WHAT IS FASHION FOR ME?

By Anoushka Gulati

Growing up, I didn’t learn fashion from textbooks, I learned it from my mother, who built her boutique from nothing, but a strong sense of style. No fancy four-year degree. Just a one-year diploma, and the pressure of feeding a family of six in a city like Gurgaon. When most people were figuring out, who they wanted to be after school, she was already hustling. She pressed pause for marriage, like many women in this country are “supposed to,” but life had other plans. She restarted her business from the store room. 

As a child, I watched her design not just clothes, but confidence into every piece she made. And somewhere in the middle of piles of fabric, and colour swatches, I fell in love with the hassle.  

I was 7 or 8, but I noticed it—the sighs, the second guesses, the body language screaming louder than words. Customers walked in for a blouse or a suit, but what they really wanted was validation. And that, to me, was the real problem, not the price, not the fabric, not the trend. 

So what is fashion for me? It’s not that ₹3000 Zara top everyone’s adding to their cart. Luxury is slipping into something like your cousin’s hand-me-down, that makes you feel like you. It’s walking out the door like you own the world. 

Luxury is loving yourself enough to not need the “perfect body” for a crop top. It’s wearing clothes that celebrate you, not punish you. It’s knowing that confidence doesn’t come stitched into a size label. 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned watching my mom build an entire business out of scraps is that, fashion isn’t just about trends. It’s about truth, and the truth is, the most powerful outfit you’ll ever wear is confidence. Everything else is just stitching.

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