Personal shopper Madhura Roy worked as a stylist for Bollywood movies for several years before foraying into personal shopping. She approached several luxury brands such as Luis Vuitton and Chanel at their flagship stores in India to work as a personal shopper. However, she found that none of the stores even had a personal shopping department. She finally opened a personal shopping department for Moschino in Mumbai. She recounts, “Personal shopping was not an easy field for me to break into. Most of my customers were wealthy older women who didn’t really want someone younger telling them what to wear. It took a while to gain their trust and then start wardrobe consulting for them. Younger women were more open to hearing what I had to say about what cuts would suit them and what they should wear. In just a few months, I drove up sales for the company, and now, I have the opportunity to work with Moschino in New York.” She continues, “I’ve always loved fashion and shopping, so this is the ideal career choice for me!” Personal shoppers Shazia Kachwala and Divisha Maroli co-founded their personal shopping and styling company, Revive my Vibe, three years ago. Kachwala was a stylist with Bollywood films while Maroli had a business background and was working with Ernst & Young. Maroli recounts, “I wanted my own time and creative gratification of moulding people’s styles.” The initial capital investment of a shopping consultancy was quite little; inspired by shows such as What Not to Wear by Trinny and Suzannah, Maroli and Kachwala channelled their passion for shopping and fashion into a fulfilling business. However, breaking into the nascent Indian market was not easy. Marori recollects, “Three years ago, we were the only ones in this field. No one got why we were doing it. We spent a lot of time explaining to people why they needed to have a personal shopper.” Men have taken to personal shoppers better than women, says Maroli, since they rarely have the time to shop and women would rather trust their individual sense of style. Maroli says, “We have standing instructions from some men to buy clothes for them every couple of months. With women, it is more of a collaboration to find what they like best.”
Marori advises young shoppers looking to enter this field, “You may enjoy shopping but if you can’t do this 365 days a year, then you won’t last. It takes a lot of physical exertion to shop for people, especially in a city like Mumbai. You need to be on your feet all the time. Our retail is not as organised as in the departmental stores you get in the West, so you have to constantly dig, organise and look for clothes that are suitable. Our families now call us ‘daily wage labourers,’ as we often end up working 10 hours a day! Even in our free time, we are looking up what’s new in the fashion world.” So, if you don’t have a crazy addiction for shopping, this is not the career for you.
However, for those who think they can meet these challenges, the sky is the limit. Qualified personal shoppers can make about Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 for a single consulting service that lasts about two hours. Percentages of clothes bought for wedding trousseaus or red carpet affairs, where clients have huge budgets, can significantly boost business.
So, fashionistas, try it for a while by consulting for acquaintances. If you find that you are seriously considering a career as a personal shopper, get yourself qualified through a fashion institute. And shop till you drop!
TIPS
Volume 1 Issue 7
Now that the exams are over, what to do next? As the dust settles after…
Embarking on a higher education journey abroad is still a very big dream for many…
As we enter 2024, navigating the job market and excelling in a job interview has…
As the warm breeze of summer beckons and schools and colleges draw to a close,…
As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near, the excitement and anticipation among citizens, especially…
Tattoos are more than just ink on the skin; they are visual narratives, expressions of…