Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) is a part of USD 44.3 billion Aditya Birla Group. With revenue of Rs. 7,181 crore and a retail space of 7 million sq. ft. (as on 31st March 2018), it is India's first billion-dollar pure-play fashion powerhouse with an elegant bouquet of leading fashion brands and retail formats. ABFRL brings together the learnings and businesses of two renowned Indian fashion icons, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle and Pantaloons creating a synergistic core that will act as the nucleus of the future fashion businesses of the Aditya Birla Group.
1500 kilometres away, leaving my small town, I went to the capital city of our country. Little did I know, it wasn’t going to be a cake walk. It was a new place with new people having a different culture. Everything about this city was unique, to me. The city was big, massive. Being a small town girl wasn’t easy for me to adjust in a place like Delhi. First few days were all hardships. Just when I had started feeling that I am in the right place, things started getting tough. I had no sense of fashion. What to wear? How to carry myself? How to stop the girls from talking about my attire? I started feeling obnoxious and felt sad about the decision that I had made. Second thoughts began penetrating. I wasn’t feeling good about myself and the only thing that I had was me. How could I not love myself? Was I that bad, I wondered. Or is it just the place that made me feel bad. Was I even in the right place?
Strolling around in a big mall, I asked myself, “How can I love myself?” My eyes stuck on to this big yellow board that read “Forever 21”. I thought of thinking myself as 21, forever and loving myself unconditionally. I went into the store, a big store; The collection had my heart. “This is all I need”, I thought to myself and of course a pinch of confidence. Took all that my arms could hold in a go and tried them out. I never felt so confident and beautiful. The whimsical style had done its magic. I believed in their collection and bought them. I wore them the next day to the college.
People were still seeing me, but this time, it wasn’t a stern look. It was something different. It was something that made me feel good about myself. I had never felt so confident before. Since then, Pantaloons, Forever 21, Allen Solly and Van Heusen have been my go-to brands for a shopping spree. After graduating from Delhi University, I decided to do an MBA. Wrote various exams, got a call from some premier B-schools. The fateful day of the interview arrived. I wore my Allen Solly business formals and went ahead to give a fantastic one. I converted the call. What went behind this? Style and smile.
Not only did ABG give the style quotient but also the confidence to smile and shine. It made me a better version of myself. It taught me self-love and had a significant impact on my life.
