Interview: Charu Roopa on ‘Colors & Mirrors’

Started by Charu Roopha Srikanth in 2016, the brand Colors & Mirrors came into being from her yearning for well-tailored clothes that blends different prints and weaves in quirky colors. Not only do they strive to design and craft comfortable clothing, but also work tirelessly to increase on the choices available.

Their designs and vibrant colors, and the amount of organic growth they have been getting recently have been truly impressive.We had the opportunity to Interview Charu and here’s what she had to tell about her brainchild.

• How Colors & Mirrors started? What is the story behind it?

It all began as a blog– A blog that would simply describe the few pieces I would create for friends & family and people started loving those pieces. I love offbeat colors and prints. However, I couldn’t find them for myself in the market. That’s when I started creating my own clothing pieces.

Soon friends of friends and strangers trusted my choices and asked me to create pieces for them too. That kind of snowballed and helped me go commercial in mid-2016, at The Makers Market, hosted by – By Hand From The Heart. That was our first one-on-one experience with buyers/potential buyers.

It began as a one-woman show – I handled everything – from the conceptualization, the designing, tailoring, product photography, marketing, social media management, packaging and shipping,until August 2018.

In August 2018, we became a small family of 5. Colors and Mirrors would be nowhere without the efforts of a few fellow independent artists (the photographers, make up artists and the models) with whom I had the opportunity to collaborate with time and again.

•  What are the challenges you faced in bringing out your brand?

I come from a middle-class family with no plan B/Plan C. There was only plan A and it had to work.

Not having enough capital, resources, or basic knowledge in design/tailoring and no contacts/mentors from the fashion/retail industry were the initial challenges. But that only made us more determined and ensured we were grounded. We learned a lot, made many mistakes, improved and tried again.

• What is the secret behind your vibrant collections?

Remember the rush you felt on seeing a particular unique piece of clothing? You saw it at a quaint store or somewhere on the streets or on a magazine. You moved on; but the image stayed with you, coming back to you during your idle day dreams or busy work days or just when you are about to sleep.

You don’t remember the brand, or the model flaunting it. You remember it because of the way it made you feel – fresh, new and you! Colors & Mirrors aims to deliver on that feeling again and again.

Given our country’s colorful diversity, the possibilities are endless and we at Colors & Mirrors focus on creating clothes that celebrate that diversity! Every piece of clothing we create truly matters to us because, being a small team, we do not have constant marketing strategies in place. Hence every single piece we create has to stand up on its own and sell itself.

• What trends are being focused on your upcoming collections this year?

Trends come and go. We haven’t really followed trends so far. We revel in creating pieces that give us joy and happiness. People relating to our thoughts and coming to us for more only wants us to experiment further.

• What is your opinion about South Indian ethnic fashion and where it is headed?

Ethnic wear necessarily meant sarees to most South Indians. But that isn’t the case anymore; people are willing to be clad in new, modern silhouettes. That is how it should be – keeping the age-old conventional styles alive while also paving way for new styles.

These are interesting facts behind Colors & Mirrors . The brand developed enormously over the years and is extremely committed to sustainable fashion. This is one of the most ethical clothing brands that blend both craft and culture. Their collection is inspired by our country’s rich culture and its collections are stylish, vibrant, and relatable. It consists of elegant silhouettes with a stylish touch.

Looking for a statement clothing piece? Well, then add Colors & Mirrors to your radar. Check out some of the best clothing pieces of the brand:

Click on the below links to shop from this brand:

• Color and Mirrors Website
• Colors and Mirrors Instagram Store