Have you ever wondered if you could create more looks out of a single garment? Mumbai-based Niti Singhal, an alumna of Istituto Marangoni, Milan, wondered the same and the result is Twee-In-One. Her brand offers reversible and convertible garments which help you pull off two different looks with each piece of garment. Niti also ensures that these two looks are varied in nature, which means while one look is apt for a formal meaning, another would be deemed fit for a party. As this 31-year-old launches her latest collection - UNBASIC, Indulge asks her about the conceptualisation of her brand, the functionality of the garments and if a menswear collection is in the pipeline. Excerpts from the interview:
Q: What exactly is Twee-In-One all about, please explain the concept to us. And, what all do you offer?
Niti Singhal: Every girl has more than once in her life been in these situations: ‘I have nothing to wear!’, ‘Why do I always carry excess luggage?’, ‘I don't have space!’ or ‘I hate carrying a change!’
Twee In One aims to bring its customers a little happiness by solving all these problems through their collections of reversible and convertible clothing - a garment that can be worn from both sides. So, basically two different styles in one piece of garment. And, it is not just reversing the garment but also the style. For instance, while one side could be formal, the reverse could be a casual or a party-wear. With this, we are redefining sustainability by promoting ‘less is more’.
Q: How did the idea strike you? How long did it take from the ideation stage to the execution stage?
NS: When I was working in Italy as an embroidery designer, the room that was provided by my company was barely enough for me, leave alone my clothes. And, since I was in a foreign land, I was making use of every weekend by travelling around but each time I would pack my bags, I would wonder how life would have been perfect if I could pack less and yet have more. The only way this was possible was to optimise the space that one garment took. That's when I developed the concept of reversible and convertible clothing. Soon after my return from Italy in the beginning of 2017, I started working on the brand and within six months, the brand and my first collection were in place.
Q: What were the challenges you face when you go about designing these garments? How different is designing process of these garments as opposed to designing a regular garment?
NS: Every day is a new challenge! While developing this concept, the main challenge was to get both sides right in terms of the design, fit and comfort. The next challenge was to find a way to convey this idea to the world and to make them believe that something like this could work. The designing process is very different from designing regular garments as not only both sides have to stylish but should also work well in terms of functionality and technical aspects. It is also very time consuming to get the toiles right before I approve a design.
Q: How functional and practical are these garments? Some designs appear very tricky. Also, how often do you wear them?
NS: Oh, all my garments are very functional and practical. The tricky designs are easy to wear once you know what needs to be done. As far as I am concerned, I am a traveller and live out of my suitcase. I wear only Twee In One now since they are making me travel light and yet allowing me to dress for the occasion.
Q: Who is your target audience? And, how has the response been so far? Are you making profits?
NS: Our customer is every female who is mindful about fashion, loves to dress up well and is very outgoing. To our surprise, our oldest is a 62-year-old who wanted to travel the world in style but with less luggage. I have been fortunate enough to get an extremely positive response since our launch and it encourages me to work harder on our designs and launch capsule collections every few months.
Q: Do you sell out of a store or online or both?
NS: Currently, we are selling from our website but we are also available at a multi-designer store in Surat - Asar Lifestyles.
Q: Will we see you designing apparel for men as well? What’s next for Twee-In-One?
NS: Oh yes! We are working on a special collection for men but it’s still in the pipeline. Besides, we have just launched our new collection – UNBASIC. It offers something for everyone - from geometric prints to floral embroideries, from pastels to quirky colours.