Creative people are rarely satisfied with their creations. They crave for more, and Simran Lal is no exception. After working on Good Earth with her mother, she set up Nicobar with her husband and most recently, Paro. Whether it is about retaining Indian essentials or creating products for millennials, Lal has worked towards them all. But how does she manage to balance and keep the identity of all three brands upright? “Because all of them come from the same family with the same intention and the same people. All of them have an understanding commonality and all three have an element of creating a deep sense of pride in being Indian,” she explains. All the three brands are a celebration of India’s craftsmanship and heritage.
A PROUD INDIAN
Her brands have rightfully made great design accessible to young Indians whilst making them feel proud and connected. Summing up her brand ideology, Lal says, “The key is to look good, cool and global at the same time. You can be comfortable in your Indian contemporary way of being. So our clothes are in context to our culture and weather.” Talking about working within the family, she says, “It’s probably more complicated because it’s not just a professional relationship. What’s really worked for us is the huge foundation of family.”
KEY LEARNINGS
Whether it is joining a family business or carving an identity for your brand, none of it comes easy for an entrepreneur. Lal says, “My biggest learning as a leader is the combination of action, reflection and silence. Take a moment to step back and reflect over what you’ve done, what went wrong, what went right and the role you played in it. This introspection is an Indian gift to the world – meditation.” Lal’s brands have truly been about the right partnerships and collaborations. Explaining further, she says, “When you’re looking at shaping culture, you’re looking at creating a movement of like-minded values, and you can’t do it alone.”
