A new spin to luxury
If you can dream it, you can do it, is this ‘creative entrepreneur’s’ motto. With her indefatigable ability to think out of the box, the 28-year-old director of the premium dry-cleaning chain, Pressto, Radha Kapoor chose not to follow in father, Yes Bank founder, Rana Kapoor’s footsteps.
Completing her education at the Parsons School of Design, New York, Radha chose to return to India in 2009 and launch DOIT Creations, (a compression of Dream It, Do It). Through this, she got Europe’s largest dry-cleaning retail chain, Pressto, to India. Today, the brand, headquartered in Spain, has 20 outlets in India and counts Bollywood biggies Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee as its clients. Radha aims to have 100 more outlets by 2015.
Offbeat venture
“When I returned in 2009, I realised that with the commercial boom, there was a great demand for and supply of high-end brands, but a dearth of upkeep and management facilities here. I saw many people complaining about good dry-cleaners for luxury labels like Armani and DKNY. The affluent would even fly their stuff abroad for dry-cleaning. And we are not only into the dry-cleaning business. We provide complete wardrobe management services, which includes upkeep of high-end shoes and bags.”
The creative side
Radha, who has also studied graphics and gemology, set up her wall art company, Brand Canvas, and is opening a school of design, the Indian School of Design and Innovation. The aim is to promote young artists in different fields of art and design. “There is an urgent need for proper design education in India. Design can play a significant role in business growth, in social improvement. Using creativity, innovation and design-thinking as a driving force in business is creative entrepreneurship.”
Influences
“To see my father work tirelessly and successfully to start his baby, Yes Bank, gave me immense motivation. I decided to put my own vision and passion into a business and start my own brand. Also, since I have a background in the creative arts, I wanted to maximise my skills and do something rewarding.”
Coming home
Home is where the heart is: that’s why she returned to Mumbai instead of opting for a lucrative career in the US. “Building an organisation, where you can set the culture, which is part of oneself, is a great experience. India today needs young entrepreneurs with fresh and exciting ideas,” says Radha.
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