Founded by three sisters-Neha, Akanksha and Aarti Chhabra – Pastels and Pop (www.pastelsandpop.com) is a designer label that specializes in handcrafted and hand-embroidered Punjabi Juttis and clothes. Its story goes back to December 2014 when Neha was about to get married. As it was the first wedding in the family, they were naturally very excited about the preparations. Being inclined towards designing and dressmaking right from childhood, the three sisters then created and designed all the outfits from scratch, and brought Neha’s dream wedding outfit to life. The designs that we introduce are not accidental: a lot of thought goes into the type of prints and embroideries we choose so that they intersect with the taste of the modern woman, the sisters told S&A.
Idea of Pastels and Pop
We’ve had a never-ending love affair with the Indian Jutti. Our initial years were spent in the heart of Punjab, and we always adored the Juttis our mother used to buy from the streets of Amritsar. In December 2014, Neha was about to get married. It was the first wedding in our family, so we were naturally very excited about the preparations. As everyone knows, the Big Indian Wedding is all about grandeur, and clothes play a huge role in that. Naturally inclined towards designing and dressmaking right from childhood, the three of us then created and designed all our outfits from scratch, and brought our sister’s dream wedding outfit to life.
When we received innumerable compliments throughout the wedding for our clothes and shoes, that’s when it hit us: First, we absolutely loved and enjoyed designing the clothes and Juttis all on our own, and, second, there’s a huge, vacant market in Bangalore and other South Indian cities for quality designer ethnic wear which is also affordable. We went about doing our research and in July 2015, Pastels & Pop debuted with its first ever Jutti collection.
USP of the Brand
At Pastels & Pop, special care is taken to make sure that the finest details of each Jutti are perfect. The designs that we introduce are not accidental: a lot of thought goes into the type of prints and embroideries we choose so that they intersect with the taste of the modern woman. Our major USP is that our collection is, and always will be, versatile; we cater to the palettes of ladies of a wide age group looking for elegant footwear for any occasion; some of our Juttis provoke elegance, while some can get downright funky, so that you have a pair of Juttis for any occasion!
Demand
We have been very lucky to have received so much love and appreciation from women all over the world. Juttis were never popular in South India and we are now seeing the transition.
Brand’s target audience
We want to cater to the palettes of ladies of a wide age group and we are blessed to have a clientele as diverse as ours. Our customers are varied in demographic, age group, as well as geography! From a teenager to women in 60’s, we have so many amazing women sport our designs. It is truly humbling to be a part of such a vibrant community which loves and respects the Great Indian Jutti.
Product portfolio
Our flagship product is the Pastels and Pop handcrafted Jutti. We had 10 designs when we launched, and now the catalog has grown to 120 unique designs, which covers a wide range of target audiences and design styles. We have juttis for every occasion – work, party or weddings. In 2017, we also launched kids juttis and our first clothing collection.
Brand’s retail presence
When we started off, we were taking orders over WhatsApp or email. We launched our online store in Jan 2016 and since then we have received as much love and appreciation from women all over the world. Along with our online store www.pastelsandpop.com, we now also retail at Aashni and Co, Pernias Pop Up Shop, Trendroots, Collage Shop(Bangalore) and Amethyst(Chennai).
New markets and trend
While we are enjoying the love and appreciation from women all over the world, we get so many messages from men who are in the market for authentic Mojris over and above the generic designs that you find everywhere. We are planning something exciting to explore this space.
In five years
Our immediate goal is to become the leading label for handcrafted designer Juttis for women, kids, and men. Also, in parallel, our team is also working on increasing our foothold, particularly opening stores across the country.
The footwear market
When we launched Pastels and Pop more than 3 years ago, all our products were warmly embraced by our clientele, many of whom were buying their first pair of Juttis. And 3 years on, we see that there are still many people across the country who are unaware of this versatile footwear.
Like in any other industry, we feel that the key to succeed in this business is to ensure a genuinely heartwarming customer experience, while also keeping them hooked with innovative designs that is in line with the company’s ethos.
