Strike a pose, Jaipur

It was my first time in Jaipur. The Air India flight ride pleasant. My co-passenger a 25-year-old chatty Capt Akanksha who had joined the army after years of studying hotel management. It had set the mood for fun.  And turns out, Jaipur was time well spent.

It was a time for celebration. Mumbai based independent fashion brand for bespoke women clothing, Alex Twenteen opened its first store for women in Jaipur at the World Trade Park.  With a premium and limited edition clothing line targeted for the contemporary, modern woman and young fashionista, the store launch saw eager shoppers and city fashionistas queuing up early in the day to shop for the latest collections.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZtLbGvhNNS/?taken-by=etheldacosta 

Offering limited edition selections of ‘day to evening  dressing’ for a perfect work-life balance and a dress code for every place i.e., office-work-business wear,  party-cocktails-evening, casual-sporty-comfort dressing; I saw a collection offering an exciting mix of style (jumpsuits, corporate blouses, A-line dresses, sporty play suits,cocktail gowns), colors (jewel tones, stripes, solid black, rust, military), playful styling (lace, piping), trendy detailing (asymmetrical cuts, off shoulder crop tops, jackets), which goes perfectly for the today’s city women who enjoy fashion and their own femininity. An added specialty feature is the label’s `order to size’ garments customised as per client’s design and size requirements. So cool!

With a successful online presence built over two years, Alex Twenteen‘s Founder, Mahipal Singh, has had a good thing going. Dashing,energetic, focused, with a finger on the city’s pulse and growth vision for the brand, understanding the country’s dynamic apparel demands, he believes, is paramount to creating supply. And in turn, create his own #MakeInIndia story.

Excited with his first flagship store spread across 900 sq feet at the World Trade Park, and the roll out of the brand in other cities soon (Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai),  Mahipal shares what’s top priority in the days to come. “The women of Jaipur are vivacious. They love fashion and our collection matches international standards of contemporary fashion offered in the market.  Keeping in line with the fashion preferences of today’s woman, it’s our constant endeavor to create and offer the coolest looks, adding new lines every 10 days with a forecast of festive trends and personal style statements,” the Founder shares. With a trend board for spring-summer-festive-autumn-winter, the decision to create an on-ground interface of a successful online business, was strategic, Mahipal states. But why Jaipur? “Because the maximum online demand for our collections was so great from the Pink City. We had to be here in physical presence too, giving our clients a touch-feel experience of the brand,” he notes. Laughing faces and collections moving off the rack at the store launch proved he was right.

An avid fashion buff himself, Mahipal’s journey as a young entrepreneur in India has been influenced by the best of the west and home-country. “The future of fashion in India is great. It is challenging, it is edgy and bold. Our price lines are pretty competitive, and there’s great value for money too. The goal is to provide a go-between international brands and us. We should encourage more Indian entrepreneurs to seriously make in India. I hope this is my contribution to it,” he shares. The excitement and energy he exudes is palpable. For now, it’s only women’s wear. Men will have to wait.

Later in the evening , the fashion show at the Taj Jal Mahal Palace garden grounds under a starry Jaipur sky, brought the city’s society glitterati together.

Here’s to the success of Alex Twenteen. May Mahipal’s fashion tribe go forth and multiply. ​Watch out for this brand.