology. India has acknowledged and respected wealth so much that it has created a Goddess of wealth. Lakshmi! She is wife of Vishnu, the sustainer of the world.  In pitures God Vishnu is depicted to be at peace, relaxing with Lakshmi serving her at his feet. Brilliant analogy. Biggest Indian festival is dedicated to the goddess of wealth, Dipawali.

I think contrary to belief, Joy and energy fetches and generates wealth. Huge energy is required for huge wealth.

2)      Rich people are mean. They get rich by unfair means. They are snob and unapproachable.

Another misconception. I now know lots of rich people closely. They are rather very generous and friendly. They are confident and progressive. Richness in most cases is created by being at the right place at right time. Richness is outcome of creating value for others and hence self. Rich are philanthropic, they are caring, religious etc. Rich people donate and sometimes without others knowing about it. Quite prevalent in India in Sikh community etc.

3)      It’s hard to earn Money. Earning money takes time, which is needed for self, family, health etc.

What is your view? Is this correct? My learning is that, in the hierarchy of financial status lowest rung seems to be working hardest ( eg. Rikshaw puller) and wealthy folks the least (eg industrialist). Its rather strangely reverse. Hard work does not seems to have direct correlation with wealth. Woof ! Then what ?

Most people don’t get what they want because they don’t know what they want- said T Harveker. Making money is actually easy, if there is belief that one can make money.

 It’s said in the book – secrets of Millionaire mind that money is directly proportional the one area of comfort. Wider is the comfort zone, more money can be created. Hence one should be willing to go out of the comfort zone and believe. For wealth when one need to believe to see! ( Paradoxical to one need to see to believe)

4)      Money is finite. One gets at the cost of other. When others do not have to eat, how can I be greedy.

In my view, its again a reverse belief. Money is transitory. If we create velocity in money, it benefits all. Richer people create opportunities of growth and earning for others. Like rich nations. Money is infinite and in abundance. Money earned is in direct proportion of the Value generated.

5)      This is not the right time to earn more. I am too old now. Opportunities are exhausted already !

This was my last argument! However you and I know that Its always right time to start to create wealth. It may take time. But its never to early or late. Having challenged my own beliefs, I am now more open for the abundance. Which is waiting to happen in my and each of our lives.

Thankfully I went to the reunion and it changed my perception of correlation of capability/ hardwork and wealth.

Please write to be if you agree or disagree to this controversial matter. It may help in collective belief refinement.

May desired wealth flow in our lives! Amen!

BRAND WITH A PURPOSE

Who needs more brands in Apparel ? And what could be the new brand making opportunities in these times ?

There is constant addition of the brands in each of the possible categories, possibly every week. 

Brands starts to look like other, creating Clutter.

 Especially in apparels, there is an oversupply as entry barriers are low. And brands are being created for every possible reason. Brand reason distribution looks like this.

·         International pedigree brands ( Levis, Louis Phillippe, Pepe, wrangler, UCB, Jack and Jones,.etc)

·         Indian brands appearing as international brands ( Peter England, AND, Hidesign etc)

·         Occasion serving brands ( Manywar, Biba, Woodlands, wildcraft, Black berry, jockey, …etc)

o   Denim brands ( Spykar, Killer, Mufti etc)

o   Formal brands ( Raymond, Park Avenue, Arrow etc)

o   Marriage ( Manyavr, Mohey, Biba, Taniera, etc )

o   Office wear brands ( W, Allen solly etc)

o   Party wear ( Zod, Vdot,

·         Cost effective brands of Deptt stores ( Rangmanch, Stop, Code ..etc)

·         Fashion lead international stores ( Zara, HNM, splash, Now Uniqlo ..etc)

·         Indian ethos brands ( Indian terrain, Fab India..etc)

·         Seasonal brands ( Monte Carlo,

·         Extended brands ( Royal enfield, Wills life style, )

·         Sports lead ( US polo, LP sport etc)

·         Fiber lead brands ( Liva, Linen club etc, )

·         Ecomm brands ( Roadster, Anouk, abof…)

·         Celebrity lead brands ( HRX, Imara, Mstaken, Nush, rheason,Ecko..etc)

What do you think, does India need more brands with a beautiful looking model, wearing nice set of garments ? Bull ! And that is what is being harped about today...How paradoxical.

Does Indian consumer already gets more than he is asking for ?... You are best judge by yourself.

Brands have been created in all possible reason! Interestingly.... For the same pocket share.

Leaving consumer with a feeling that brands have only one objective, which is to lure and fleece !

And consumer has started to move away from branded world to the world of economic fashion.

Then WHAT could be the possible reason of new brands emergence?

In my view, BRANDS WITH PURPOSE is the rapidly emerging possibility. Each brand should evoke an emotion in consumer when used. Deeper the emotion, deeper is the association with the brand. 

With the increasing consciousness in masses, brand with the Context could gain mind share very quickly.

Patanjali has proved it without doubt.

Being Human is a very successful brand in apparel in India with celebrity and purpose.\

Pawsitive in Srilanka for stray dogs, Fashion project of Boston on charity, Satya Jewelry for orphans, Warby Parker glasses for chidren etc.  

Brands with Purpose, appeals to both Heart and Mind. Simon Kemp wrote a beautiful blog on the same in 2015. ( https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2015/01/building-purposeful-brand). Suggesting that we cannot keep on making better things... we need to make things better!

Hence purpose could be anything, India, Philanthropy, Girl child, Stray animals, Drugs..etc.

Consumer also just do not want to only look good, they also want to come across like a concerned and contributing citizens. Both to themselves and others. ( who would not ?!)

However, I think that none of the apparel brands is clear and big enough in consumers mind for its purpose as Patanjali is. While some brands talk about it, but its in timid voice.

And THAT IS THE OPPORTUNTY! And a very large opportunity!!!

I believe that a right brand with apt product launched with the clear purpose can gain very quick love and commerce. Would help in making the world a better place for us and generations to come.

Brands enhance consumerism, consumption, and hence extracting from this planet. It’s time to give back, to consumer, to people and to planet. Brand has an opportunity to leverage the underlying tacit emotion of the country. And create commercial and ecological success.

Such brands and businesses would gather lots of free support, resources, publicity etc. from large celebrities, leaders and influencers

. If rally for river can have 12 crore people giving a missed call, we surely are living in a different India today.

I hope and pray that the fashion also looks at making this world a better place. Lots of money has been transacted from hundreds of years, for one to look good outwardly. Now probably is the time to wear clothing which also helps one look good internally to himself.

Airports – the newest runways ?!

Coco Chanel said “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress, dress impeccably and they remember the women”. 

This is possibly the very basic new-age need - to remain impeccably dressed at all times and for all occasions!

So then are ‘airport looks’ a new-age need or just another peer pressure tactic?

It is amusing to witness celebrities on their latest airport looks which are so carefully crafted to look cool, comfortable and accidentally thrown together. This actually seems like the best part of this trend – it can be put together with a mix & match of just about anything from your wardrobe. Probably why the brands are refraining from promoting such a poor sales generator that benefits them in no way whatsoever.

However all snide remarks aside, there is also a sense of realistic utility involved. While traveling there is a need for comfort, especially in a long haul.

Comfort can be in a pair of slacks with an easy, relaxed tee and a simple long shrug with sandals. It can also be in your laid out linen straight legs with a soft turtle neck and sneakers. A convenient dump-it-all tote or duffel is almost a must. And not to forget the simple add-ons of sunglasses to hide away those jet-lagged eyes, a hat to conceal the unkempt hair and a trench or a jacket to cover all things crushed.

So while it seems that it is the celebs that gain the most out of this fad, it still might be worth indulging into just for the simple reason of looking fashionable and being comfortable. 

After all, Chanel did also say “The best dress in the whole world is the one that looks good on you” – seems like she was clued in!

Co-authored by Pooja Rao and Vipul Mathur.

Pooja is a Lead buyer with Abof.com. And a fashionista herself. She has acute sense of identifying the upcoming trends and consumer behavior leading to the same.

SKULT SUCCESS INSIGHT

Indian apparel brand scenario is observing a DEFINITIVE TREND LIKE NEVER BEFORE...Celebrity lead Brand launches.

Lead by bollywood and sport celebrities. Deepika Padukone's all about you, Virat Kohli's Wrogn, Salman Khan's Being Human, Yuvraj Singh's UVcan, Kriti Sanon's Ms Taken, Sachin's True Blue... and many more.

In the already cluttered and high decibel apparel brand markets, these launches are likely to be tested for their uniqueness, relevance, value and distribution capabilities.

SKULT, by Shahid Kapoor in its first year of operations has gained the awards and reputation of being one of the best ecom brand. ( Indain E retail award for 2017). This is VERY UNUSUAL. Encouragingly in ecom world this brand has been able to sell without discounts, with very high velocity, and significantly favorable conversion rates.
What's the reason of success & is it sustainable ?

In my view this unusual success is because of the following reason :

1. Celebrity alignment and support:

Shahid Kapoor lives by the values of this brand in his daily life. He is deeply engaged in creating the consistency of apparel and brand imagery with his own. This makes brand authentic. He has very evolved design and aesthetic sense. Which in my view is innate and creates very high standards for design delivery. Authenticity of this brand makes the communication very powerful and consistent.
The quote of Craig D lounsbrough probably is very true for Shahid and Skult- What I do is the truest mirror of who I am.” 

2. Timing :

Athleisure is the new wave in India. Consumers want to look and feel comfortable, easy to move and dance. Clothes should not only be nonrestrictive but should also enhance the freedom to move, and be cool. And skult is the first Indian true athleisure brand. Perfect timing ! Victor Hugo said it well, nothing can resist an idea, whose time has come !

3. Far east coming to India 

Europeans inspired India's formals, Americans inspired denims, and then casuals. Now we are permitting Far east like Korea, Japan to titillate us with their fashion. This is a new trend which is likely to stay and take a certain portion of overall fashion. Hence SKULT can grow to become a large brand, being pioneer in street/ athleisure space.

4. National presence and ecom :

New fashion always start from niche segments. Only with few individuals who are fashion leaders. And ecom has capability of scouting and targeting  them. Right from day one of brand launch. Emergence of lots of new brands has happened because of ecom's willingness to spend loads of money and create visibility and demand. Ecom acts as a low cost experimentation platform for brands without asking for huge capital expenditure of opening the store. If brand succeeds, then it can be taken to physical stores. And abof.com is arguably the best portal to establish and nurture a brand.

5. Sourcing capabilities :

SKULT has completely new and differentiated merchandise. Non existent in India. This creates an uphill task of creating small quantities of the cuts and fits which are new and experimental. Aditya Birla group name and credibility helped in creation of sourcing partnership with sourcing companies of repute and capability. And created supply chain which is both fashion creator and quick best seller replenishment.

If through this brand, Indian youth is encouraged to be active and expressive, then I would consider that to be a larger success than what has been attained so far.

Fashion Warehouse ! Who are we faking ?

Fashion Warehouse ?! Who are we faking ?

5-7 min is what sites gets from a consumer in each of his visit. That’s all !

And there are ecom retailers who are claiming themselves as fashion warehouses. For whom ?

In that 7 min is it possible to show him the warehouse/ large assortment of merchandise ? Meaningfully ? Maybe it can be attempted in the categories like electronics, where Brands/ portals does not need to take a stand. And fashion cannot exist without a stand. 

Arguably, fashion has to take a stance, operate from point of view. Benjamin Kranenk a leading designer came up with fashion Pyramid which stacks fashion rightly. Mass produced and available is to all, are essentially most basic garments. They are Industrial. Without a point of  view. As per him, right degree of fashion which should be made available to the fashion connoisseurs is couture. Which is contemporary. And yet a little pret.

Fashion has its own stages. Last stage is mass production and diluted point of view. This is stage is just before fashion is likely to go out. What happens to Baggi jeans, few years back is a good example. When whole world started to wear it, it vanished. It no longer remained aspirational. This is happening rather faster in recent times. Check shirts became half of shirts sales in 2012. And then suddenly prints took over. Dropping checks to 10-15%. It’s a cycle. And its very disappointing to see retailers selling the Dying trend to consumer, on name of Fashio.

Ecommerce players catering to masses and offering merchandise with no point of view, are fooling customers by calling it as fashion!  And maybe abusing the word “fashion”. Variety of all sorts put together cannot be called as fashion. Abundance is not fashion. Fashion has to have a story. An attitude. A distinction. Scarcity.

In effect, Consumer are left with no choice but to try and interpret fashion in their own way. They make a buy, and often realizes that putting bought garment together with what they already have is difficult. No story is being formed. And hence the garment goes back to wardrobe and gets cleared in Diwali cleaning. Unfortunate. It pains me.

Retailers should make a choice, either to become like discounted , wide, industrial houses. Selling to people who does not care for fashion. Like dfwh. Or remain honest to fashion. They cannot be both. It's dishonestly.

Ecommerce sites have large customer base and have instant access to very large population, they should take up the responsibility of helping consumer understand the fashion and identify his own choice and taste. This should be enabled by technology and data churning.

Customer should be treated as an individual and offering should be filtered for his taste, And customer should, eventually  buy from handpicked , curated fashion assortments. And enjoy wearing it. Such sites should create couture fashion which is affordable.

Warehouses cannot be fashionable . And fashion cannot happen in warehouse.  God save Fashion ! ( from warehouses)