Entrepreneurship Journey of Poonam Mittal

A candid conversation with designer Poonam Mittal will leave anyone smiling

Humble, childlike and uncomplicated, she is happily living her life to the fullest having found her entrepreneurial stride in launching her bootlegged label Poonam Mittal.

Graduating from NIFT, Gandhinagar Poonam specialized in Fashion and Lifestyle accessories. It was her passion and practical insight of the fashion business that gave her the courage to launch her own label.

Poonam comes across as someone whose joy is in pleasing her customers with her labels existing and new products.

Her skill is in quickly upgrading herself, pivoting the label from an accessory product provider to now being a mid-range ensemble player having potential for growth.

Her vision is to build a community of customers who prefer her products and experience her service more than anything else does.

Commenting on her label’s mission, Poonam elaborates”Our research and experience taught us that the market for New Indian ethnic wear labels was saturated with most designers concentrated between heavy full blown lehengas and light cotton kurtis.

However, there was a growing space in between which could be termed as the mid-ensemble range that catered to a number of festivals, home functions, Pujas, and other traditional functions that dot up our Indian calendar.

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I realized from experience that some smart designer ensembles would be well received by Indians here and abroad.

When asked how does her label operate? Poonam quips” The attraction or USP is that we cater to the friends & family of the bride who are looking for gorgeous, hand worked, handloom pieces that are not heavy enough for you to shy away from them on small-scale events and are also not priced obnoxiously where-in you imagine you’ll only purchase it when you ‘need it’.

She chuckles with experience saying that when going out to buy for the bride’s clothing, one must not shy away from buying designer clothing for oneself.

As a brand, we serve to be a bridge wherein we can provide the same quality of designer craftsman products at reasonable prices to whosoever comes.

When asked about the plans for the next five years for the label? Poonam who cheers big for Indian Ethnic wear voices “My plan is to expand Poonam Mittal pan-India with the label being the go-to designer studio for families for all their events and making Indian clothing relevant for Gen-Z in its classic glory.

No more of the Indo-Fusion madness. Even today, girls love donning a classic saree & a classic lehenga. They need to be made affordable, accessibly while still being fashionable & hand worked.

Before signing off, we quip what would be her advice to young designers and aspirational entrepreneurs?

Don’t mindlessly follow trends. Find why you started designing in the first place. What drew you to it? Chances are, you started designing to solve a personal problem.

Stick to that forethought and come up with a way to monetize it for your business. That is the only way to stand out and stand profitably in the industry for years to come.

Given the fact that Poonam Mittal is a bootlegged label, one must applaud for it has invested well; beginning with the research and in itself.

Poonam moreover clearly knows her strengths and has over the years built a strong strategy team for the way ahead as well as a team under a Masterji and others who make every ensemble count in her way!