Fashion designer Rakesh Jaiswal has come a long way from being a hobbyist designer in his school days in India to becoming a professional designer and making a steady yet strong entry into the New Zealand fashion market.
Continuing from the previous article on Mr Jaiswal’s foray into this industry – converting his passion into a profession, starting as a porter at a hotel to owning a retail showroom in a popular market of Auckland city and becoming a renowned face for a top-class designer clothing.
When Mr Jaiswal established his business from home and then into a retail showroom Jaiss Fashion Limited in Onehunga, he faced several challenges that would have probably broken his spirit, right from threatens from competitors in the market to work on little to break-even revenue in the early stages of business.
“When I started selling better suits and wedding dresses with far better prices and service, I faced backlashes from my nearest competitors both online, and retail established businesses, even from the ones having shops in the malls,” recollected Mr Jaiswal.
Jaiss’ growth and progress in the industry being a newbie was not only good clothing or designing but customised services offered to the clients at a very reasonable rate as compared to the market trends. The price range of his products’ was far better than the ones offered in different malls and suit designers especially when it came to wedding dresses, both for the bride and groom.
“I get the measurements at my store and if needed, I would go to the clients’ place,get them to choose the best design and clothing, customise their needs on their dresses such as engraving name and date inside the coat-jacket, offer them accessories such as cufflinks, pocket squares, floral lapel pins, ties, bow-ties, chain pocket watches etc.,” Mr Jaiswal added.
Once the suits are measured and designed, the clients choose the fabric which ranges from best brands such as Reid & Taylor, Raymonds, Vimal and off late the store also offers rich Italian fabric brands in its catalogue.
The clothes are then custom tailored by Jaiss’ home manufacturing company in India that has talented creative tailors with years of experience in suit making, some of them who have worked under famous Bollywood designers in India.
Rakesh Jaiswal during the trial with one of his clients (Picture Supplied)
“Our suits are not just pasted products readied in a day or two. We have different tailors for each section of the suit making, one is an expert in cutting, the other stitches and pastes different parts of the suit beneath the real fabric and the third person stitches the fabrics, does ironing on special ironing machines.
“If you see a suit from inside, without the upper fabric- it is like engineering a masterpiece with several crucial aspects without which the whole coat cannot look so crisp and perfectly fitting,” Mr Jaiswal said.
Jaiss now serves not only wedding clients but also corporate order where a client can order in bulk- and picks the suits at different intervals of the year. The client’s suit measurement is stored in Jaiss’ database, and with one phone call and cloth selection, the order is made and shipped to the clients. Jaiss also specialises in Sherwanis and ethnic Indian dresses.
One of Jaiss' wedding customers wearing his wedding sherwani (Picture supplied)
“There are three main things that I regard as my marketing tool- first of course great product at affordable rates, service and value additions and this has worked wonders for my business,” Mr Jaiswal added.
Mr Jaiswal also considers that wearing fitting and tailored made clothing as an essential part of every individual as- one may not realise, but the fitting of a dress or suit does have subtle and long-term health implications.
“You should not wear too tight trousers or shirts or anything for that matter even if it is in fashion – tight pants suppress the hips muscles, puts pressure on your kidneys- tight shirts or jackets also puts a strain on your rib cage your vital organs and intestines.
“No matter what is in fashion, make sure you are comfortably dressed.” Mr Jaiswal advises.
Jaiss’ impressive growth in Auckland has also prompted him to soon open more stores in malls and offer franchises, not just in different cities in New Zealand but also expanding his business to Australia.
Jaiss Fashion Limited is located on 3/2 Pearce Street, Onehunga, 0800 252 477.
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