Issue 46 / Delhi's Accessory Label The Purple Sack Lets Us Get Boholicious!

by Monika Bhondy

Delhi’s Accessory Label The Purple Sack Lets Us Get Boholicious!

Apr 23, 2016

A young entrepreneur brings the boho brilliance to your doorstep with this fab e-commerce shop.

If you're an accessory fanatic like me, amping up your look with a stand-out style piece is a must. The easiest way to elevate your style game this spring is to sport an authentic carry all, be it a jeweled clutch, a chic envelope or an on-trend boho sling bag. Sounds irresistible right? But the idea of trekking the highstreets in the off chance you'll run into a fab find sounds more like a chore and searching the web, just as drooling. Lucky for you like-minded fashionistas I'm sharing with you one of my latest hot spots: The Purple Sack, a one-stop shop for printed and embroided day and evening bags.

^{Gorgeous clutches.

Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

The Purple Sack is the brainchild of 27-year-old Delhi resident and accessory designer Tanvi Gupta. It began with modest beginnings with a mere Rs.1000, her first savings from an allowance she'd get to spend during her college days. With the success of her must-have clutches, the savvy entrepreneur has expanded her online entity to the one-stop accessory hub we see today which includes funky accessories and gifts for the home space ranging from mugs to cushion covers, coaster sets, magazine racks, photo frames and cool cellphone cases.

^{Tanvi Gupta, founder of The Purple Sack.

Photo Credit: The Purple Sack}

Graduating in 2010 from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gupta experienced instant gratification when her first streetwear collection was hand-picked by shoppers at the first edition flea market at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket. From then, her vision for the future was cemented and she launched her label as soon as she graduated.

Accolades include a debut show at Lakme Fashion Week, Winter/Festive August 2013. Being the only bags brand showcasing in the Talent Box in 2013, granted The Purple Sack huge publicity bagging Imaam Siddique to walk the ramp for them.

^{Model Imaam Siddique walks the ramp for The Purple Sack.

Photo Credit: www.pinkvilla.com}

Since then the company has been in a slew of exhibitions and showcases in India as well as in stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ludhiana, Surat, Amritsar, Mumbai, Kolkata and Manali.

I caught up with the budding entrepreneur to find out more about her eclectic e-commerce site, how she went from developing a technique of layering graphics and unique elements across a colour palette of bold hues to create designs that experiment with shapes, silhouettes and techniques that capture the interest of the East and West.

Monika Bhondy: How did the concept of The Purple Sack come about?

Tanvi Gupta: The Purple Sack was born out of the designer's sheer interest of dressing up, hoarding all the stuff her pocket money in college could buy and putting it all together in a new look every day. When she started her label it was initially called Glammantra but later changed it to an English name, which could cater to a more global buyer.

MB: You feature mostly bags and fun accessories, is there any thoughts on expanding the brand to other accessories?

TG: Every season we put our mind into expanding to a new range, but bags keeps us going. We have new designs and orders to deal with, and that takes away the season. But, surely would love to expand to apparel someday.

^{Fab scarf.}
^{Photo Credit: www.facebook.com/purplesack}

MB: What are your top sellers?
TG: Our top sellers have been our embroidered range box clutches.

_{Gorgeous Paisley Clutch (Rs. 3,000)

Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

Other styles they carry include:

Polti

_{Dhinchak Potli (Rs. 1,500)}
_{Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

Envelope clutch

_{Zig Zag Brocade (Rs. 1,100)

Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

Sling Bag

_{Pretty Pink Printed Sling (Rs. 850)}
_{Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

Boho

_{Boho Fringe (Rs.4,500)}
_{Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

MB: What do you think makes a successful niche e-commerce site?
TG: You got to first and foremost believe in yourself, and keep it exclusive. Sell everything that you make and stick by it. Even if the sales are slow to begin with, the appreciation should be enough to keep you moving forward. If people appreciate today, they will definitely buy them tomorrow. Keep it exclusive always. We believe in providing our customer with maximum number of designs at a given point of time and try to not repeat our designs so each customer has their own thing.

MB: What kind of reaction have you had outside of India?
TG: The reaction outside India surprisingly has been better than that in India. You'd be shocked to know how many firangi followers we have. They love Indian stuff more than we do and they carry it in the most decorative style possible. Real fashion czars, they even pair up Indian accessories with their western stuff.

_{Main Image Photo Credit: www.thepurplesack.com}

Monika Bhondy

Author

Monika Bhondy (@monikabhondy) is one of the original editors at ANOKHI. She wore many hats through the developmental years including creating the first Holiday Gift Guide as The Style Editor, putting down the first building blocks of ANOKHI's global blog community, handling the video department and ...