¶ Fashion Design Journey & Emotional Reflection
Welcome to Detangle , where we untangle the complexities of life one conversation at a time . I'm your host , dr Kinjal Goel , a psychologist and a writer . Our guest today is the fabulous Ritika Mechandani , a true talent in the field of fashion design and a torchbearer for those wanting to follow their heart in the Indian fashion industry .
It's a great joy to have Ritika on the show today . Welcome , ritika . Thank you so much for making it on Detangle . Thank you , kinjal . Thank you so much for having me . Well , ritika , we've all seen your designs , but let's get to know you a little personally . First , Tell us about your journey . What were your qualifications before you started your own brand ?
So I went to study in Los Angeles at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise . That's where I got my fashion design degree and I stayed back in the US because I definitely knew I wanted some work experience before I came back . Actually , there was an excuse to also stay back there longer .
So I moved to New York right after I graduated , looking for a job , and I first got an internship with quite a well-known fashion designer , cynthia Rowley , who's in downtown New York . An amazing experience , but that was an internship .
And after that I went on to work with Ralph Lauren for a couple of months and I finally worked at another company called Wear Me Apparel , which housed Kenneth Cole and certain departments of all of them . Yeah , so after working for a couple of years in New York City , I decided to finally move back . I felt it was time I wanted to start my own brand .
So at the age of 26 is when I moved back . And yeah , I started my brand at the age of 27 .
Well , that's really nice that you started , young Ritika . But tell me , how did this interest begin ? Did somebody inspire you early on ?
Yeah , my mom , she was a fashion designer and you know , while I grew up I would go to her studio and I always just felt like I was in Wonderland . And that's exactly when I knew that this was it , this is what I knew I was going to do .
You know , at age seven you kind of , as a child , know that there's something I need to do in my life and I just knew this was it . And so she definitely was my inspiration , because that's event , that's actually where the seed was planted .
How beautiful is that . It's so nice to have inspiration coming within the house . I think it's the most beautiful way to blossom . Yeah , it is so , rithika . How do you think fashion is changing in India ? How are consumers changing , but what remains the same ?
Fashion has changed so much in the past few years in India . You know India has become one of the fashion hubs in the world .
We have come on the map with so many different events and collaborations that have happened over the years , with international designers and Indian designers also showcasing on our international platform , which has increased tremendously over the past few years .
So I also think you know accessibility and travel becoming easy and social media having given us all access to everything around the world , I think people are more aware of quality . People are more aware of what they want , because a consumer is more discerning now .
They they are looking out for something that they actually know they want instead of trying to find what's out there . So it's changed a lot . The demand for quality has definitely risen . People are aware of what they're wearing and consumers , too , are open to experimentation , even though they know what they want .
I think the whole process of trying something new is is definitely something that I've seen a lot more of now in these days and um , um .
And what remains the same is , you know , the uh demand for heritage , textiles , different craftsmanship , and there is a huge set of people who are still looking for , you know , that craftsmanship of quality and that still remains the same .
So , at the end of the day , you have both the worlds existing , but there definitely , you know , a lot has changed , as we can see , over the past few few years , and I think it's going to continue to change .
It's so beautiful , isn't it ? Fashion is ever changing and never changing , and we are right in the center of it .
Absolutely . You look at fashion 10 years ago and you look at fashion now . I think every decade has brought in something new and the evolution process has been really amazing to watch .
Beautiful Ritika . Let's talk about emotions and design . Do you see your designs reflecting your current emotional state , or does the process of design change your mood by itself ?
I would actually say both , because there are many times when I am suddenly inspired by something and I flow , and there are many times when I am in distress and I'm trying to design and there's a huge creative block .
So emotions definitely play a huge role in any creative field , I feel , because you're actually expressing yourself and based on the emotion , whether it's heightened or whatever it is that you're you're actually expressing yourself and based on the emotion , whether it's heightened or whether , where whatever it is that you're feeling I definitely feel you're either free or
restricted in your creative process at that time well , I think that's true .
You know , for anything . Even when we're trying to write a little note or write a little script , how you're feeling definitely impacts your words . I'm sure it's the same in fashion definitely 100% .
You know , and learning that over the years to kind of balance the emotions when the deadlines are there , because you have to , you have to get it done at that point . So that also has been a learning process .
¶ Navigating Fashion Design Challenges and Growth
So tell me , what does this creativity actually mean to you ? Can you exercise complete creative freedom when designing clothes , or do you need to keep yourself on a short , tight leash so that these products are viable for the market ?
I think it's both . Also , I think you know , sometimes when you're showing on the runway , you have the freedom to do a lot more , but of course , when you're doing things for from a commercial space , you are restricted . You are looking at the consumer , you are looking at , you know , what is trending in the market at the moment and as a brand , we're not .
We don't specifically follow any trends , or we I mean I even my design or my creativity process or my design process I have never fitted in a box . It flows as I go and it's pretty much . You know , what I'm feeling at that moment of time is when I'm designing something .
It's not a planned process where we have a collection theme or we you know , for to me that becomes a little guarded and I feel like then I'm in a box , so it works . This is just something that works best for me , ritika , when you started off in this field .
What was your ultimate dream like ? What was that pinnacle you wanted to be at ? Have you achieved it or are you still working towards it ?
you know , I think your goals and dreams keep changing as you grow , as you , you know , you move on in life and as you hit certain milestones , you start setting the bar higher . So I think , as a child , my dream was to be on the runway for sure , and I have achieved that .
But you ask me today , there are so many more aspirations we have as a brand , where we want to go , and I think that will keep changing over the years , based on you know , where we've taken ourselves .
How nice . I think this is the basic of any brand , of any company that unless you start redefining your goals and reinventing yourself , you start stagnating 100% .
Yeah , I agree .
Ritika , we can all see how beautifully rewarding it is to be in your line of work , but can you tell me about the stressors to what have been your greatest challenges as a designer and as a business owner ?
There are some , and I think one of them is going through creative blocks , you know , which take me back to the question you had about emotions and design .
I think there are times that we face where we have deadlines or you know you have to , you have a show and you need to try , and you're trying to be as creative as possible but you're not flowing or you're not in flow , and overcoming those blocks has been a skill I'm still trying to learn , but you know , your personal life sometimes does affect your emotions ,
which eventually does have , you know , put you in a place where you're blocked creatively .
So that becomes a challenge sometimes , and you know the industry that we work in the fashion industry , timelines and deadlines can get very challenging as a business owner and even when you keep buffers , sometimes it does become a challenge to meet them at times , only because you know work is a lot to do with hand embroidery and handmade .
So there are times we face challenges in these aspects .
Right , I think there are all different kinds of personalities those , those who like to plan , they can really suffer through this . But those who go with the flow are kind of better , because they know this is the only thing we can have for certain , and that is uncertainty absolutely and you know the whole go with the flow aspect .
I always thought I was going with the flow but giving away the that control of know , the creative control , or where social media is concerned , I found it so difficult for so many years to let go and let you know people who are part of this company do what they're supposed to do , but I would always intervene .
I think slowly I've started letting go of it .
So important though .
Yeah .
So tell me , on a personal level , what is the one fashion mistake you wish people would just stop making ?
leopard print for me , but sorry , I know it's a trending point right now , but from a personal point of view it doesn't do much for me okay , we're to keep it at that .
So this is a question I have for all the designers that I'm speaking to . Social media has made it possible for you to reach out , your designs are reaching the right customers , but it's also opened up this whole panoramized box of plagiarism , copying , outright stealing of one's intellectual property . Do you face it ? I ?
mean , how do you deal with it ? No , initially , when that started happening , I would look at it and be like what is wrong with these people ?
Actually , there was a time when I saw a well-known person on stage wearing one of our outfits , and I think you have to just look at it as a form of flattery , because if someone is trying to do something that you're doing , it speaks about the product that you're creating .
So over the years now it doesn't when I see it , we see it a lot , in fact , on social media we get tagged on outfits that are not ours . So now it's , it doesn't bother . You just look at it and smile and say it's something that I mean , pat yourself on the back that someone wants to do the same thing .
Well , I think they used to say this for Parleji at one point imitation is the highest form of flattery , Of flattery , exactly Lovely . You work with a lot of celebrities for your shows , for your outfits , but who's been the most fun to work with ? Any anecdotes ?
They've all been amazing , but because I've worked with Rakul maybe recently more than a couple of times , I think her energy has been amazing and you know her vibe has really worked well and I love how she looks in her clothes . So , yeah , lovely .
Ritika , do you believe in the power of manifestation ? Is there something that you have literally dreamt into reality ? Is there something you're currently manifesting ?
yeah , 100% . I definitely believe in the power of manifestation and , you know , I think I have been a dreamer all my life . So I think , by default , from an early age , I was manifesting without no understanding that it was happening . You know , because there are so many things that I had wanted , which you know .
Today I'm lucky to say that I have managed to achieve it , but one of one of which was my store .
So in one of my other interviews , I had spoken about how I had this picture with me from 2017 and 2018 I can't remember exactly when , but it was basically an image that I found and I printed it out , which was how I wanted my store to be , with a garden outside and these arched walls , and cut to , I think , a couple of years later when I found my
space . That's exactly how I managed to have it , and the funny thing is I managed to find a space that had a garden outside it , which is very rare in Bombay , and it's so powerful to believe that this can actually happen . Yeah , and you know I didn't have a doubt that it would happen , but it was just as I said .
You know , the process of it is so important Just being involved in the process of , you know , evolving yourself , your brand and everything around you so you eventually start becoming a bit of a match to what you're aspiring .
How beautifully said . Let me ask you a fun one , ritika . If you had to give some advice to your 12 year old self , what would it be ?
oh , there's actually so much I would tell my 12 year old self , but I think , um , one important thing that I think I would tell myself would be that we need to love and accept all parts of ourselves , that sense of duality and understanding , that we need to make space for the good , the bad , the ugly , because , at the end of the day , these are just words
we've defined them with , and that acceptance is so important , I feel , which , for me , started happening only a few years ago , and I mean the other thing I would tell myself is to chill and enjoy the process because , you know , from that age on , I think , as we grow , we get , so , you know , bound to outcomes and attached to you know the results yeah , the
outcomes and everything that you know . We lose sight of the whole process , which is where the growth happens and which is where the most beautiful part of it all is it's so beautifully said .
You know , I had read somewhere recently that your compassion is incomplete if it doesn't include you 100% , and that's so true .
You know it's always going to be incomplete if it doesn't include you wonderful .
So let me ask you a question , ritika , that I ask all my guests . It's one of my favorite questions on this show . You're aware of a physical first aid box right , the one we keep at home for minor cuts and bruises . We'll keep some band-aids , painkillers , whatever it takes , you know , for those little things .
But what if I were to ask you to keep an emotional first aid box at home , something that you can open on a bad day when you're feeling low , and something which would make you immediately happy ? What would you put in it ?
I would put my puppy Ziggy . Oh , I would . Yeah , I would obviously put in some dark chocolate . I would put in a letter to myself and I would a letter that would sound uplifting to me and as a reminder .
Wow . So not just an emotional first aid box , you've also made a time capsule . I love the sound of this .
Yeah , because I think you know sometimes we , if that first aid box , my mental first aid box , was there , I would obviously reach out to it when I needed it and I would write things that I would need to hear the most at that time .
How nice I'm loving this . You love yourself , you have to take care of yourself , you have to pick up yourself and you have to be there for yourself . It's so complete .
That is so important at the end of the day .
Okay , Ritika , I'm taking you into the rapid fire round now . Answer rapid . There are no retakes on this one , just tell me what you feel , Okay .
What's your favorite ?
book the alchemist . Okay , your favorite movie character lovely . Your biggest pet peeve cockroaches . What do you prefer , the business side of work or the creative side ? Creative side , your most prized position my puppy ziggy oh , that was so nice . Thank you so much .
Okay now , before we come to the closing comments , ritika , is there anything that you want to ask me as a psychologist ?
how do you , how would you suggest you know um tips for entrepreneurs who may have low times in their business and high times , and how to cope with the ups and downs that come . I think that is so important for people to get insight from someone in that field .
Well , to begin with , I really believe in micro vacations and in taking little breaks so that burnout doesn't occur . What is happening right now in the entrepreneurial space is that people work hard , but they work so hard to achieve at least one bit of their goal and then they say , oh , now we'll party harder .
But that doesn't work because in case you don't hit your goal , or in case your deadline isn't met or your client isn't happy , it's going to bring a crash with it .
¶ Self-Care for Entrepreneurs
Instead of that , if you know you can take a couple of days off in the middle of the week , maybe a weekend , or maybe just an evening off , even on a working day . Treat yourself to something nice , remember why you're on this path and do something nice along the way . The crash is not so intense .
That helps a lot of entrepreneurs stay on their path longer .
Yeah , just balancing it out in certain ways instead of you know , going for it longer periods of time .
Yeah , and a lot of people want to now , just you know , take long vacations at the end of six months . Save for it , do it . I say it's not as effective as the little breaks . Take a midweek break if you need to Go to the spa , if you need to go to the spa , if you have to read when you want to .
But be nice to yourself every day , not just on those special designated days . How lovely that sounds great and sound advice well , it's been so lovely talking to you , ritika . I have always loved your designs . I've been a fan of yours forever so much for having me no , it's been amazing . I mean , thank you for sharing your journey with us .
Thank you for sharing your journey with us , thank you for sharing all your ups and downs with us , and I'm sure there's going to be an episode which a lot of people want to listen to , because they've seen the power and the beauty of your designs and now they want to know the real ritika . So thank you so much , thank you thank you so much .