Dimple Mirchandani did her degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester and later went on to pursue another degree from Institute for Integrative Nutrition, New York. Besides being a Kathak dancer, she is also practising yogafrom the past 10 years.
After going through her own collection of exquisite Indian outfits, which sometimes took months to be made by the best Indian designers, Dimple realized that most outfits were barely worn once and some were never worn. This led her to conceptualize Secret Dresser, which is one of the biggest web portal for buying and selling pre-owned luxury products.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
Secret dresser is a platform for buying and selling pre-owned Luxury products , everything from Premium Indian designer wear like Sabhyasachi , AnjaleeArjunkapoor to watches, bags, shoes, jackets by International designers like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Karen Millen,Ted baker. Anyone can buy and sell through the portal. Our website is cent percent buyer/Seller protected and user-friendly. It helps people buy authentic luxurious clothing at a minimal price range saving their money and time on searching for lookalikes of original branded clothes which are hard to find. Our mission, however, is to increase the rotation of the products and save resources and to re-define style by making great fashion affordable and accessible to all. It may act as the means to bridge the gap between the aspirational group & the purchasing power as well.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
The Idea sure comes from my own collection, the exquisite Indian outfits that sometimes took months to be made by the best Indian designers, barely worn once with utmost care and some never worn lay hanging in the closet, you got to do something about them, so what’s better than sharing??
What is your life mantra?
To live in the moment with full involvement and enjoy the gift of life . It is truly about experiencing life in each moment of living.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
Every startup comes with a set of challenges of its own . A new venture never comes easy . For us the challenge was to remove the mental block of 2nd hand notion amongst people specially for clothing – the products listed are mostly unused or once worn- at the end it’s all about sharing. The response has been over-whelming , people are happily accepting it , we hope they continue to do so even more. However I truly believe that challenges are good – they make you work harder . So there is nothing that cannot be done over with hard work and dedication .
How did you overcome those challenges?
There are many advantages of an Ecommerce set up as it provides buyers a much wider range of products at the comfort of their own space in simple clicks .However , when it comes to the fashion industry the constraint of a E-commerce set-up is the lack of touch and feel of your purchase. Some people sure wanna touch , feel and try before buying. To mitigate this problem we have added a special feature of Private Viewing , wherein people can book an exclusive time slot and visit our warehouse to have the typical shopping experience while retaining 100% buyer identity protection. However this feature is available only in Delhi as of now – we do plan to make it available in more places in future.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
Secret Dresser is just a few months old .Too soon to comment.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
I am Internationally certified Nutritionist (New York ) and certified Yoga practitioner . Simple daily routines of meditation , yoga and eating a well balanced diet , keeps me free from any such issues .
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Discipline , Dedication and Persistence .
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
I am not much of a gadget person . I try to read books , workout or play music in my free time.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
A good sleep routine & yoga – sleeping in good time and waking as early as 6 am really keeps me upbeat.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Coffee consumption.
Answer in less than 50 words
Just keep at it – keep moving forward.
- One mistake you believe every individual must avoid
Giving up .
- One most important lesson that you have learnt till now
Have faith in the universe – things always work out .
What are your plans for next 3 years?
Secret Dresser is a global platform .In years to come I would sure like it to be well accepted at a global level . However, I’d rather be focussed on what I am doing now , let’s wait and watch what’s in stock for Secret Dresser in the coming years.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
There is not a single moment in my life that I would want to change . I truly believe I am exactly where I am meant to be in each moment of life.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Dubai , London , New York.
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“Make your faith larger than your fears and your dreams larger than your doubts.”- Robin Sharma