She started with Ananya London and today she has set up around 200 shops across the world in a span of just seven years. Anu Mirchandani has come a long way.
Fashion designer Anu Mirchandani on her famous clients and bonding with sister Nandita Mahtani
She started with Ananya London and today she has set up around 200 shops across the world in a span of just seven years. Designer Anu Mirchandani has certainly come a long way. “It has been an amazing journey,” says Anu, designer Nandita Mahtani’s sister.
So, is there any sibling rivalry between the two designers? “Of course not. After all, we both work for the same label. It’s just that I set it up first in London and she followed suit with the Mumbai store two years later. So we pretty much work together and not against each other,” she explains.
Not surprisingly, fashion binds the two sisters and it’s not just their work but their passion. “Both Nandita and I love all things fashionable,” she states. But they also like to do their own thing. And if Anu is to be believed, it’s younger sister Nandita who is the stronger of the two.
“I’m more sensitive. I take my own time to get over things, but Nandita is a rock; she’s like an elder sister to me. In fact, she’s always by my side whenever I need her,” adds the London-based Anu, who does come visiting twice or thrice in a year.
As for her future plans, this ‘Kaftan Queen’ (as she is addressed in London fashion circles) has a busy schedule lined up. “My next show is in May. It’s based on the theme of ‘Sun and Sand’,” elaborates Anu, who is a regular at the London Fashion Week and the fashion fairs in NY, Milan, Paris and Barcelona.
So does her niche clientele (which includes the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, Claudia Schiffer, Keira Knightley, Posh Beckham...the list goes on) affect her in any way? “Well, it’s always nice to be appreciated by such achievers,” she states, adding that “While Sienna Miller is quite the regular at our Notting Hill store, Naomi Campbell loves my clothes too.”
Then there are some who are even good friends. Like model Lisa B, who she shares a great rapport with. “But ultimately, it’s about good design and international appeal. My clothes have a dominant Indian touch with lots of embellishments and that’s what sells in the international market,” she says by way of signing off.
p_vidya@dnaindia.net
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