Shopping for your dream bridal outfit just became more exciting with the arrival of India’s leading designer clothing store, Pernia’s Pop Up Studio, in London’s luxury shopping district, Mayfair.
Known for their meticulously curated traditional and party wear, discerning fashionista’s and brides-to-be can expect to find a stunning array of lehengas, anarkalis, dresses and beautiful accessories by coveted designers of India, including Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Arora and Gaurav Gupta.
Pernia’s Pop Up Studio offers a beautiful range of exclusives straight off the catwalk, and will give you the chance to see many of the online brands in-store for the first time.
The brand's owner, Purple Style Lab’s CEO, Abhishek Agarwal, called London the ‘centre of the globe’ when describing why he wanted to open his first ever international store right here in the U.K.
Following the London launch on November 9th 2019, there are further plans to open stores in the U.S., Canada, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore – so if you’re shopping abroad for your wedding attire, look no further for your bridal trousseau!
We spoke to the owner of Pernia’s Pop up Studio to find out all the details about the new international venture:
Pernia Pop Up Studio's Owner and Purple Style Lab’s CEO, Abhishek Agarwal
What can brides expect from Pernia’s Pop Up Shop that’s new and innovative that doesn’t exist already in the U.K. market?
Our offering has always been about the variety and depth of our merchandise. We sell more than 500 brands and more than 30,000 designs online. So when you walk into any of our stores, including the one that we just launched in London, it might have only 300-500 products to view. But, it also provides easy access to all of the designs that you can browse on our online platform, so you can make a decision on what you want to buy. We therefore offer a lot of variety. Secondly, we don’t really limit ourselves to selling only high-price-point wedding wear. We have items for all occasions and it need not be just Indian. It’s a very big misconception that Indian designers make only Indian clothes – no! If you’re looking to wear something for a party tonight or if you’re looking for casual wear tomorrow, all of these options are available here. So, I think, overall, it's the sheer variety that we bring to the table.
The Indian Fashion Industry is going from strength to strength with being recognised on a global scale.With more plans to launch worldwide, why is an international focus important to your business?
When I started the company 4 years ago the idea was to take Indian fashion global. After the acquisition of Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, we realised that 75% of our business was already being driven by the international market. So international expansion essentially is the fulfilment of the original vision of Purple Style Labs. With the online business backing it, it becomes way easier for us to tap into the clientele globally.
How do you aim to make luxury designer brands more prominent in the Western market, starting with the launch of Pernia’s Pop Up Shop in Mayfair?
I think Indian fashion has a huge potential to cater to people across the world. The idea was to start our first international store in London which is pretty much the centre of the globe. It serves as a first step to acquire people from different geographies; those who come to London as tourists and also people who are based elsewhere, but keen to discover what Indian designers create…
You do not only sell the best designer names in the industry, (Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Arora, Anita Dongre to name a few), but are known for discovering new talent. Why is nurturing new brands so important to you?
The Purple Style Labs model is not just about selling designers. Pernia’s Pop-Up-Shop is just one of the IPs owned by us. But from a wholesome perspective, the idea is to create a luxury fashion house out of India. Having a 50 year vision, we’ll not just have to work with the current big names but also back the designers who we potentially see becoming the bigger names in the near future. It’s a good decision to invest in them early, rather than waiting for them to grow.
In your opinion, what’s your vision for the growth of Indian designer brands in 2020?
I think the time is right with Social Media and Instagram making content more accessible in the last 5-7 years. Now fashion is no longer regional; it is more global and accessible in nature. Indian designers have been successful in building a name globally and now enjoy an international following because of this. I think 2020 is very promising for the next leg of ‘omni-channel retail expansion’ as we call it. You can merge your online and offline businesses and give a completely different experience to your customers.
Finally, why should Pernia’s Pop Up Shop be the number one destination for a bride-to-be?
We sell more than 500 brands, and when you want something special for your special day, a bride will want to browse through as many items as possible before making a decision. We are a destination that offers this maximum variety, along with an impeccable service that we’re known for.
Pernia’s Pop Up Studio
11 Grosvenor Street, Mayfair, London, W1K 4QB
www.PerniasPopUpShop.com