Every time we have spoken with fashion designer Rimi Nayak in the last couple of months, conversations about the construction of her flagship store in her paternal house have been a part of them. When we finally met her for the walkthrough last weekend, Rimi was all smiles. She told The Telegraph what’s gone into the making of the store that took months to get ready and what’s special about Rimi 2.0.
Why such a long wait to open your flagship store? Do you think there is a time for everything?
Absolutely. I definitely feel that there is a time and place for everything. After operating out of our workshop-cum-studio for all these years (10 years), we felt we finally outgrew that space and hence the need for a stand-alone store was born.
In fact, this was in the pipeline for quite sometime now and I had been contemplating having my own flagship store since 2019. We initially had plans to commence work on the project in early 2020, but those plans had to be shelved temporarily, due to the Covid outbreak. We started the work on the store last year and we were scheduled to launch by January 2022 but things again got delayed due to the third wave in the beginning of this year. So, although we wanted to do an elaborate launch event for the store, we scrapped that plan, keeping in mind the current Covid situation. Instead, we did some small private invites for our clients to experience the store and have started operations from the new store from February.
The response till now has been overwhelmingly positive and I am grateful that everything has turned out well in the end, in spite of the challenges we all faced in the last couple of years.
A big believer of positive vibes, Rimi has filled the store with inspiring messages, all original and from the heart. Be it the mirror selfie corner or the bathroom mirror, the trial mirror or a neon message on the wall, they all bear Rimi’s signature optimism.
What makes this period in your career so apt for new beginnings?
Like countless others, 2020 has been a turning point in my life. As Covid hit and ravaged the world to a complete standstill, it forced me to let go of all my plans for the future. My father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and all of a sudden I lost him within a few months of the diagnosis. 2020 forced me to realise how fragile life really is and how little we know what tomorrow actually holds. On the work front, the pandemic challenged the very existence of our business and made us rethink how we conducted work as usual. Although this initially was a rude awakening, I look back at this phase as a blessing in disguise, because it taught me the value of focusing on the essentials and savouring the pause.
I feel I emerged out of this extremely challenging period as a stronger person, both personally and professionally. With a renewed sense of purpose and some invaluable life lessons, this calm after the storm makes it perfect for new beginnings. I couldn’t have asked for a better time to launch my store!
In keeping with the theme of recycling, the store has a 50-year-old sewing machine modified into a light.
The store is also a testament to the Rimi 2.0 avatar. How are you approaching this new innings?
Love the term Rimi 2.0! It makes me feel like a fresh, new and hopefully updated and upgraded version of myself! I truly feel like I’m starting afresh with a new zeal and energy all over again. Speaking of new innings, along with my flagship store I’m also launching my range of gowns and an athleisure/travel wear line in the coming months.
Spools of threads fashioned into lights are also eye-catching.
Did the location give you extra confidence to go ahead with the store?
The location definitely had a huge role to play in my decision to go ahead with the store. Back in 2008, I had started my business from the garage of my own building and had subsequently moved to a rented space for my workshop-cum-studio. Now, more than a decade later, it feels like I’ve come full circle by returning to my home and renovating the ground floor to transform it into my design den and flagship store. I have grown up in this house and hence I have a huge emotional connect with this place. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to launch my first store. Home is where the heart is.
Since resortwear is synonymous with open-air relaxation, the adda zone outside the store area is for “a complete experience” of the brand.
Your cosy set-up outside the store is great for an adda.
The outdoor set-up of my store has been designed with the sole purpose of having an open and inclusive space for meaningful conversations with my colleagues, clients and friends. Apart from being our flagship store where my clients come to choose their favourite outfits, I really want this outdoor zone to play host to countless creative conversations, inspired discussions and idea exchanges between myself and my fellow creative souls from not only the fashion industry but everyone engaged in creative spaces like art, design, film and photography.
Give us a wish list of designers you want to host in that zone?
Bibhu Mohapatra, Vivienne Westwood and Dries Van Noten!
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Rimi Nayak at her Cornfield Road flagship store
What: Rimi Nayak’s flagship store
Where: 5E Cornfield Road
Timings: 11am-7pm; Monday to Saturday