“Everything that you aspire to be in the world is yours for the taking.”, Natasha Shamdasani Madan
Noblivity Spotlights Emerging Designer Natasha Shamdasani Madan
Company Name: Taashki LLC – also known as Taashki Handbags
Designer Name: Natasha Shamdasani Madan
How did you get started?
On my way back from a business trip as a high-powered executive, the plane’s windshield cracked and the pilot made an emergency landing. As my life flashed before my eyes, I caught sight of my wardrobe staple – my red leather hold-all (not a little black dress!) – and felt peace knowing that at least I would go down in style.,,
But fate intervened! Stuck in an airport afterwards for twelve hours with no entertainment, and still shaken from my near-death experience, I thought about what I would do if I could do anything in the world. The answer was always the same – design. So I picked up my notebook and doodled handbag designs that women could die for.
I quit my job, moved to New York and immersed myself in the creative world. Pretty soon, I was designing and manufacturing for other designers through my Hong Kong office and was spending more and more time between New York and Hong Kong. When I finally had enough confidence and money to start my own collection, I developed it. My boyfriend at the time proposed and I decided to launch my collection at Charleston Fashion Week once I landed in my new home in the States.
What inspires your designs?
My education in Hong Kong, New York and Mumbai, together with my Indian heritage and Chinese upbringing, had juxtaposed in a unique handbag collection that combines the rich influences of the world’s most ancient civilizations. I love bright, rich colors and fabrics, and unique shapes, but I make sure that everything under the Taashki label is functional, stylish and wearable.
Some of the influences that are apparent in my 2010 collection are the ornate gold from the temples in Thailand, the sumptuous silks of China and India, the rugged pebble grain cow leather of the West and the curves and lines of architecture in my hometown, Hong Kong.
How would you describe your design style, design signatures and who is your targeted customer?
My design style is definitely unique and not easily pigeon-holed. I have come to learn that although it may mean one thing to me, it means many different things to many women. For example, I think my Jaded collection bags are classic and elegant. But a woman who bought both the clutch and the tote thought they were beautifully bohemian! Similarly, the Dynasty line is young, vibrant and trendy, and therefore should appeal to 20-somethings and 30-somethings. But to date, most of the women who have bought my handbags have been in their fifties!
Taashki handbags are made from luxurious cow and sheep leathers and sumptuous silk brocades. The leather brings them a sturdy, practical feel, while the silk brocades add old world glamour. Taashki handbags are lined in our signature silk brocade and are accented with high quality brass with an antique finish. There is a unique design element in each one – some have real jade accents, some have convertible and adjustable straps, or different ways of carrying them, some expand in case you want to fit more in, and most of them have a key fob built into the lining so you’ll never dig for your keys in the bottom of your bag again!
My design signatures include a specially-designed metal Taashki ‘T’ tag with an antique finish, unique expansion options for most bags, clean design lines and custom made hardware. The most striking design signature however, is our signature silk brocade lining, which provides a cheeky reminder to women to look inside themselves and put themselves on their own ‘to-do’ lists.
My target customers are individual, confident women who are not afraid to be themselves. Regardless of their age, they learned at some point in their lives that they need to express who they are and find their own happiness, before being able to take care of anyone else. So they actively pursue their dreams – and they let their Taashki’s carry their stuff there!
What designers inspire you?
Kate Spade has had a huge influence because of the incredible amount she has been able to achieve. Her story is inspiring. I also am inspired by small indie designers, including two I’ve just met – Anna Lassiter and Lucinda Eden in Charleston. More than designers however, strong people inspire me. Those that are able to leave their mark on their world in whatever way always moves me.
What obstacles did you have to overcome?
There were three major obstacles to overcome:
1) Having enough money to sample and produce the collection, manufacture enough inventory to be able to sell and have some left over to do some marketing.
2) The manufacturing process – if anything can go wrong, it will! That’s why my quality control manager in Hong Kong is so important to me.
3) Figuring out how to import the handbags into the US and navigate the confusing world of shipping, customs duties and taxes.
How did you overcome them?
1) As far as money, my boyfriend (now my husband), decided to invest his life savings in my company. The pressure to make sure I kept his money intact, as well the incredible faith he had in me, helped propel me towards success.
2) The manufacturing issues were overcome with the help of my family, who run a manufacturing unit for me in Hong Kong and oversee all aspects of production. I couldn’t do this without them. They still manufacture for other designers.
3) And the shipping took a lot of hard work, tedious reading and some faith. It was fabulous when my first shipment arrived intact!
What has been your greatest moment on your journey so far?
There have actually been several and that list is getting bigger everyday! The first was actually seeing my own designs come to life and become physical products – it was incredible that they looked as beautiful as they did and that they were so functional. I quickly found favorites and quickly heard comments from strangers on the street on how gorgeous the bags were.
The second major achievement was getting into Charleston Fashion Week. When I first contacted them, they told me that the Style Lounge was full and they wouldn’t even look at my products. But persistence paid off and once I was able to get my handbags in front of the style editor, I was invited to participate. Seeing the Taashki label in print was huge!
The third achievement was making the dream that my husband Alok and I dreamt together come true. We found a way where we could each do what we loved and still make a difference in the community. When MUSC came on board, it became even more special because we knew how far our donations were going to go in taking care of people who needed mental health services. With our stubbornness, we managed to bring together two diametrically opposed ways of living – fashion and philanthropy. Our goal is to sell one thousand InsideOut clutches in 2010 and really contribute to the community, and then to take the cause global.
And finally, probably the smallest achievement, but the one that felt most amazing was selling the first Taashki handbag and the first InsideOut clutch, before we even launched! I was so touched to know that people believed in our cause too…
What has been the biggest change in your designs so far?
The greatest change in my designs has been moving towards more and more versatility and practicality for the handbag carrier. So for example, adding different ways of carrying a clutch so that the wearer could take the clutch from day to night, if necessary. Other than that, my design vision has remained constant.
If money were no object what would you do right now?
If money were no object, I would open up Taashki handbag stores in New York, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai and Mumbai all at once. I would also produce the Taashki Travel line I’ve designed for business travelers and other accessories. Finally, I would make sure we had a booth at all the major accessory tradeshows around the world, starting with New York.
What are the best and worst things about being a designer?
The most incredible thing about being a designer is seeing your designs come to life and hearing someone say how much they love your work. It is such a fabulous feeling and it never gets old! I also love how everything you see becomes inspiration for your next line and you look at things in a different way. My favorite part however, is being my own boss. That is liberating, challenging and uncomfortable all at the same time. It definitely forces me out of my comfort zone!
The worst part about being a designer is how vulnerable you are to everyone’s opinions around you (and they all have different opinions!) Some will say your designs are too trendy, others will say they are not trendy enough. Some say your work is for older women, others think it’s more appropriate for college students! It’s frustrating and difficult to put yourself out there, but if you push through it, it’s also a huge source of pride.
Describe your typical day?
My typical day has me up before 8am and I check email, check for new orders through our online store at Taashki.com and check for any new press we’ve received before I’ve even had my first cup of green tea. Regardless of what phase I’m in, I juggle a thousand tasks that all business owners deal with and then some. I sketch designs for next season, source fabrics, deal with manufacturing issues, brainstorm and produce marketing campaigns, sell my line to stores, organize trunk shows, ship handbags to retail buyers, update my facebook fans and twitter followers, update the website, handle accounting and find new buyers. My working day officially ends when my husband comes home, but we spend a few hours before and after dinner coming up with grand plans for the business and how to market it – creative brainstorming.
What’s your philosophy of life?
My life philosophy is that everything that you aspire to be in the world is yours for the taking, but only you decide whether you choose it or not. I believe that we choose whether things turn into gold or dust in our hands, and once we’ve put in that effort, only then can fate/destiny come into play. Before that, even they don’t have anything to work with. I’ve met too many people who make life harder for themselves than it needs to be, just because of the way they talk to themselves. With Taashki, we’re hoping to influence women to take care of themselves too and to remember that their mental health is so important.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I really wouldn’t do anything differently. This whole ride from figuring out the nuances of running an international business, to brainstorming with my husband in the evenings, to starting in a fabulous small town, to launching at Charleston Fashion Week – all of it has been one wild ride and each step has been instrumental in my learning and growth. If I could do it all again, I would do it exactly the same way!
When will you know you have made it?
There are a couple of milestones that would tell me I’ve made it:
1) Having as many facebook fans as Kate Spade(!)
2) My collection being sold in stores from California to Shanghai, from New York to Mumbai, from Tokyo to Milan.
3) When the name Taashki is a recognizable brand and when we can give a $100,000 donation towards forwarding mental healthcare services in the US. A portion of the proceeds from sales of our signature collection are making small donations already to the Medical University of South Carolina’s Behavioral Medicine Clinic.
4) When ‘Looking Inside’ is a recognizable slogan and the world celebrates the ‘Go Blue’ day to raise mental health awareness (much like pink is for breast cancer and red is for heart disease prevention).
