Tall glass doors, metal detailing, ivory and the signature signage. Ogaan on Gurusaday Dutta Road looks warm and welcoming. The play of greens and grey against the milk-white backdrop has an old-world vibe wrapped in a minimal, contemporary soul. It has an art-gallery-set-in-an-old-bungalow kind of feel. A burst of colours inside sets the mood happy. The Telegraph checks it out before they open their gates today for Kolkata and chats with Kavita Bhartia, who found Ogaan in 1989 in Delhi, and her daughter and managing director of the store, Aashti Bhartia, on coming back to the city after two decades, and more.
Congratulations! The store looks beautiful...
Aashti Bhartia: If you saw it before, you wouldn’t recognise it. It was never rented before and I think it used to be a function hall. We completely changed it so that it has a warmer feeling.
What memories do you have of the first outing of Ogaan in Kolkata?
Kavita Bhartia: It was like 20 years back where the Sabyasachi store is (near Vivekananda Park). I remember I asked Revathi Kamath (architect) who was sensitive about using natural materials and it was kind of a modern store. Aashti got the whole back-end operations in place and so for a while, I decided I would shut it down and I think the market is ready for something like this to have happened. Our family comes from Kolkata, my husband...
Aashti: So, he grew up in Kolkata before shifting to Delhi for college. I was born in Kolkata, at the Woodlands. We would keep coming back every Diwali and my grandparents used to have a house here in Alipore and I remember going to AC Market (Shakespeare Sarani).
Kavita: The market was pretty good (back then), but perhaps not as evolved as it is today. They don’t want to come to Delhi to shop from Ogaan and they need access.
Aashti: I think back then most of our infrastructure was based in Delhi. So, we were focused on the Delhi stores and weren’t able to focus as much on the out-of-station stores, but now we have the experience. You cannot open a store and then not have the best and the latest collections in every city on a consistent basis. Everyone is so aware of what’s new, which designers are interesting at the moment.
Whose decision was it to come back?
Kavita: Aashti’s.
Aashti: All of us came to Kolkata, my whole team and I and we looked at a lot of stores here and we felt that the time was right. There was enough happening in terms of fashion, which gives us some confidence but we felt that perhaps everything we have wasn’t represented here. We have a mix of wedding and contemporary designers.
What have you changed this time around?
Aashti: When I first started working in Ogaan, most of the collections would be wedding oriented, which of course we are always going to have and are known for, but at that time, there were a bunch of new designers that had just started working, like Bodice, Raw Mango, Pero... at that time it seemed Indian fashion is not just about wedding wear. We built this contemporary category and focused a lot on it, bringing in designers who are doing contemporary clothing, experimenting with Indian fabrics and doing it in a different way. That is a change even in this store. That mix has made the store interesting for people.
What kind of a mix do you have here?
Aashti: From the Indianwear section, you have Nidhi Tholia, Punit Balana, a glamorous collection from Seema Gujral, there is a new label called Chandrima which is quite interesting, then there is Jayanti Reddy, the Kavita Bhartia label of course, Kiran Uttam Ghosh and then we have a section for Raw Mango and then we have the whole contemporary area which is the front of the store, Bodice, Lovebirds, Pero, AKOK.... We have Amit Aggarwal’s pret line as well as his couture line. So, we have tried to make it a mix of contemporary, light Indian to heavier wedding clothes. There is a lot of fun costume jewellery, Indian-inspired costume jewellery and more contemporary costume jewellery.
What did you keep in mind while doing this space, given the evolving retail scene?
Kavita: I think the whole market has evolved. It has become more style oriented. Today, the younger girls are experimental. Even at the weddings, they don’t dress like they did 35 years back. Things have changed so much. Like Amit Aggarwal... so different and so contemporary. The Indian girls are enjoying his clothes. You have to have a mix to cater to a large audience.
Aashti: We also worked on our stores becoming more comfortable, just places where people would want to spend some time. Even in our changing rooms, we joke that this is a mini Bombay apartment (laughs).
Kavita Bhartia (left), who found Ogaan in 1989 in Delhi, with her daughter Aashti Bhartia, at the Kolkata store, spread over 5,000sq ft.
What are the retail basics though?
Kavita: I think you have to think out of the box. You have to be on top of things and know who’s next...
Aashti: People are so aware that they’ll call and ask if we have these labels. We have to know first and launch first and thankfully there are always new designers.
What is the secret of looking evergreen, Kavita ma’am?
Kavita: I love exercising! Previously, I would get up in the morning and do that one hour of exercise. That’s kept me mentally and physically active and of course, my work. I enjoy working hard.
Aashti: She fully runs her own label (Kavita Bhartia, born in 2001).
Kavita: Aashti takes care of Ogaan. So, there’s been a big change. I feel blessed that I have Aashti who is taking things forward. You have to hand it over for a younger person to think differently.
What has it been like working together?
Aashti: The good thing is there are different roles.
Kavita: One person has to make the decisions. And, quick ones.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Kiran Uttam Ghosh, who’s had a long association with the Bhartias and Ogaan, dropped by to set up the display.
What: Ogaan
Where: 5 Gurusaday Dutta Road (near Mainland China)
Timings: 10am-8pm; open through the week
A quick look at who’s showcasing what...
Contemporary
- Suket Dhir
- AKOK
- Lovebirds
- Pero
- Payal Khandwala
- Eka
- Scarlet Sage
- Dhruv Kapoor
- Yavi
- Saaksha Kinni
- Two Point Two
- Rajdeep Ranawat
Indian
- Payal Singhal
- Kiran Uttam Ghosh
- Amit Aggarwal
- Raw Mango
- Brih
- Nidhi Tholia
- Debyani
- Jayanti Reddy
- Petticoat Lane
- One Not Two
- Punit Balana
- Niharika Kamani
- Seema Gujral
- Kavita Bhartia
- Niti Bothra
- Accessories by En Inde, Ritika Sachdeva and more with a capsule from home brands Ikkis and Suite no 8