Conversation with Shilpa Sharma of Jaypore
“I was always very clear about what I didn’t want to do, so that left plenty of room to explore what I could do ”
Shilpa Sharma, the woman who changed Indian retail and continues to innovate after her almost a 30-year journey in fashion and now travel and food. We spoke to her about her journey with Fabindia, co-founding Jaypore and current projects to get insights on the present and future of Indian design.
Beginning
I grew up in a business family, but I knew there was a world out there that had so much to offer and I was very curious to explore. The curiosity got me to question all that I was expected to want and urged me to look for more. After studying at St Xavier’s College and then an MBA, I joined an advertising firm and quickly moved to brand management with Cadbury. I couldn't find a job, when in England with a husband on secondment, and jumped at the opportunity to do summer school at the London School of Economics in 1993, which made me want to go right back to college… all over again. It was during that time that I choose to spend my days, just driving around the countryside, to feed this hungry curious spirit of mine. I would find inspiration in people watching, walking around neighborhoods, and just hang at public libraries and galleries, couldn’t afford cafes, way back then
In 1996. during my innings at Marico in Mumbai, I once ran into William Bissell of Fabindia at their Delhi store and asked him what was keeping them from bringing Fabindia to Mumbai. An exchange of cards followed and 14 months later, I got a call. In the midst of my year off to have my son, I was offered the opportunity to be part of Fabindia’s growth story in Mumbai- and I lapped it up. I just knew it was all I ever wanted to do.
Brands that are Innovating and Inspiration:
I mix work to travel with my own personal travel, and that's a great way to stay inspired - the opportunity to engage with people, enjoy local food, explore craft and interactions with people who’re doing some great work on the ground, is invigorating.
On a recent trip to Dubai, Khaadi, a label from Pakistan took my attention as it was so pointed on with colors and design. I get inspired by art and that can be turned into wearable fashion textiles. It pushes boundaries and the outcome is always special.
The world is changing so fast, and whilst there is no pressure to stay dated, I do want to be aware, so I can make conscious choices. . I like to travel by myself and fiercely guard my space. I’ve realized, in the last 10 years, as I've traveled, I've become more mindful, and more conscious of things around me, I notice things I didn't, earlier. There’s a lot of growing up there
I get inspired by people as well, to give you a few names, Mandeep Negi of Shades of India has done really well, Paromita Banerjee from Kolkata, Neeru Kumar, and Sarita Handa are again doing great work in contemporary textiles. I think Nicobar has done something really smart like their tableware collection with Gary Mehigan. Ayush Kasliwal of Anantaya from Jaipur has a great sensibility and has been able to translate traditional techniques and skills into a very contemporary functional product, which would earn pride of place, anywhere in the world. Maithili Ahluwalia’s styling capability is unmatched, there isn't another eye that measures up to the standards she has set with Bungalow 8.
Balance of Modern and Traditional
Evolve in design but hold on to techniques and stories. Play with scale, design, and color.
Making traditional contemporary is, well, very cool.
That’s what brands like Raw Mango or Rahul Mishra and Eka have been able to do, at the very top end of the spectrum. There are people who are doing the path-breaking work, but want to limit themselves to a certain audience and not scale up. I feel like we end up not milking our design enough. Sanjay Garg put Chanderi on the map again and created an ecosystem and also gave work to every weaver. He has taken the value proposition of the material from the root level to up there. People find his work inspiring and I see others wanting to emulate him. This is game-changing when it comes to textiles at a scale.
“We are one of the very few countries today with a creative equity in the form of our artisanal heritage.”
We love it that the world embraces our textile and craft traditions, and we realize we need to encourage a shift in the way we perceive them, these living, breathing fabrics and embellishments that should be enjoyed with modern nuances and helpings of expertise.
The perspective of international designers on Indian textiles can be tremendous and I feel it can help us take it to the large international market.
The ease with which international designers are able to inject their own design DNA into India’s timeless fabrics yields fabulous results. Craft, as it is, has few takers, therefore innovation, aesthetics, and sensibilities have to be looked into to work on the traditional designs. Shivani Roy, an Indian designer in London is also a great example of this balance of modern and traditional. Bringing international design students to work on our crafts is a good way to achieve this fresh take. We need to translate the craft into modern design even for the Indian market. Approach to design has to become second nature, we have to bring the craft into our lives including home, food, fashion.
I feel India needs to reclaim its heritage as the west is walking away with it. Look at what is happening with yoga, and Ayurveda, and more recently the goodness of turmeric
Big brands are coming with a retail boost in the country, see H & M and Zara, and at the same time, there is a contrast with independent slow fashion brands. Is craft the answer?
Sustainable fashion is only a drop in the ocean to undo the damage to the environment that has been done by the industry. There are labels like Bareek or Doodlage, and Lifafa is all working in this space, and doing some great work. Another great example of an upcycling project is by Bhavna Goenka who has used old linen from the House of MG, Ahmedabad, and rewoven it to make linen for Mangal Bagh. I think a conscious and responsible attitude is needed, to make a beginning. The big retailers need to make a commitment and take charge and commit to recycling, upcycling, and zero waste.. Keya Sarkar in Shantiniketan uses shredded old saris to weave Khesh on a loom.
The challenge here is to bring the price down of such products and make them available to the masses. At Jaypore we use katrans to make products like jackets. leftovers from the production of our private label collections had to be used up for handmade jewelry, jutti uppers, clutch bags, and more. . Also another example of such innovation is Angiya, the Indian bra brand that makes upcycled innerwear. I feel if the intent is in place, the world is our oyster in terms of the possibilities that exist
Fabindia
I joined Fabindia to help them set up their Mumbai store in Bandra. Training in Delhi I knew I wanted to work in an organisation where I could make a difference and actually be part of an interesting growth story . There was room for self expression, and no boundaries for those who had the initiative and the drive.. That was a beginning of a 12 year innings . Soon, I pitched for a second store in Bombay and negotiated a deal of half a million rupees to invest in commercial property, something I had not done before. It was always me pushing myself to do more.
I was that ‘new kid on the block’ who was always full of ideas on what Fabindia ought to do… stay open sundays, and work longer hours… the list was endless … and I was unstoppable
Being with customers on the shop floor, I had developed a sense of what more was needed in product, there were gaps that needed to be filled. I wanted to do innovative silhouettes and had a contemporary vision for product development. Also, I was excited about designing as I had aspired to be an architect earlier in my life. I used to paint and I liked drawing and creating. I didn’t know what warp and weft was till I came here and all I knew was data crunching and dashboards for decision making. I had opinions on merchandising, my interest in product developed while I was at the shop floor. To be in the middle of gorgeous textiles, all the time, was energising. Putting a look together for customers gave me tremendous joy. I was happy to have jolted people out of a status quo, and could make a difference that was tangible. It was all good.
“You are not your circumstances, you are your potential”
There were no boundaries, and there couldn't have been a better way to flower.
I took on more responsibility, as I grew and was willing to be fully accountable for the decisions I took on behalf of the organization. I forged ahead and grew from strength to strength.. In 2007, I introduced jewelry at Fabindia, fought battles to justify why the furniture was as important a line of business to be in, as home textiles. . I knew I could take a leap of faith, as long as I was willing to take responsibility for outcomes.. It was a truly empowering environment. I opened 90 stores in the country in a span of 10 years ..
Jaypore
In 2008, I decided to move to Delhi and took charge of product at Fabindia, which I ran for close to 2 years. We outgrow organizations, and my aspirations for the business grew in excess of the shoe I was wearing. It was time … and there was no room to get complacent.
I moved on from Fabindia in 2009. I believed in myself and started my own little consulting practice to help Retail and Lifestyle businesses grow, and be profitable.
Breakaway, an outcome of my love for travel, was launched in 2011, and a chance meeting with Deap Ubhi, led me to an introduction to Puneet Chawla, a young techie who’d only worked online until then and became a co-founder of Jaypore.
Jaypore is an outcome of the dreams and aspirations I had for Fabindia. It was an opportunity for me to create something of my own.
Jaypore was slated to be a one-stop-shop for the discerning customer- she had had enough of the same muchness that was available around, and whilst her own aesthetic was more refined, over time, the options for places to shop at were very limited.
I wanted Jaypore to be an ambassador of true Indian style- a contemporary take on tradition, making it relevant in today’s world. We wanted to showcase the best craft-based- design-led product on one platform. The economics of having a retail setup is tedious and for small makers and designers, the logistics can be a challenge. I saw this as an opportunity, I wanted to capture the universe of the ‘Indian Aesthetic’. We created a brand that had its own signature style and sensibility. The opportunity to create and plug the gaps between Fabindia and Goodearth was an obvious one. Armed with a collaborative mindset, we brought representations of different style types onboard, across categories and all of them together on the platform made a compelling case
We could have design aesthetics of different kinds without having to own it ourselves. The need for a signature style of our own, that would plug the gaps that existed, and that would be our own, and hence exclusive to us, took us to launch our own private label, which has since, become a priority for the business.
Many Hats
My love for craft and design and travel and all things beautiful and that incredible drive or urge to start the next thing is what makes me do the things I do.
I have recently handed over the baton for Jaypore to a strategic partner and an able team and am now focused on nurturing my creative entrepreneurial projects and paying it forward
Aside from the work I have done with fashion and lifestyle businesses, I manage to carve out time to nurture my two creative entrepreneurial ventures, Breakaway (an outcome of a passion for travel, this venture plans and executes bespoke Beyond the Brochure experiential journeys around India) and Mustard, which I co-founded with my dear friend Punam Singh,(a delectable blend of a shared love for fine food and exceptional experiences, it offers Bengali and French cuisine and has a presence in Goa and Mumbai)
I engage on consulting projects with Val-More, a strategic action advisory firm, and actively participate in the IIM Ahmedabad-led CCBP program for young entrepreneurs and the Young India Fellowship (YIF) at Ashoka University as a mentor. A wealth of experience with the craft sector has enabled many interventions in design at the grassroots level and I work with cluster initiatives committed to women empowerment and livelihood creation opportunities.
My packed professional life does not deter me from maintaining an essential work-life balance. I make the time to travel on leisure and pursue my creative interests, somewhere, keeping a keen eye out for the next best idea. Travel is cathartic, as is painting.
““ I do not want the need to be successful with all that I’m good at, to take over my whole life.””