In the world of fashion, where trends come and go, 32-year-old Benaaz Anam, the founder of Periwinkle Fashion, has carved out a niche for herself with her brand's unique blend of style, comfort, and customisation. Periwinkle Fashion specialises in effortless casual clothing for women, along with customised pieces for women, men and kids for both occasion wear and everyday wear.
A savvy businesswoman who believes in creating a strong digital identity and footprint online, Benaaz partnered with GoDaddy to build Periwinkle Fashion's website and online presence. This has set her business up for continued growth and success.
With a Master's degree in Fashion Management from NIFT and a major in Sociology from Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi University, Benaaz's journey from a social media executive to a successful entrepreneur is a tale of passion, perseverance, and creativity. Let's dive in to learn more about her journey!
The birth of Periwinkle Fashion
Launched in mid-2018, Periwinkle Fashion was born out of Benaaz's desire to create everyday casual clothes that are effortlessly stylish. The brand's USP lies in its commitment to creating 100% of its products by local skilled craftsmen from Benaaz's hometown in Assam, promoting sustainability and reducing carbon footprint.
Benaaz's inspiration came from her experience working under Anita Dongre in Mumbai, where she saw few retail apparel companies in Assam that made and sold casual clothing. Through this, she realised the need for a fashion brand that catered to the local market. After doing some research, she started working towards fulfilling her dream - a pocket-friendly and eco-conscious casual wear brand.
Morning routine of a fashion entrepreneur
Benaaz's day begins with yoga or a walk, followed by a cup of black coffee and some reading. She believes in starting her day with a clear head and a to-do list, which sets the tone for a productive day ahead. With a strong focus on social media, Benaaz supervises her team, ensuring that their online presence is engaging and reflective of the brand's aesthetic.
The power of customization
What sets Periwinkle Fashion apart is its commitment to customization and size-inclusivity. Benaaz was able to address a market gap for plus-size women or customers who were different from standard sizes. Periwinkle Fashion offers 'made to order' products, where customers can provide their individual measurements, ensuring a perfect fit and longer garment life. This focus on sustainability and customer satisfaction has earned Periwinkle Fashion a loyal customer base.
Sustaining growth and scaling success
As a small, home-grown brand, Periwinkle Fashion faces challenges such as slow production lead times, escalating logistic cost, high raw material costs, and customer retention. On top of that, there is also cost pressure due to competition from large e-commerce brands.
However, Benaaz remains undeterred, focusing on building a loyal customer base and expanding her production unit to meet the growing demand. She hopes to increase brand visibility and customer trust. Her team is also looking at scaling up their production as part of business expansion, aiming to serve a wider range of customers. In the long run, Benaaz hopes for Periwinkle Fashion to be the one-stop solution for effortless clothing in India. From affordable casual clothing to customizations, Benaaz believes in "Fashion for all".
Partnering with GoDaddy to create a strong online presence: a key to success
With a strong online presence, Periwinkle Fashion has been able to reach a wider audience, both nationally and internationally. Benaaz believes that having a website is crucial for small businesses, as it enables them to cater to a larger audience, acquire new customers, and present their products in a professional and trustworthy manner.
When Benaaz first launched Periwinkle Fashion, she created a website alongside social media channels like Facebook and Instagram. With their own website, Periwinkle Fashion was able to cater to a large audience from PAN India and globally. Hailing from a small city of India, this was a big advantage for Benaaz and her team. Having a website also enabled them to track their customer’s data, purchasing patterns and products performance.
The importance of building a small website and Benaaz's reason for choosing GoDaddy
In Benaaz's opinion, it is important for a home-grown brand and business like Periwinkle Fashion to have a website. Besides the ability to cater to a wider audience outside of India, the website also plays an important role in acquiring new customers who might not be among their existing audience on social media. With a website, customers can browse the entire range of products with pricing information clearly in a single spot.
At Periwinkle Fashion, a large majority of their sales come from their website. On top of that, the website is also a great avenue to stay connected with customers and run occasional discounts and markdowns, facilitating more sales.
Having heard about GoDaddy for a long time, Benaaz sees GoDaddy as one of the best platforms for creating domain names. Therefore, she made a swift decision to register her domain with GoDaddy upon recommendation from her web developer.
Related: Why does your business need a .in domain extension?
Building a website for your small business: is it necessary?
Benaaz sees both sides of the equation when it comes to building a website for small businesses.
For entrepreneurs who prefer to build a website only after they start seeing sales for their products, launching a brand on social media without a website can help to build inquisitiveness and create opportunities for personalized interactions through private messages. However, this might not be a good option for customers who prefer to purchase directly from a website without having to constantly interact with the brand for enquiries or to place an order.
On the other hand, launching a business with a website would allow customers to purchase more quickly and smoothly. It also helps brands to build a professional image and trust with their customers, as compared to social media. However, Benaaz cautions the potential cost of website development and maintenance.
As for Periwinkle Fashion, the website was launched at the onset, because Beenaz wants customers to perceive the brand as professional and trustworthy.
Lessons learnt from her entrepreneurship journey
Benaaz's journey has taught her the importance of listening to customers, identifying market gaps through extensive research, and evolving as a brand.
As an example, Periwinkle Fashion started retailing its Indian collection because customers were asking for it. They eventually diversified into creating customized menswear and clothing for children after receiving repeated orders for these.
She advises entrepreneurs to stay focused, reflect on their purpose, and keep moving forward despite challenges and failures.
Benaaz had to learn many lessons the hard way as she did not have a business mentor. Loking back, she wished she was able to manage her inventory more carefully to ensure less instances of overstocks, which can result in hefty losses.
Recounting a heart-warming experiences, Benaaz remembers a customer who was so happy with her customized order that she offered to promote Periwinkle Fashion in the USA, where she resides. This gesture of gratitude reminded Benaaz of the importance of customer satisfaction and the impact of her brand on people's lives.
What makes it all worth it
For Benaaz, the satisfaction of creating products that are loved by customers and the feeling of building a brand from scratch make it all worth it. Despite the challenges, she remains committed to her passion, inspiring others to pursue their dreams and turn them into a reality.
