Founded by Aneeth Arora, Péro interprets international aesthetic using local material and skills. A textile graduate from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and a fashion graduate from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Arora says she is a ‘textile and dress maker’ and that her brand is inspired to make products that connects with people.
She says Péro – which is located in Delhi’s Patparganj area – firmly believes that its Indian-ness rests in the textile process, where materials pass through the hands of one craftsperson to the other, carrying forward the Indian tradition of handcrafting and creating pieces that are unique.
In an exclusive chat with IMAGES Business of Fashion, Founder Aneeth Arora talks about the brand and its sustainability policy.
Excerpts from the chat…
Retail Journey
As a textile graduate, I’ve always been intrigued with the possibilities of creating base textiles. My education exposed me to a myriad of textiles created in different parts of India like the jamdani, madras checks, ikat, south cotton etc. However, I also understood that while Indian craft techniques are quite well explored, the textiles segment remains untouched. That’s when I decided to create a brand that revolves around Indian textiles, while incorporating the handmade process and the philosophy of sustainability, creating a product that’s global in its appeal – one that’s appropriate for Paris as well as the streets of Delhi.
At Péro, we take one day at a time. Every day is a new learning, every season is an achievement. We challenge ourselves while using the same techniques and putting out something new for the wearer. We also believe in engaging our craftsmen season after season while challenging our design team to create new designs using their skill set.
Brand USP
“Sum is larger than its parts, and what matters is the sum at the end of the day” – This is the philosophy that differentiates Péro from others in the same category.
Usually when designers use traditional textiles and embroideries, the final look shouts the techniques. However, we mix those techniques in such a way that it comes out as a unique Péro product where traditional Indian techniques and textiles are blended seamlessly together.
Retail Strategy
We truly believe that the reality of the fashion is that the wearer should be able to wear your clothes season after season, so we have to always keep in mind the freshness of new collection and the wearer in mind. We are aware that there’s a certain niche of clientele that identifies with Péro, and so we ensure that there’s something for everyone every season. For example, if our collection is inspired by dolls, and we know some people might not like dolls, for such clientele we ensure to add classics in every season. With classics, we’re adding timelessness to our brand, while catering to each and every Péro customer out there.
Target Audience
We haven’t restricted our target market, whether it is in terms of age group or the region purely because the inspiration for each season is so diverse that one season appeals to one market, while the other appeals to another.
Having said that, we can safely say that women between the ages of 35-60 make up our customer base. People who wear Péro are true loyalists.
Geography
In terms of region, we’re spread across India and abroad, and are available in 200 stores across 35 countries. In fact, we get most of our customers from Asian countries like Japan as well as from USA.
Challenges in Creating Collections
Every new season at Péro involves a series of design processes. The initial few seasons were a challenge, as we were working with the weavers for the base fabric and there were a slew of delays at this stage, which further delayed the entire process. With time, we’ve learnt to adapt to the weaver’s timelines and lifestyle, and so we always ensure to work 2 years in advance.
Aside from textile-related challenges, another test is to add layers on garments and complete this process in a timeline. For this, we divide the task of working on one garment between artisans so that each can add one layer, pass the garment to the next artisan to add another layer and thus we save time.
After years of working under tight deadlines, learning and putting processes in place, launching a new collection is a breeze.
On Sustainability
Sustainability is something we’ve embodied in our brand quite subconsciously right from the beginning. The root of these ethics goes back to our inspiration from traditional Indian practices. Rural India has played a big role in making us sustainable, like us adopting the rural Indian practice of reusing and recycling to ensure that nothing is discarded.
Initially, we incorporated these activities in a very subtle way, like the waste filled heart tags we make. However, now we’ve ensured to make it a part of each and every season by introducing upcycled and recycled looks.
Retail Strategy for 2023-24
We will start retailing our home line and market Péro menswear and kidswear more aggressively.
Péro in 5 years
For us at Péro, it’s about organic growth. We see it as a virtuous circle i.e. when we channel our energies to the right thing and create a product that’s well received, is when we grow further.
