Pearl Uppal is in the news lately for quitting Yahoo as Sales Director and then announcing her new venture in association with Harish Bahl of SITG. The new venture is in the online retail space and is called Fashionandyou.com. Fashionandyou.com is expected to launch on the 16th of November.  We did an interview with Pearl to know why she turned entrepreneur and what is Fashionandyou all about. Here is our exclusive interview.

1) What made you decide that you wanted to start your own venture?

The thought of going entrepreneurial had crossed my mind several times in the last 2 years. I was sure I wanted to create value in the internet industry, but did not feel enthused about the idea of continuing in the digital advertising space. No particular opportunity caught my attention and interest till I came across  the online private sale model. This business model serves a real gap that exits both for consumer and for the brands in luxury and high fashion space. I believe this model will be a big success in India like it has been in other parts of the world.  Also,  I found a great partner in Harish Bahl and strong co founder partners in Rahul Narvekar and Aakash Goel.  Everything came together in a very nice way and I took the leap.

2) What is Fashionandyou.com? What Value it provides? Who does it cater to? What is the business model?

Fashion and You is a private shopping club which provides it members with access, to coveted fashion and luxury brands at insider prices. Membership is by invitation only and our members will get to access high fashion brands at upto70% off retail. Each sale event on our website will be a  limited-time event and will last only 2 -3 days. Members will be notified by an email in advance of each upcoming sale event. We partner directly with designer brands across  fashion apparel, accessories and stylish home ware. We hand select the merchandize to ensure the best product assortment for each sale event. We ship the orders from our warehouse to the customer to ensure the last mile is well taken care of. For consumers who love these brands, this is a great new way to buy. Who does not love high quality at a good price?

For our brand partners, our private sale model offers  an effective way to sell without risking brand dilution as these special prices are offered only to a closed group of Fashion and You members. Fashion and You also ensures that  our online retail experience and post sales support is best of class and reflective of the brand equity that our partner brands command.

3) Why did you choose to work with SITG – Harish Bahl? Benefits of working with them?

Harish Bahl is a founder and investor in Fashion and You in his private capacity and not as SITG. He holds the post of Chairman of Fashion and You and continues to be Founder & CEO of SITG. I have always admired his entrepreneurial vision and courage. It just so happened that we met and discussed this business idea and realized that there was an opportunity to join hands to give this shape and scale. He brings with him strong entrepreneurial experience and success. He has incubated several companies successfully. That experience is extremely valuable for Fashion and You.  As individuals, Harish and I complement each other’s skill sets to make a formidable team.

4) What is the 3 year vision for Fashionandyou.com?

The learning and know-how that our global brand alliance brings, plus the diversified experience of our operating management team,  positions us well to scale effectively with speed. Our plan is to be a significant sales channel for high fashion brands contributing to atleast 10% of their sales in India by 2011. Our vision is to be the undisputed leader in online fashion and luxury retail and a leading player in the India ecommerce space.

5) What is the current team size of Fashionandyou? Are you looking at hiring?

We are around 20 people right now and aggressively hiring key talent from fashion, retail, marketing and IT industries. We have positions open across our merchandizing, logistics, consumer marketing, editorial, production studio ( fashion photographers, stylists, studio manager)  and IT functions.

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