From teaching English literature to the demanding field of fashion technology, Anuradha Raman has come a long way making her mark in the world of fashion. “I never wanted to be in the field with a run-of-the-mill approach,” Says Anuradha. To her, fashion has never meant modernity. “There is so much in the Indian traditional fashion of yore which is almost forgotten now. I wanted to revive Indian traditional wear by my own innovative ideas,” adds Anuradha.

A splash of colors, an art of making cuts and blends in a stylized way, a keen eye to rediscover long lost Indian fabrics and ample amount of creativity are the key factors that drove Anuradha towords “making my own space” in the fashion world. Her journey of 15 years has borne fruits.

Without any formal degree in the field of fashion technology designer Anuradha ramam chooses to give a revolutionary change to Indian fashion sense by spotting the dying forms of weaving and various other fabrics and giving them shape not just into ethnic wear but giving our usual boring attires a quirky, innovative, creative and traditional look.

The collection of her purses & bags are quite popular among the college going girls as well as the professionals who want to add a touch of ethnicity to their attire and women in all the age groups. Her purses & bags will go well with all the dresses whether maxi dresses or ethnic saris. Her purses are trendy and very spacious in nature.

She has already earned fame for her 'Teliya' and Hand-block printed Sarees, which have created a niche for her in the Indian design industry. Her latest creation is the Indian Corset that she has designed which can be comfortably worn with a saree, a skirt, jeans and even formal wear.

Anuradha, unlike most in today's world, wants to give back what it claimed from society.  She has been relentlessly striving to preserve the old crafts of the country. She takes old crafts and uses her creativity to develop fantastic master pieces. She has brought back so many different crafts that had been long forgotten and she has successfully brought the forgotten artisans in the  limelight.

 Anuradha Ramam today supports over 350 weavers and artisans of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. She also works with different NGO's like Tamana and Save Children India.

She interacted with SME WORLD.

What made her take to entrepreneurship and what are the driving factors?

Before setting my foot into this world of fashion and being a true blue Bengali, with a Master's degree in English Literature, I used to teach in college. But my passion made me pursue this field of fashion world. After my marriage to a doctor of Andhra Pradesh, I started combining my knowledge of Bengal's Kantha embroidery with the Andhra's dwindling art of telia rumals and Ikats. I researched and visited artisans to gain insight knowledge about all the fabrics such as ikkat, kaantha, tussar, silk and hand, woven cotton. Finally I started my journey towards fashion world by starting my own boutique in Delhi. I wanted to revive Indian fabrics and that has driven me the most to pursue my passion. I like to play with colors, shades & designs hence a designer wear with Indian motifs was something that captured my interest to the utmost level.

What are the challenges you may have faced in your journey?

As and when I started on with my passion , the basic challenge was to stick with what I loved the most i.e "Indian fabrics & motifs". People, especially youngsters were more driven towards western wear and had less interest for Indian textiles and the variety it had to offer to the fashion industry. Hence to create that interest and to keep it intact was a challenge.

What do you feel about the Competition?

Competition has always remained at its peak because there were already many well known designers who were and who are exploring Indian fabrics and are giving out their best in creations at various point of times. But all this is healthy competition. I always aimed to provide the best of the lot to my clients & keeping the priority and choice on the top. 

What is your USP?

My fabric, colors and hand weaving is what I say is the USP of my brand . I like to play with designs and colors in an individualistic manner. I prefer to use bold colors and make statement pieces, keeping in mind the overall persona of my client. Besides clothing, I also have a line of designer jewellery and handbags. As I feel that the blend of the clothes and the jewellery help achieve a complete look.

What is your vision in fashion and your creativity?

As I have been working closely with artisans, I wish to empower them and bring their work to the limelight. I want to revive traditional Indian wear by bringing out significant changes that will suit not only youngsters but will be the choice of women in various age groups.

Tell us something more about your creations & the clientele you enjoy.

I articulate my style quite a lot through the use of unique prints, embroidery, mirror work, embellishments and borders. All these elements are combined together to produce works of art. I adore colour and prefer to use it in the most unexpected way. One might open a seemingly simple saree only to be dazzled by the array of colours found in the pallu. I have been a dreamer since childhood, visuals have always been more important than words and that's how my creations come out. Her designs are an extension of her personality. I love to give my garments the perfect cuts and that it can be worn by any woman of any size. My clientele include, Kirron Kher, Rani Mukherjee, Jaya Jaitley and many known diplomats.

How you envision your growth into the next level?

My vision of growth is nonetheless the growth of the artisans I am working with. If they grow both in quality and quantity, I too grow. I nurture within me an idea to go places with my new ventures by collaborating with craftsmen from across the country.

My next level is to lay my focus on men's attire. Again I would like to play with some exceptional cuts and self-designs on kurta & semi-formal shirts. I wish to have an exclusive showroom of men attire comprising both traditional & party wear line of clothing.

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