We have silhouettes and styles for all body types
Around the City is an India-based fashion brand made exclusively for the city girls. The philosophy behind the brand is to be the go-to fashion label for all the cool girls who are busy and working round the clock. The brand also has an array of clothes that caters to various different occasions. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, the brand’s Founder Niharika Raut discusses the brand, the influence of social media, sustainability and more.
The fashion industry is known for its fast pace and ever-changing trends. How do you think the industry can balance the need for constant innovation with the growing concerns about sustainability and environmental impact?
As a brand owner, I can safely say that one needs to be on top of their game when it comes to personal research and staying up to date with industry trends, forecasts, and news in general. Having said that, I would like to add that sustainability encompasses a wide range of practices, and even if small or medium-sized businesses begin by adopting these measures incrementally, it still represents a balanced approach towards a more sustainable future. At Around the City (ATC), we first started with two things—sourcing our fabrics from local vendors and cutting down a lot on bulk manufacturing. We began with a minimal inventory, which effectively reduces the carbon footprint for a budget-conscious brand like ours while still allowing us to take mindful steps in the process of building our business. Starting small is always a smarter choice than not doing anything at all.
With the rise of e-commerce, how do you see the future of retail evolving in the fashion industry? What strategies should brands adopt to stay relevant and competitive?
Firstly, understanding consumer behaviour in your own geographical location, along with carefully studying your target market, is crucial for anyone to have longevity in the business environment. The consumer is king, and we, as brand owners, cannot disagree on that. Staying relevant in the fashion landscape is challenging but surely possible. I think today’s consumer is well-read, well-travelled, and well-aware. Hence, providing them with authenticity, transparency, and giving importance to provenance in whatever one does in their brand-building journey is surely a factor that can help in sustaining a brand for a long time.
In recent years, diversity and inclusivity have become important topics within the fashion industry. How do you think the industry can work towards better representation and inclusivity, both in terms of models and clothing designs?
We, as a brand, offer custom sizing in all our styles; this ensures our consumers have faith in us, as we do not discriminate and think one size fits all – it surely does not. Hence, via our social media channels, we always promote women of all colours, sizes, and shapes wearing our clothing, as we truly believe that representation of all is key. Moving ahead, our brand has a vision to include models of different shapes, sizes, and colours. Talking about the industry as a whole, I feel the representation has already started, and it's going in the right direction. Maybe 10 years back it wasn't there, but today more often than not, we do see models of various colours, shapes, and sizes being represented by major fashion houses in the country. I feel we are already doing so well as an industry, but surely we can do better, as there is always room for improvement. Also, at ATC, we have silhouettes and styles for all body types; we always offer styles that are modest, along with a few that are a bit risqué.
The influence of social media and influencers has grown tremendously in the fashion industry. What role do you think social media will continue to play in shaping fashion trends, and how can brands leverage these platforms effectively to reach their target audience?
Being on social media is no longer optional; rather, it is more like a requirement at this point. It helps significantly in creating a unique online community. These platforms enable brands like ours, which are just starting out and have budget constraints, to access potential customers for free and still connect with our target audience. Also, brands like ours can showcase behind-the-scenes glimpses of manufacturing processes, which strengthens brand building and enhances consumer trust. Social media platforms are a boon to us, as they also allow us to collaborate with well-known content creators and style enthusiasts, further helping in building a tight-knit community.
What inspired you to create Around the City, and how did you come up with the idea of focusing on the city girls’ lifestyle?
I completed my entire education in fashion. I earned my BA Honours in Fashion Marketing and Branding from Nottingham Trent University and my MA in Fashion Supply Chain Management from De Montfort University in England. So, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to work in the fashion industry from day one. While I was completing my thesis for my Masters in 2019, my topic focused on fashion sustainability and its awareness among Indian consumers. At that time, the primary research I conducted made me realise that there was a gap in the Indian market. Indian consumers were fixated on buying from fast fashion brands, as they were more popular, accessible, and cheaper. However, fashion is among the most polluting industries in the world, and fast fashion contributes significantly to this. I identified that gap in our market and launched my own clothing brand with just one simple aim: to make clothes with minimal or no impact on the environment.
Also, having lived overseas for a few years in cities like Singapore and London, I have always been fascinated by big cities. The fast-paced lifestyle that a city offers is something I genuinely love, and this sentiment was one of the reasons why Around the City was born.
Can you share the story behind the name ‘Around the City’? How does it encapsulate the essence of your brand?
Around the City, the name, originates from my general love for city life. Everything a city offers – from the vibes, the food, the various scents, the people, the entertainment, to the chaos – everything fascinates me. The name perfectly captures the brand essence, as we provide clothes that are ideally suited for girls and women with busy lives who want to look their best with minimal effort and continue doing their own thing.
How do you ensure that your designs cater to the busy and demanding schedules of city girls while still providing a stylish and fashionable look?
At ATC, we have a very dedicated design and production team that puts in their utmost effort to conceptualise styles suitable for all city girls. We create clothes that are extremely wearable, chic, and, at the same time, made using raw materials that are locally sourced from verified and certified vendors. For example, we offer many co-ord sets, which I believe can easily transition from AM to PM depending on how one accessorises the outfit.
What are the key elements that make your collections stand out from other fashion brands, and how do you maintain this uniqueness?
I feel that, as a brand, the simplicity in our aesthetics and functionality in our silhouettes set us apart from other homegrown brands. We genuinely do not try hard to stand out, but rather focus on making a simple design more charming and unique in its own way. Wearability and functionality are extremely important to our design process, and of course, we also strive to create beautiful-looking clothes that speak for themselves.
How do you ensure that sustainable practices are followed in your production process and materials?
We own our manufacturing unit, where garments are entirely handmade. We have artisans who consistently put their best efforts into ensuring that quality is always prioritised. Since everything happens right in front of us, we make sure we source high-quality and certified fabrics from genuine vendors. Additionally, our dyes are completely AZO-free, which is much safer for the skin as they are non-toxic. All the inks used in our printing processes are GOTS certified. Our outer packaging is made from recycled paper, and we produce units on a demand-only basis. We keep very few units ready with us, as this also allows our workforce to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Can you tell us about your creative process when designing a new collection? What factors do you take into consideration, and how do you decide which styles to include?
Most of our designs are inspired by my personal travel experiences across the globe. For example, one of our dress prints from Drop 2 collection was inspired by the tulips in Keukenhof, Netherlands. Another was inspired by my trip to Kashmir, wherein we tried to incorporate the paisley print into a few of our pieces. Travel is my escape, and I am constantly learning, growing, and observing when I am traveling. These travel adventures broaden my creative spectrum and often serve as inspiration for our design strategies at ATC.
What challenges have you faced as the founder of Around the City, and how have you overcome them? What advice would you give to aspiring fashion entrepreneurs?
One of the challenges I faced in my journey was the time right before Around the City was going to launch. Due to multiple lockdowns as COVID-19 was still affecting us and the restrictions that followed, all operations were continuously pushed back. At that time, we had to get our manufacturing done by a third-party manufacturer, as we did not have the bandwidth to set up our own unit. We struggled to find the right manufacturer who would fit our requirements as a start-up, since our needs were on a smaller scale. After spending hours researching and contacting multiple factories, we faced many rejections from factory owners. It was a difficult time, as nothing was taking off for us, but finally, after several months, we found a factory in Mumbai that helped us with all the manufacturing processes. My advice for young entrepreneurs is that consistency is key, especially when starting out in any given field. The habit of being consistent greatly helps in achieving goals, even if they are smaller at the beginning. Also, I am a very patient person, and that skill of taking it all even when something is not going according to plan greatly contributes to an entrepreneurial journey, and it has definitely helped me. Excessive control or fixation does not help; I learned early on that sometimes things take their own course, and that is okay. As young entrepreneurs, our focus and energy should be on things that we can actually improve from our end, and the rest will fall into place.
What are your future plans for ATC? How do you envision the brand evolving and growing in the coming years?
We aim to grow in all ways, as any new brand would, but our main goal remains to provide access for women in India to own well-made, stylish clothes created using mindful practices. Our vision is to make ethical fashion more of a common norm than something that is considered rare or scarce. We would love to tap into pop-up spaces more often and give our consumers and others sensory experiences that make them feel more connected to the brand and its vision. This will also help us ensure greater trust and transparency with our customers.
