‘Women with attitude’ working together

CHENNAI: Ask Kavitha Pandian what it’s like to work with an all-girl team and she swiftly responds with a confident smile, “Accepting each other’s flaws and standing together.” Kavitha is the founder and CEO of La Di Da, a fashion exhibition in the city. She runs it with her two friends and partners — Deepa Madan, an entrepreneur, and Sadhvi RS, a businesswoman. Kavitha has a degree in Mass Communication and she has been working since 2005. Alongside working in the fashion industry, she’s experienced in film production and marketing. One of her other exhibitions is Bumblebee, started in 2015, and it caters exclusively to the needs of children. Excerpts of our conversation follow.

What inspired you to start La Di Da?
La Di Da, a French term, stands for ‘woman with a lot of attitude’. We had our first edition in 2018 at Colombo. The primary goal was to take the talents of Indian designers abroad. The show was quite a hit. We recently had our second edition in the city as a year-ender for the holiday season. The exhibition is going to be for three seasons in a year.

How does your exhibition stand out?
We’re competing with 100 others on a weekly basis. Our focus is affordability for customers, feasible stall rates for entrepreneurs, and budding designers. We emphasised on providing a personal touch by meeting celebrities and socialities in person and inviting them to our exhibitions. We’ve been informing people by word of mouth through friends, kitty parties and ladies groups. It also requires cross-marketing and social media promotions. The industry is competitive after all.

What do you think is missing in the fashion scene of the city?
I’ve been observing this commonly in many exhibitions — there are not many traditional or ethnic options. The colours are bling and more Bollywood wear.  We brought stalls that offered silk and Kanjivaram saris, skirts, repurposed maxis, embroidered designer blouses, dupattas and pavadai sattai (traditional skirt and top). There was a mix of varieties from our native places and what people from our state would love to wear. South Indians have a great sense of fashion and we want to stress on that aspect.

Your other interests?
I’m a voracious reader, a big-time movie buff and Netflix is my latest addiction. Dance is a stress buster.

Kavitha at work versus home?
I work all the time. I’m a fun person to be with, at both the places. I’m good at managing stress because unless I say it out loud, you can’t guess what I’m thinking from my face.

Describe your style.
I wear simple clothes that make me comfortable. All you need is confidence to pull off an attire. That apart, I do keep track of what’s trending in the global fashion circle.

Do you believe in team power?
One question people commonly ask — how do you girls stick around without fighting. We’ve been friends for quite sometime. It’s all about accepting each other’s flaws. We have brainstorming sessions every day and respect each other’s opinions. There are also discussions on general affairs and events happening on a daily basis. We stand together, behind each other’s back.

What’s your resolution for the new year?
I want to accomplish a place for myself in what I’ve been doing till date. Every day is a learning process and you can’t master a skill as such. This is my plan right now.