Being involved in a business venture with your better half can garner huge rewards. Psychologically, one might assume it to be a perfect excuse for spending some extra quality time together. But is it really all that this package brings on board or there is more to it?
Just like any other married couple, even the entrepreneur couples go through their grind of ups and downs amid the romance that keeps them bonded together. And the masterminds behind country’s leading luxury designer-wear fashion house Kimaya, Pradeep and Neha truly epitomize the term life-partner, in every sense!
SR- How did you meet Neha and what keeps your relationship going?
PH- Me and Neha were introduced through a common friend and then we took it up from there. Like any other normal couple we argue, agree, disagree as both of us have very strong opinions, but we always discuss things out. As it is said, if in a relationship both people agree on everything than one of them is not required. These disagreements help us reach a constructive decision and contemplating both sides of the coin.
Both of us have a unique personality and share our personal space, hence, together we complement each other like Ying and Yang, bringing radical balance in life and the business.
SR-What has been Neha’s role in your success, both, as wife and a professional support?
PH- Neha has been a true life-partner on all paths of life. She is a multitasker and handles all fronts quite competently. At home, she is a complete home-maker who loves taking care of the house and the kids. While at work she is a forward-thinking business woman thinking about the company and the brand. She essays both the roles with such élan, that sometimes it is difficult to believe.
At work, she basically takes care of the present and I take care of the future, like two wheels of a bicycle. As wife, she is a strong anchor in my life that helps me keep my head on the shoulders. In both the roles she is extremely strong to face bad weather, even a hailstorm and that is how she supports me in every aspect of life!
SR- Neha, you have been involved with Pradeep in taking Kimaya to a stage where it is today. How different is he when he is at home and at office?
NH- Pradeep is a completely different person at work. While at home he’s loving, caring and very considerate, all the things that you expect out of an ideal husband, but at work he’s very driven, aggressive and a hard-task master. His attention for details along-with an eye for perfection is an enviable asset.
In the five km drive from home to work, our relationship completely changes from life-partners to business partners. He doesn’t treat me like his wife at work. I think, it is our absolute professional approach to work that has taken Kimaya this far. Kimaya is like our third baby that we want to nurture as well as we could.
SR- You are often referred as ‘the couple’ who is the leader of Indian fashion in retail, especially Luxury Designer-wear Retail. What was your vision when you started Kimaya together?
PH-Before us, there were only 4-5 players in the country and there were two things common between all of them – they had been around for over 15 years and in those 15 years they had seen zero growth! There existed a huge gap between the demand and supply of designer wear in the country. The disposable income was rising; people had the tastes and the means, but access was limited. Kimaya was started with the intention of filling this gapping void.
The vision for Kimaya was to launch “An exclusive, elusive iconic store guided by style, driven by trends and set in designs created with passion to suit the most refined and sophisticated tastes of fashion’s most celebrated people.”
NH- Luxury is not only about the product but also about the experience of buying it and the pride of owning it. The entire course of indulgence forms the fundamental of Luxury retailing. A typical Kimaya patron would be a fashion enthusiast with the taste for the finer things in life, the potential to afford it, demand impeccable service, attention and ego massage; which Kimaya deservingly provides them.
SR- On a lighter note, how does Pradeep react when you go on a shopping spree?
NH- Interestingly my profession is all about being a shopoholic; I can’t run away from it. I handle buying and merchandising for Kimaya, hence, I am shopping all 365 days in a year. After so much shopping for my beloved clients, I do not have the energy to shop for myself. Hence, Pradeep does all the shopping for me and my kids, and I must say he’s pretty good at that!
