At the end of my last semester, we had put together our business plan for our respective business ideas. Based on my 3-month research I put together a line of breathable resort wear garments infused with Aloe Vera extracts working towards the cause of empowering women by providing jobs to single mums, widows, young moms in India which helps them lead a better life.
Based on the review we got from our lecturers I realized that I needed more primary research such as interviews to back up my idea. Hence I went ahead and contacted industry experts. I contacted close to 10 industry experts via Linkedin and two managed to respond.
Mr.Raye Padit the founder of Swapoholics and connected thread Asia two of the biggest sustainable fashion movements in Singapore. On speaking to him I realized the importance of marketing your product well. As a brand, I have two focus points with Aloe Vera infuse fabric being my USP and supporting a social cause secondary. He guided me through this and said to highlight us one such aspect that would be my USP in order to leave a mark on the consumer’s mind so they remember what the brand has to offer rather than confusing them with the brand’s identity. This made me divert my complete attention in highlighting my companies USP first and then paying attention my secondary aspects. Therefore, all my social media posts and videos were directed towards this aspect.
My second interview was with Ms.Paula Miquelis who comes from a background of helping MNC’s lead a sustainable way. Her insights on the brand were more on the grounds of the brand practices and on what grounds I am being ethical and what theories am I adopting. On explaining my brand idea to her she gave me a feedback of making sure that I find a way of making my logistics ethical as well. She highlighted to me that my brand covered three aspects of sustainability, which is a social cause, innovation and ethical business. These aspects made my brand suitable for the market based on theory is what Paula had to say and felt that the idea was great for the market.
These primary research interviews really helped me network with industry experts and have a better understanding of the sustainable fashion business in the industry.
Surbhi Hasija 