Colour Philosophy

Interview with one of the founders of What to Wear
Photography Ruth Hofmann

There’re many examples in fashion history of designer couples working together for their own successful brand, born from the mutual desire of two best friends to create their dream dress. What to Wear was started in that same way. Two women met two times in different points of the world and eventually realized since they have the same origin and same attitude to what they wear, but couldn’t find to buy such clothes at reasonable prices, they can start making them.

What to Wear represents colourful simplicity, delicate detailing and subtle feminine presence. Here’s what we asked the two founders about their new fashion label.

Tsitaliya: How did you decide to start a fashion brand?

Namrata Sethi: We decided to start a fashion brand, as every time we went to shop ourselves we struggled to get anything in more vibrant colours. In Switzerland most of the shops offer the same colour range. There is no excitement in shopping. We know so many people who would travel even to neighbouring countries like Germany or Italy to buy colours or something different. This is why we decided to start our own fashion label.

Tsitaliya: How would you describe What to Wear aesthetics?

Namrata: I would describe the aesthetics of What to Wear as pleasing appearance with vibrance. The clothes we offer at what to wear easily helps you glam up your life without much effort as our clothes range offer so much detailing like embroideries, cut-works and styling.

Tsitaliya: How do you source materials and manufacturers?

Namrata: We are sourcing our material according to season. For our summer collection we chose mainly cotton, chiffon and viscose, light weight, cool and looks good. We also like to work with small to middle size manufacturers so we don’t loose touch with the process for making the clothes and especially the detailings.

Tstaliya: Where do you find inspiration?

Namrata: Our inspiration comes from talking to people about fashion. What women would like to have in their wardrobe and what they want to buy considering they work and are mothers. A lot of people imagine a lot about dressing ..(more then we like to admit) but in reality it just does not figure out. We come from India a country where colours are so important and signify so much. We are trying to build that bridge in contemporary European aesthetics and this is how we design and choose our dresses. It is everyday fashion.

Tsitaliya: How do you find balance between work and family?

Namrata: At times it gets challenging, but the kids are growing so it is getting a bit easier. I strongly believe if the homemaker is happy then only she/he can make the rest of the family happy. Designing and managing the whole show is a passion we both share. It makes us happy to do it. Managing time is sometimes a bit of challenge, sometimes you feel you need more hours in day but so far we are able to strike a balance.

Tsitaliya: You both are mothers, has your aesthetic in a way changed after you became mothers?

Namrata: Yes it definitely has and I am sure for most mothers is the same. I always feel along with motherhood comes the word practicality. You just get so practical about your shoes, your clothes even your haircut. There is nothing wrong with it. Every stage of your life is different but being practical does not mean you give up on fashion. As I mentioned earlier our range a very pleasant mix of fashion and about being practical.

Tsitaliya: What does success mean to you?

Namrata: Success for me is hearing customers that they enjoy wearing our clothes, feeling good in them.

Tsitaliya: In the process of starting this new fashion label what was the most important lesson you’ve learned?

Namrata: It’s very exciting and a lot of hard work to start your own clothing label. One thing that we surely have learnt is that you can’t be very impulsive when taking decisions but you should definitely listen to your own gut. When you are on the creative side your insie feeling plays the most important part. I remember when we did few designs and chose few colours, a few people did not show a lot of enthusiasm but we both knew it was right. So we went for it and the results were just great, people loved it after.