The Socially Conscious Fashionista – Sana Rezwan Sait, Bengaluru
Her mind is filled with new ideas, some so far removed from the everyday thought process that one actually needs to sit back and take a moment to understand and imbibe the underlying essence behind her ideology. She’s the woman behind three exigent fashion ventures and launched her most recent social enterprise, Indelust just over a year ago. Her love for fashion and her passionate entrepreneurial streak have helped her make her mark in the industry. Meet Sana Rezwan Sait, Bengaluru’s most fashionable, yet socially oriented entrepreneur.
She’s a complete Bengaluru girl at heart and the younger daughter of real estate magnate Rezwan Razack of the Prestige Group. Having now made her home in New York, Sana Rezwan Sait returns to the city at least four to five times a year, not just to look in on her business, but to live and breath Bengaluru’s unique experiences that she says rejuvenate her senses. She was here recently to celebrate the first anniversary of her pet project, Indelust.
Chatting about what provoked her to venture into unchartered territories like socially and ethically curated fashion, the ever elegant, ingenious entrepreneur says, “ For the better part of my professional career, the most cutting edge aspects in fashion were taking place abroad – London, Milan, New York, etc. Now for the first time, there are so many creative and innovative designers coming out of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and some designers who have studied and/or worked abroad, but have come back ‘home’ to re-interpret what they learned, utilizing traditional styles and techniques. As an Indian, I am proud that we are finally doing something the rest of the world is paying attention to. Indelust is an expression of this new fashion sense and confidence emerging from our part of the world.”
Created to champion a model whereby the production of beautifully produced, differentiated products could also positively impact those involved in its creation, Sana’s venture is a for-profit social enterprise that ethically sources fashion, art and home accessories from the Indian Subcontinent.
“I left home for university when I was 18, and ended up working and studying in London for eight years. I was very fortunate to have had my training at some of the best fashion houses in the world, like Stella McCartney, Jasmine DiMilo, Giorgio Armani, and Liberty of London,” she explains. In 2011, she decided the time was right to move back to India and create something different, which is when Maison, the city’s most upmarket high fashion destination, was born. As circumstance would have it, she ended up meeting her husband-to-be at her store, and then moved to be with him in New York. This made tending a stand-alone store in Bengaluru impossible. “I resolved that whatever I did next would at its core still be about India, but would not constrain me to one store or location – hence my reason for starting Indelust and indelust.com,” she explains.
Her love for fashion and her understanding of the vast subject is legendary in Bengaluru city. She lives by the motto ‘less is more’ and firmly believes in adopting a balance for everything in life. She lives and breathes Indelust, whether in New York or India. “Apart from managing the workflow of my India team from here and sourcing for the site, I spend a lot of time marketing and overseeing the web development aspect of our site, Indelust.com. At present I am in the midst of planning a couple of events in New York and Chicago that are coming up over the next few months,” she explains.
Favouring designers like MSMD, Bodice, Sanchita or Huemn, her style is part boho and part rock-chic. She collects clothes because they are beautiful, some still having tags attached. That’s not to say she isn’t equally fond of her mother’s turquoise jewellery, old silver and her grandmother’s saris. Her passions in life – food, art and her cat!
In that order, if you please.
