An interview with Neha Gandhi, Founding father of KOR, a homegrown clothes label
On this interview, we sit down with Neha Gandhi, the visionary founding father of KOR, a homegrown clothes label that champions sustainable style.
Neha shares her journey, the inspiration behind KOR, and her dedication to creating trendy but eco-friendly attire that resonates with acutely aware customers.
Rising up in Mumbai, how did your environment form your inventive sensibilities and your strategy to style?
Neha Gandhi: Rising up in Mumbai was like dwelling in a consistently unfolding temper board. Town is a mosaic of goals, aspirations, and variety — and that displays in its on a regular basis life.
From the colorfully chaotic markets of Crawford to the quiet class of previous SoBo bungalows, each road nook holds a narrative.
Mumbai taught me that style doesn’t should be loud to be expressive. It’s in the best way a girl kinds her dupatta in a neighborhood practice, or how a florist wraps marigolds in reused newspaper.
The combination of contrasts — custom with modernity, simplicity with boldness — formed my love for considerate design and purposeful magnificence. That’s the spirit I deliver into each KOR garment — rooted in actuality, however at all times dreaming.
What impressed you and Neha Suchak to start out KOR, and the way did you provide you with the identify?
Neha Gandhi: Neha Suchak and I had been mates first, and sometimes discovered ourselves drawn to the identical aesthetic — clothes that was joyful, wearable, and rooted in simplicity.
We noticed a niche out there for considerate, detail-driven clothes that allowed ladies to specific themselves with out overthinking. That shared imaginative and prescient grew to become KOR.
The identify ‘KOR’ is impressed by the Gujarati phrase for the edging of a garment — that closing contact that binds the piece collectively. It felt like a ravishing metaphor for what we wished to create: significant style tied along with intention.
Are you able to stroll us via your design course of? How do you translate inspiration from nature into your collections?
Neha Gandhi: My design course of is never linear — it usually begins with a pause. A second of stillness the place I observe the world round me.
Typically it’s so simple as the best way daylight filters via a curtain, the feel of peeling paint on a wall, or the quiet geometry of leaves on a morning stroll. Nature isn’t apparent — and I like that. It hides its brilliance in particulars, and that’s the place I discover my cues.
There are days once I be aware down random phrases — cloudy softness, lemongrass laughter, sundown rust — not realizing how they’ll slot in. However finally, these phrases discover their kind in a pleat, a coloration block, or a sew line. It’s like poetry, however wearable.
As soon as the core emotion is captured, we construct round it — sketching silhouettes, experimenting with materials, engaged on embroidery methods, and refining finishes. Each garment carries an echo of the place it got here from — a breeze, a bloom, a texture, or generally, only a fleeting thought that refused to depart.
At KOR, inspiration doesn’t shout. It whispers. And our job is to pay attention and translate that whisper into joy-filled clothes.
With 80% of gross sales coming out of your on-line retailer, how do you strategy on-line advertising and marketing and buyer engagement?
Neha Gandhi: We deal with our on-line house as an extension of our studio. It’s private, intuitive, and story-driven. Each publish, each product web page, each response is guided by authenticity.
We actively interact with clients, take suggestions severely, provide customized sizing, and talk timelines clearly.
Advertising and marketing for us isn’t nearly gross sales — it’s about constructing a group that resonates with our values. Whether or not it’s via behind-the-scenes content material, storytelling round our clothes, or considerate WhatsApp campaigns, we attempt to make each touchpoint really feel human and heat.
What have been a few of the largest challenges you’ve confronted as an entrepreneur, and the way have you ever overcome them?
Neha Gandhi: Entrepreneurship comes with its fair proportion of unpredictability — and KOR has been no exception. One of many ongoing challenges has been managing a made-to-order mannequin at scale.
Whereas it permits us to remain sustainable and provide personalisation, it additionally calls for tight coordination, clear communication, and loads of persistence. Balancing inventive freedom with logistical self-discipline has been a continuing studying curve.
There have been moments of self-doubt, manufacturing hurdles, and the occasional curveball that comes with operating a enterprise in an ever-evolving business. However these moments additionally construct resilience. Over time, I’ve discovered to remain nimble, belief the method, and remind myself why we began.
At KOR, we transfer ahead with goal — realizing that consistency, honesty, and just a little little bit of chaos are all a part of the journey.
What are your aspirations for KOR within the subsequent 5 years, each creatively and commercially?
Neha Gandhi: Creatively, I need KOR to maintain evolving with pleasure at its core. I see us experimenting extra — with methods, varieties, and collaborations — with out dropping the benefit and wearability we’re recognized for. I additionally wish to develop our narrative-driven collections, the place every garment seems like a reminiscence in movement.
Commercially, our goal is to open a flagship retailer, enter choose international markets, and most significantly, see extra ladies throughout cities and cultures noticed having fun with KOR — whether or not it’s at brunch, on the airport, or just throughout their on a regular basis moments. That visibility, rooted in real connection, could be the actual milestone.
What recommendation would you give to younger designers trying to carve their very own path within the style business?
Neha Gandhi: Begin with readability — know what you stand for, even when it’s nonetheless evolving. Traits come and go, however your perspective is what is going to set you aside.
Don’t rush the method; constructing one thing genuine takes time. Be open to studying — from mentors, errors, and even clients.
And above all, let your work carry your voice. If it feels sincere to you, it’ll at all times discover its place on this planet.
Neha Gandhi’s ardour for sustainable style shines via in KOR’s progressive designs. As she continues to redefine the business, her insights encourage a brand new era of style lovers to embrace eco-conscious selections, proving that fashion and sustainability can go hand in hand.
| Are you an
Entrepreneur or Startup? Do you will have a Success Story to Share? SugerMint want to share your success story. We cowl entrepreneur Tales, Startup Information, Girls entrepreneur tales, and Startup tales |
Discover Success story of Indian entrepreneurs & startups at SugerMint. Observe us on Twitter, Instagram, Fb, LinkedIn
