Word of mouth, the charm of social media and her bespoke designs have made Minkatou the hotspot for Chennai’s modish clientele. RITZ chats with Archana Abraham about her obsession with fabrics, clothes and looking chic!
It could have gone either way for 31-year-old Archana Abraham – designing clothes and creating fashion could just have remained a personal hobby, or like she says today, “one thing led to another.” What may be contrived as just another common boutique arises organically from Archana’s love of style and her flair for the fashion business. “Putting clothes together is something that is pure joy. I don’t derive much happiness from just making clothes, though I make coordinated outfits, I love encouraging the client to mix and match. Making people look beautiful is my prerogative,” says Archana.
Breaking the stereotype of colours and patterns that are associated with most clothes, Archana started out her first commercial design by changing the colour scheme of the clichéd Marwadi red wedding Lehenga to ice blue and gold.
The beauty of pastel shades is that they scream elegance; a very pleasant scream at that, we say! “I love minimalism,” she smiles, and Chennai folks certainly agree. “I have about 15 to 20 customers a month. I also have a clientele in the USA and Australia,” she smiles.
Minkatou depends solely on social media for marketing. “I use Facebook and Instagram to showcase my designs. I also started receiving orders from abroad thanks to WhatsApp.” When Archana is not sticking to minimalism, her lehengas are organza pieces interspersed with zardozi work and hand embroidery.
While actors Sriya Reddy and Vidyu Raman represent the upper tier of her clientele, Minkatou designs lehengas that range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 70,000 and cocktail dresses that begin at Rs 8,000.
Divulging details about her current fascination, Archana says that she loves cottons, linens, cold shoulder tops and draped skirts. Even as Minkatou expands its business horizons, she tells us that her children’s clothing line is also something one should look out for.
