Reported By:
| Edited By: Manish D Mishra |Source: DNA |Updated: Jan 04, 2018, 07:25 AM IST
In a short span of time, Verandah has made its charming presence felt on the resort map. Sublime prints, relaxed silhouette and a breathable style make it one of the coolest labels to watch out for. Now the label has the prestigious Neiman Marcus on its retail resume and its talented designer Anjali Patel Mehta is upbeat. “Neiman Marcus, to be honest, happened quite by accident. Clearly, I would have loved to retail at an international major, its pipe dream for any designer, especially an emerging one from India. I showed my work internationally for the first time earlier this summer at Miami Swim Week as I wanted to focus on building Verandah as a luxe resort label.
NM’s buying team showed up in shorts, completely unassuming really liked the collection and were a little surprised to learn that it was born out of India,” says Anjali. The team loved Anjali’s print stories and design aesthetic and in doing so, placed an order. Over to the talented lady...
In fact, to our surprise, they put the label for pre-order even before the shipment was sent. I had a similar experience from Moda Operandi that curated Verandah at the ‘Best of Beach’ Trunk show with 25 of the best names in international resort. After a successful season with the trunk show, they have now signed me and the label to showcase as a boutique on Moda Operandi starting January. I think now that bar has been set high, I’m even more inclined to design and deliver each season with the highest level of originality, quality and meeting international standards. Also, I have no agent at the moment, no PR and don’t work with a showroom yet so it’s been a steep learning curve for me and my team this entire season with building out capacity.
The last year has really made me think about which direction I have wanted the label to take and really focused on the niche in resort and travel style, which is what I enjoy designing the most. A beach bum at heart, not having come from a fashion or design background seemed an impediment at first, but in this situation, I think my business side and designing for the real woman with a wearable aesthetic, a core focus of fit, form and fabric has helped to grow this label organically. Domestically, a significant portion of the label’s growth has been attributed in my eyes to a customised fittings for even the smallest client starting with my first trunk show at Design One who have been a big support.
A daughter of an artist, I have always been drawn to art, print and patterns. My prints are a reflection of my love for architectural geometry and motifs that bear a story.
I love a good dose of the ‘70s and the powerful sexy dressing of the ‘90s with real women being central to my design philosophy.
A woman of the moment, sometimes sporty sometimes not, well travelled and a multitasker.
