Few Minutes with MANNAT GUPTA

MANNAT GUPTA. A contemporary Indian brand that aims to empower women with its feminine out-of-the box designs. Its collections feature a rich, contrasting color palettes and a multitude of fine fabrics that translate into timeless yet long-lasting pieces. This week, we’ve had the chance to interview this creative brand and learn more about their inspiration, designs, strengths and weaknesses and future projects…

What’s the inspiration behind your brand?

MANNAT GUPTA was born out of the desire to dress our eternal muse: inspiring women around the globe who symbolize strength and simplicity. We want to be a part of a universe that supports, uplifts, and celebrates all kinds of tenacious women; a world where style and substance go hand in hand. We strongly believe that the clothes are meant to fit you and not the other way round. Therefore, we decided to come up with a brand that would be sustainable in its methods as well as fulfill its clients’ desired needs.

How would you describe your designs?

We always try to come up with innovative ways of designing, keeping in mind the functionality and comfort aspect as well; pieces that can be worn at multiple occasions/events and styled in various ways. There is always a concept/idea in place before we design or produce any collection. Our pieces usually follow clean lines, cuts, and silhouettes and play around with various pleats and drapes. We also love experimenting with different weights and textures of fabrics to create more depth in our pieces. They are easy-going, versatile, and everlasting.

In your opinion, what makes your brand stand out?

If I must describe my brand in three words, then I would say sophisticated, minimal yet versatile. We are trying to fulfill the current needs of the market with our designs. Providing our clients with high-quality products and keeping in mind their needs is of our utmost importance. Throughout centuries, women have been told what to do and what not to do, what to wear and what not to wear. We want to break these barriers for women around the world, through our clothes, who still live under the pressure of such societies. Our designs are elevated and elegant; experimenting with unconventional pleats and drapes to provide our audience with unique pieces is what we aim to do.

As an online clothing store, how do you create a real feel for your clients?

We always try to shoot our pieces in a way so that it is easier for the end-user to understand the kind of material or silhouette they are looking at or dealing with. We have always appreciated and loved collaborating with influencers/stylists so that our audience can see our pieces on various body types. Occasionally, we love to be a part of different pop-ups around the world which gives our audience a chance to see the pieces live.

Did you notice any change in the customer’s behavior when it comes to buying clothes during and after covid-19? How did this impact your brand?

I think smart buying became a way of living for people during and after Covid-19. During the first two months, sales had slowed down for the brand because everyone at that point of time was trying to be more economical. However, we saw a boom after that period. People wanted to keep up with the various trends throughout the year but also wanted to buy clothing that would last them for years to come. People started understanding and looking for higher quality products and products that were more useable and comfortable.

What has been your biggest struggle as a clothing brand and how did you overcome it?

MANNAT GUPTA was established 1.5 years ago. Initially, we just wanted people to become aware of the fact that a brand like ours exists. Being an Indian brand that was able to tap into such sectors of the market and collaborate with various retailers from around the world, we were able to get more recognition and make a name in the market. We were probably one of the first Indian brands to tap into the US, UK, Europe, and UAE market altogether, so soon. More celebrities started wearing us, we started getting more attention from various national and international editorials, etc. Of course, there is still a long way for us to go.

Another struggle that we have faced as a business is to be able to manage the different sectors/people within the company. When you are working for someone, it is quite different from working for your own company. Keeping track of hundred things happening throughout the day can be a task. Organization and management are something I learned through experience as the business grew and we started releasing more collections.

We noticed that your latest collection featured detachable pieces, which is a concept that promotes sustainability in the fashion world. What was your inspiration behind this collection and how important is it for you to design sustainable clothes?

Our latest collection, MERAK, was inspired by Covid-19. We noticed a drastic change in people’s outlook towards life during that time. People not only became sustainable in their spending and living methods but also detached and attached themselves from certain things and/or people. Using that concept as a starting point, we designed our complete collection around it. We wanted to provide our clients with pieces that were multifunctional and would reflect their moods according to their needs.

We, as a brand, might not always use or believe in sustainable ‘materials.’ However, we do believe in following and providing sustainable methods for our team and our clients. We, hopefully, will not lose that aspect from our business model ever.

How important was it for an Indian brand like you to have exposure in the GCC market?

We believe that the GCC market is huge and will have a great positive impact on the brand. The label is still new to that market, but we are glad to have tapped into it finally. People have great taste and spending capability there. We, positively, will increase our exposure and client base there as well.

Based on your experience, how does the GCC market differ from the Indian one?

The way people shop or spend in the GCC market is quite different from the Indian one. The people’s needs in the GCC market differ quite a lot from the Indian people. Of course, both the sectors have a great spending capacity but have different cultures and people at the same time. However, we feel, as a brand, that some of our pieces can be more restrictive in the GCC market compared to the Indian one. Keeping the various markets around the world in mind, we provide our clients with the option of customization which is available at no additional cost as well. For instance, if a client wants sleeves added or removed, a length or cut or neckline reduced or increased, etc.

Where do you see your brand 5 years from now?

As of now, the brand’s focus is to expand and experiment more with womenswear and come up with new and interesting concepts and clothing. We are at the starting stage currently and have a very small role to play in the world. In the future, we would like to expand into other sectors in the industry such as menswear and accessories. Hopefully, we will be one of the predominant made-to-order and made-to-measure labels around the world in the coming years.

What’s your message to all the small new clothing brands out there who are trying to make it nowadays in a very competitive market?

My message to the young and upcoming designers would be to design from the heart and create pieces that speak to you as an artist; pieces that they would be happy wearing and would be happy to see on other people as well. Do not let society obstruct your point of view ever. Most importantly, make sure to take and keep the whole team together and keep in mind their needs and necessities as well because they can make or break you. You will be what you will be because of their efforts and work as well.