Confident and polite, sisters Ankita Bansal and Gayatri Mallika Bansal are pleasant to chat with. The Delhi-based sisters own a two-and-a-half-year-old e-commerce start-up THERE! The first-generation entrepreneurs “have had to learn everything from scratch”, which has also been a plus. “It puts you in touch with what is happening in the company, which has given us the ability to take a lot more risks,” says Ankita, who also featured in the Netflix hit Indian Matchmaking.

Cool and chic, THERE! has been conceptualised as easy and comfort wear. The sisters tell us more about it.

THERE! is very niche. What is the idea behind the brand?

Ankita: I have always felt that denim is a comfortable product to wear all year round. And, I live in denims. This business came to the both of us very naturally because we have always seen mum doing so much with her own clothes and taking us to the fabric market. With this experience we realised that not everything needs to be planned out in life to work out in a certain way for you.

We chose denim because we understand the fact that the market is already so overpopulated with garments in general, but we figured out that gap that existed. If you go to a Zara or a Forever 21 or a Diesel or a Levi’s, you only find certain kinds of denims, more particularly on the jeans-centric side, but you won’t find a store where everything starts and ends with denims. So, that’s exactly where the idea of denims came to us from. It was a culmination of a lot of things that fit so beautifully. Life is a jigsaw puzzle. That’s what happened to THERE!

Gayatri: The kind of garments we create are not just limited to a particular segment or age group. Toddlers start wearing denims and people in their late 70s also wear denims. We wanted to pick out a fabric that fits all age groups.

Ankita: It gives you the expanse in the market space also. If you see the brand today, we produce in smaller batches and quantities. We are not saying you come and shop with us every week. You wear the outfit properly and come back to us in six months and shop again. We don’t want to go into the fast fashion space as well. We introduce two collections a year or sometimes even one and we do very small capsule collections. And, we have to do very small capsule collections going forward too.

Tell us about the name…

Ankita: Initially, the brand name was supposed to be No One, but it was already taken. The name THERE! came up. It is defined by each individual.

What did you guys study?

Ankita: I did my BBA and worked in the corporate sector and experimented with lots of types of businesses till I realised that marketing was a space I want to be attached to.

Gayatri: I did commerce in school and BCom honours in college. Because I was exposed to a lot of entrepreneurial activities in college and workshops, that gave me the idea and paved the way for me to understand that I need to do something and innovate from something that is already existing. Most of our clothes are also who we are as people. They will be a mixture of both mine and Ankita’s personalities.

Ankita: It is also easy wearing. I am somebody who doesn’t like to put too much effort into deciding what she wants to wear when she goes out. A jeans with a white shirt and putting on a little piece of jewellery and you are super set to go out.

You have explored a gamut in these two-and-a-half years…

Ankita: Yes, absolutely. We do use linen and organza also but those are complementary to the main fabric, which is denim. We play with embroidery and sequins and try to play with washes and the GSM of the denim.

Gayatri: We stand for authenticity and that is why we are using denim as a fabric in its truest form and are recreating and designing and presenting in a manner that’s actually denim. We are giving people an opportunity to wear something on the fancy side or something that has embroidery or applique on it and we are combining them with different fabric to give them a different feel.

Ankita: If you see our styling, you will see that you can do a casual attire or an evening meeting or cocktails or even for a formal event.

THERE!’S latest line Hauwa Pictures courtesy: THERE!

The pandemic is forcing us to be season fluid, but your clothes are actually season fluid. Was that the plan from the beginning?

Ankita: That was the plan. You can layer it up or down easily.

What makes denim such a best friend?

Gayatri: Denims can be easily coordinated and with our particular styles, we try and offer things you don’t have to put too much mind into. We have a lot of coordinate sets and easy dresses. You can be comfortable and create your denim moment.

What are the pluses of working with denim?

Ankita: It’s an easy purchase because denim as a fabric is easily understood by people without having the need to feel it. It doesn’t get damaged if kept in inventory for longer periods as the fabric itself is so sturdy.

So, how much denim do you have in your wardrobes?

Gayatri: I think everything is blue and denim in our wardrobes. When we go shopping from other home-grown brands, the one thing is we don’t buy is blue or denim-centric colours.
Ankita: I live in my pair of jeans. That’s it. Between us, we have 20 pairs of denims.

Buying your first pair of denims is memorable. Do you remember your first pair?

Gayatri: I think my first pair of denims was when I was going for my best friend’s fifth birthday party… a denim skirt coordinated with a top that had sequins on it and Looney Tunes, a favourite.

Ankita: I have worn denims as a toddler to my preschool as well… the baggy, high-waisted denims. I think that’s where my fundamental love for denims come from.

What are the best and worst part of working with your sister?

Gayatri: I think the best thing is that you understand each other already. So gaps get eliminated. And you know your ups and downs and highs and lows and you can work your way through. The worst part is that…

Ankita: That she is your sister! We have our moments. More often than not I am the lazier one and she is the go-getter. Out of guilt, I sometimes end up at work.

Tell us about Hauwa, your latest line…

Ankita: Hauwa in Arabic means ‘first woman’ or Eve. It is also the name of a person we met from South Africa after the show (Indian Matchmaking) released. She said her name means ‘first woman’. We had anyway made up our mind that we are going to name the collection after the women who supported us during the pandemic. It’s a collection of immense gratitude and appreciation that they have shown us.

What are your dreams for the brand?

Ankita: We are look at expanding internationally even further going forward. We do want to set up bases in two different parts of the world. From the e-commerce point of view, we want to create a community at THERE! with other smaller denim-based brands which don’t do apparels, but say make socks and shoes, accessories, swimwear, stationery and create a borderless experience.

Gayatri: If anyone thinks of denim, they think of THERE!

Iconic denim looks…

Ankita: From the ’90s, the dungaree is a classic look
Gayatri: The cowboy denims
Ankita: Julia Roberts
Gayatri: Kendall Jenner

Denim outfit for the day and night

• At the top of the list would be a pair of jeans that fits you well. It moves from a day look to a night look very seamlessly.
• Layering is a great way to convert denim into a great night look. Add touches of colour like white, pops or just basic blacks. Accessorise it with belts and gold jewellery, how we usually do, makes it very playful.
• Invest in as many co-ord sets as possible. When worn as it is they make for a perfect night outfit. When worn separately and teamed with different upper and bottom, it’s easily convertible into a day look!