2019-03-01 Exhibit

MAR 19 I I 37

CLUSIVE

JUhI

GOdaMBe

J

uhi Godambe is one of the

most sought after names in

the Influencer community. A

24-year old entrepreneur,

Juhi has already made a mark in

the Fashion sphere and shaped

the lives of many youngsters

who look up to her. In a candid

conversation with Smriti Raizada,

Juhi reveals big plans for her

brand, Arabellaa, her inspiration

and much more!

: How do you feel influencers

are changing the landscape of

current Fashion and

Lifestyle trends?

JUHI: Influencers are real girls.

They give a realistic spin to

fashion in contrast to the fashion

you see in Magazines or the one

that Actors pull off which seems

unattainable. But when Influencers

dress up and make it their own

style, it’s more relatable and that’s

what’s changed when it comes to

fashion trends.

: What advice would you give

to the newbie bloggers/budding

entrepreneurs?

It takes a lot of patience and

hardwork. I started about 3.5

years ago when blogging had just

become a thing. Even then it took

me a while to get to where I am

today. I did look at contemporaries

and wondered what it is that I am

not doing right. What I realise

now that it’s okay to have these

thoughts. What’s important is to

just be at it and keep hustling!

: Who’s your Fashion icon and

has she/he shaped the way you

look at fashion now?

This might sound clichéd but my

fashion icon is definitely my mom.

My mom was always someone

who’d look perfect no matter where

she was. She really inspired me to

take care of myself and eventually

her style drew me to what I am

really passionate about today.

: A lot of people still perceive

blogging as an unstable source of

income. Is it possible to manage

investments while pursuing

blogging full-time?

It takes a while to get that to stage.

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have said

that my job was stable because you

don’t really know. But eventually,

you get to a stage in life when it

does get better after which there

is no looking back. The thing to

remember is that there are always

other opportunities, if not blogging

then one thing or the other will

definitely come out from it.

FaShION

INFlUENCER

Of THe MOnTH

QuickieS

90s Grunge or 60s Glam:

A mix of both

Your Last Google

search:

Inspiration for my

ongoing shoot!

makeup or no makeup:

No Makeup

Your go-to brand: Besides

Arabellaa, Zara

online shopping or

storefronts: Online

Favourite holiday spot:

New York

adventure travel or

relaxing getaway:

Relaxing getaway

tech essentials: Phone

Favourite photo editing

tools: Lightroom

instagram vs Youtube:

Instagram

work actually acts as a stress

buster for me.

: Do you think there’s a space

in the Fashion Industry that is yet

to be explored?

I feel like there’s an unexplored

space in every industry. There is

so much that still can be done in

fashion. The fact that technology

and social media are merging with

fashion bring out a lot of aspects

that can be explored.

: Do you worry about

competition? How hard is it to

sustain in this domain with new

blogs being launched everyday?

It all depends on how you deal with

it. My personal way to deal with

it was that I would only follow the

people I was actually friends with.

At the end of the day, these are

my friends and people I look upto,

I am never going to be worried

about what they’re doing. I have

always been the person who was

at it because I enjoyed it and that’s

the endgame for me.

: Your clothing label is a rage,

tell us about how it started

and where do you see in the

next 5 years?

Arabellaa was always Plan A for

me. I started as a stylist in the

industry but I realised soon enough

that I didn’t enjoy it and wanted to

start something of my own. After

studying Business in Fashion from

London, I started my own label.

It took a lot of research because

of the obvious high investments

involved in launching a new

brand. In the next 5 years, we are

focusing on our online expansion

and retailing on a lot of websites.

We are also planning to start with

Men’s wear soon!

: What does Arabellaa stand

for? How difficult is it to stick to

the essence of the brand?

I always wanted a pretty name for

my label. The literal meaning of

Arabellaa is Beautiful Girl. I have

always been very clear with what

my brand image is and where I

want it to stand. I want to make

sure that it’s my personal style

because at the end of it, the brand

is something that I built for people

who enjoy my style.

: Does money play a vital role

while someone is considering to

start their own blog?

It really depends on what kind of

a blog you want to start. If you’re

starting a personal blog where you

don’t have to deal with editorial

shoots, you can literally just start

at home with your own wardrobe

or borrowing clothes from your

friends. Like any other business,

you have to work with your means

and figure a way around it. So,

no. Money is not really a necessity

while starting your own blog.

: Influencers are subject to

long hours in search of constant

inspiration and ideas. How does

this affect your mental well-being

and what do you do to cope?

Frankly, work is my getaway. I really

enjoy the phase when there’s a

project lined up and we need to

come up with different ideas. At the

end of the day, I love my job, so

in talks with