#16: Meet the 3 Mad Chicks

3 Mad Chicks

Whoever said that women can not work together clearly does not own a 3 Mad Chicks’ bag. 

The brand 3 Mad Chicks is a trend setter when it comes to bags. It offers a range of colourful, young, stylish, and funky bags for the bold, fun, and cheerful youth of today. Meet Ankita Negi, Oshima Jain and Smriti Chadha, alumni of NIFT, New Delhi, who have been the best of friends since the second year of college. They used to and still hang out together. “We have been inseparable since we met. Our design ideas, thinking direction and the way we work were pretty much the same. So that is how we actually thought of working together,” they share.

“The first time that we thought of starting a company was in our 3rd year. By the starting of our 4th year we were sure about what we wanted to do and how to do it. In the beginning of our 8th semester we started designing and went ahead with our plan. Not all faculties were supportive of our idea, but we needed some negative motivation too. Managing college and work was a bit hard initially but in the end it was all worth it,” they elaborate.

Ankita comes from a military background. Her dad served in the Air Force, which is where all her discipline and punctuality comes from. Oshima and Smriti come from a typical business background. Their parents have been very supportive of their idea from the very start. “They have helped us in every possible way, from encouraging us to even giving us a loan,” they share.

“We have had amazing times together, learnt how to deal with problems, how to make up for each other's mistakes, and celebrate the good times. Although, the best part of this journey has been the freedom to do whatever we wanted to. And also design without any restrictions or instructions. We've tried to maintain a very friendly, light and a happy work environment for all our employees too,” they add.

When three mad chicks work hard to please the crazy chicks all over the country, they have exciting stories to share. “We have a list of funny incidents actually. We used to be so caught up in our work that we have made the silliest of mistakes. One time Smriti ended up for a photo shoot in Hauz Khas Village without her camera! Another time Ankita traveled a long distance and actually forgot to get the packaging material on the day we had to pack and send out the stock. And Oshima's car has been our makeshift store room with all the material and bags loaded in the boot and the back seat. Sometimes even the front passenger seat, leaving enough space for her to sit and drive,” they exclaim!

These 3 mad chicks claim that the freedom to take their own decisions, work the way they want, and maintain the sort of work culture where they can work without stress- is what they enjoy the most. “We have also learnt a lot through our mistakes and experiences, and we try to improve with every incident and decision,” they add.

In the next couple of years, these goal oriented women see their company in the international market. “We also plan on expanding in terms of products. Currently we're also in the process of launching our own website with our own payment portal, which would definitely increase our profit margin, help in expansion and also marketing,” they share.

(Meanwhile you can shop their collections on Jabong.com, Myntra.com, Flipkart.com, Yebhi.com, Koovs.com)

#15: Your clothes: designed with love

A National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi alumni, Ridhi Bansal graduated in the field of knitwear design. After graduation, she worked with the label "Not So Serious" by Pallavi Mohan, and then in a buying house in Nehru Place before starting her own label, almost two years back.

The inspiration behind her brand Ridhi Bansal was simple; all she wanted was to make the Indian women feel more beautiful and confident in their own skin. “And the feeling you get by making someone else happy is just another high. Whether a certain shape or cut is in vogue at that time is not always relevant. It is more to do with ones’ own look and expression. My idea of fashion is solely based in style: a very personalized and self-sufficient form of dressing,” says Ridhi.

“Every situation in every day is an opportunity, to dress and put-forth something beautiful in the world. My inspiration is an attempt to add something beautiful in the world, in my own little way,” she adds.

For Ridhi, the journey so far has been rocky yet worth the effort. “Working with various karigars and dyers, I have learnt to manage different kinds of people involved in this line of business. But at the end of the day, the best part of my job is to see a happy client. My day is made when a client thanks me for making her look pretty. Since it is also about making something from scratch, what I picture in my mind and when it comes out just the way I want it, is the best feeling ever,” she exclaims.

The highest point of Ridhi’s journey was in fact right before she started her brand. She got through Parsons The New School For Design, but ended up returning from there due to her own reasons. “But that did give me a big ego boost!” she shares.

Asin wearing Ridhi Bansal's creation

“With this profession becoming a hobby for a lot of people, and because of abundant resources available, people find it easy to open home boutiques. This becomes a tad bit difficult for people who put in 4 years to study this field, to stand out. I believe that what my strong point is that I don’t believe in Avant-garde designs. Even if I make the clothes for the ramp, they would be very wearable. Also the colour sensibility is my strongest point. I want today’s women to not be afraid of dawning any colour. From the popping florescent to the pastel hues, I want women to stop thinking that a particular colour doesn't suit them. I want that concept to be out of their head,” she says.

“My label is just a an attempt at helping my clients find that form of expression and translate it into their own personal style, while staying relevant with the times,” ends Ridhi.

#14: Paint Your Sole: Rainbow Style

Nidhi Inani wearing her own collection

A born misfit in a conservative Marwari business family, Nidhi Inani, the brain behind Paint Your Sole, discovered the creative streak in her when she was 6 years old. She copied her aunt’s drawing as it was and ran around the house showing it to everyone. “My mom nurtured my talent ever since. We gave our family a little shock when I decided to do my graduation in Fine Arts and she decided to support me with my decision. The shock was obvious as I was expected to pursue my career in Commerce but I chose to be the black sheep of the family instead. I was mocked at by my other Engineer and MBA cousins for choosing something that was not-so-intellectual and this went on throughout my graduation,” shares Nidhi.

After completing her bachelor's in Painting from JNA&FAU (Jawaharlal Architecture and Fine Arts University) Hyderabad. Nidhi wasn't convinced with the art scene in Hyderabad. So she moved on to what she once thought was impossible- apply for admission at NID (National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad). “I applied for a course that was closest to my field and that was Ceramics and Glass Design. But due to my health and family issues I had to discontinue the course after a year,” she adds.

Ask about the big idea behind Paint Your Sole, and Nidhi has an interesting story to share. “When I was in my 2nd year of graduation, my mom was throwing away my brother's old canvas shoes during Diwali cleaning. But I had a better idea- I took the shoes and painted all my favourite things on it. I wore it to the college one day and the response I got was overwhelming. That day I just made a mental note in my mind that if I had nothing better to do with my life, I'd sit and paint shoes. And after I left NID, I was overcome with depression for about 2 months. All I did was eat, sleep, mourn and become fat. That was the time when my mind rang a bell and I decided to give it a shot. I gathered all the pictures of the shoes I had painted so far as gifts for my cousins and friends and put them up on a Facebook page I created. And within 20 days of uploading, I already had 100 people following my page and there was no looking back ever since,” she exclaims.

“This year long journey has been creative and an enjoyable experience for me. It feels great to have eager clients who are always on their toes to see how their shoes turn up. Making my customers happy is what keeps me going. One incidence I want to share is I once painted a pair for a college girl in Delhi. I asked her to send me her picture wearing those shoes as she was so eager to get them. But unfortunately she was down with chicken pox when she received them. A few days later I was surprised to find that she had posted a picture of herself in the shoes with a note saying that she was so happy to have the shoes that she HAD to get well to get a picture clicked in them! That meant a lot to me. To know what kind of happiness my shoes can sometimes bring to my clients is indeed a fulfilling,” she further adds.

On the other hand, Nidhi did keep falling in and out of this relationship with her work. She often questions what the future holds for her work and whether she should stick to painting shoes or explore other options. But she has never once left its side. And they continue to be going stronger.

The best part about Nidhi’s job (apart from being her own boss) is that her creativity reaches all around the country with her just sitting in her bedroom. “My job is a reminder to me that nothing is impossible when you are determined to do something. I love interacting with people enthusiastically telling me how they want their shoes to look like. I have also grown in terms of creativity and have come up with a lot of designs of my own apart from customizing for customers,” she says.

“I want to give it my all and make one-of-a-kind pieces. I wish to give a more serious approach to it. I really hope that this work of mine gets commissioned as a serious works of art. I now want to give my work a direction as I have explored enough with it!” she ends.

Wishing Nidhi good luck for all her future endeavours!

#13: God's favourite ones

Geeta Mondol with her son Samarpan

Meet Geeta Mondol, the founder of Ashish Foundation, who works towards acceptance of differently abled kids in the normal society. 

Brought up in a Punjabi family, Geeta did her college education in Delhi and the US. She later married her batch mate from JNU, and is now a parent of 2 handsome young boys - Samarpan and Saday. “Samarpan is 18 years old and has autism. Saday studies in class 10. Both my husband and I work in fields where we hope to change the mindset of people towards a particular group of people, me towards that of those with disabilities and he towards the girl child,” shares Geeta.

When Samarpan was diagnosed with autism, he was just 8 years old. At that time Geeta lived in West Delhi, where she looked for facilities where her son could receive all the therapies he needed. However, she could not find any. “As I prayed, I felt led by God to start my own place. Initially I was afraid. But when I went to withdraw my child from a mainstream school where he was studying, I was asked to help the school set up an integrated section. Eventually I helped the school in setting it up, and after 2 ½ years I resigned from there to set up my own place, after I trained in the US,” she elaborates.

Samarpan was her biggest inspiration. “My belief system said that everyone is created in God’s image with no exceptions, yet when I saw around, all I saw was the burden that parents felt having to raise children with disabilities. Some parents were so overwhelmed by the disability of their child, which they had no time to understand or look at it differently. We never see those with disabilities on our roads, our festivals, or our weddings. I wanted to, and still want to change the way people think and bring those with disabilities into the mainstream of our society,” explains Geeta.

When Geeta decided to embark on this journey, she knew that this journey would have its share of ups and downs. But she prefers to look at the brighter side. "The joys are many, and so are the difficulties. I love working with children with autism, but I struggle with administration. Yet when I see children improving, or seeing my staff just pushing boundaries, it gives me a lot of encouragement. Finances have been difficult to come by, because we cannot give large numbers. Each child with disability requires individual attention. We cannot put 40 children in one classroom. So we maintain a ratio of 1:4 special educator to child, and 1:2 adult to child ratio in the centre. It is very costly, and sometimes making the ends meet gets very difficult,” she says.

Ask Geeta about some of her experiences and she remembers two of them vividly. “We had a student with Cerebral Palsy who came to us when he was not able to hold his head. He had no vocabulary either. We worked with him for 3 years. One day, we heard him screaming “Ma’am, Ma’am” The guests in the centre wondered why we did not stop him from screaming, but for us it was such a high point that he was finally speaking! We also had one student who refused to walk without help and would scream every time we jumped by saying, “Bachao, bachao”. However with help of an intensive worker, one day I entered the centre, to see the kid skating perfectly with his eyes closed, looking at peace with himself. I will never forget his face to this day.

The best part of Geeta’s job is watching her staff having a world of patience and working with children with a sense of humour even when they get violent. “A few days back, one of our students tore the shirt of the staff. The staff came into the office and asked for a new shirt. He laughed and said, “It is one of those days”. For me that is the best part to see the staff having inculcated the values I shared with them!” says Geeta.

Geeta wishes she could share the success of Ashish Foundation with others, and hold training programs where she can share the principles she believes in and how they make a difference. “In the future, I see these young adults contributing to the nation and becoming part of the mainstream, rather than living on the fringes of society and marginalized even among those who are marginalized,” she ends.

#12: The filmy doodle queen

"I learned how to draw from being bored in school. I would doodle on the margins of my paper: Kevin Nealon"

Meet Angel Bedi, the crazy girl who is the heart and soul behind TheFilmyOwl. “I was always the naughty kid in class who would doodle all day in notebooks, be a pro at making cheat notes and come back home to get glued to Zee Cinema. After school, I got through NIFT. Post my graduation, I took a one year breather, during which I drowned myself in paints and eventually fell back in love with doodling. To be being filmy and dramatic is the ultimate definition of freedom, which is further highlighted with free flowing colours. I'm an obsessive compulsive observer and that is exactly where all my inspiration comes from!” shares Bedi. 
During her year off, she went through the 'easy living' 'easy art' phase and this is how TheFilmyOwl came into being. “There was never a thought process around or behind it. One day I just shared some of my illustrations online and the response I got was overwhelming. I never really thought this flightless birdie (the owl) would take off with such beauty,” she shares.

“I think it’s all the positive reinforcement I got from the people who appreciated my work, that made me work harder and do something substantial,” she adds.

Angel believes that her journey has just started. After having freelanced for some quirky design labels like Happily Unmarried, and done interior design graphics for restaurants, along with wall illustrations for Channel [V], she now wants to take baby steps. “I was also one of the artists at the COMIC CON this year that made me realize that my products have a huge market for young adults, so hopefully the future is bright and colourful!” she exclaims.

Everyday Angel receives mails and texts from all over the country, appreciating her work. “It is the best feeling ever. I'm a sucker for 'nods of approval' and every time someone tells me how my illustrations make them smile, I smile. I am so lucky to be making a living out of romancing the love of my life - Art. I don't think I will ever get tired of being lucky,” she giggles.

For all you filmy fans, there is good news. www.TheFilmyOwl.com is going live soon! 

“I have convinced my lazy ass to buck up and make it happen. There are going to be lots of products, from t-shirts to pajamas  cushion covers to tote bags and most importantly - doodle diaries. I want people to start doodling, making lazy art, and writing diaries. Believe me: it is the best therapy ever,” she says!