Their logo is a sewing machine and they “consciously focus on hand-work”. Sleepwear label After Dark from Chhatarpur, New Delhi is defined by soft colours, pretty embroidery, hand smocking and chikankari. The Telegraph chatted with Prerna Vaswani, growth facilitator/ CEO of After Dark, on the brand and the trends.
How has the journey for After Dark been?
We always knew we would pioneer the market of sleepwear. Our designs were and still are unseen, very new in India and our strength is our archives from years of experience in this industry. The journey has been very motivating and reassuring of our plans and strategies.
It’s a niche market, so what kind of a vision did you start with?
Sleepwear in 2018, when we launched, was a fast and upcoming trend globally, a section of fashion which surprisingly was very quiet for many years. We made some noise in the space and targeted the mid-upper end buyer in India. Especially in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities.
Tell us about the design philosophy...
Our design aesthetics and capabilities are influenced by the fashion of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, when Indian craftsmanship was known to be the best in the global garments industry. Hand embroideries, lots of florals and subtle handwork.
We try to keep it relevant in terms of cuts and drapes but more often than not, this is effortless for our existing designs. We work out of a gold mine of archival designs, unmatchable in timelessness as well as fit.
Which age group are your biggest buyers?
With over 300 styles on offer, and thousands more to come into the market, we have always ensured that we serve anybody and everybody. Our main target is the Indian woman today… ages 21-45.
Are there certain things that work for different age groups?
Certainly. A younger age group gets attracted more to adventurous forms of sleepwear/loungewear, perhaps pyjamas, shorts and short dresses. Bold cuts and a mix of colours are up their ally. When you talk of the slightly mature age group, long flowy dresses, primarily in white and other pastel colours, with heavy embroidery and fewer buttons work really well. There’s also many more ways of grouping our market as we do have a wide variety on offer.
What are your bestsellers?
Our bestsellers are the typically classic dresses and pyjama suits, very much influenced by the yesteryears. Styles that speak “old is gold” or “timelessness” out loud. Trudy, Leia, Ellie, Lola, Veva, are some style names.
What kind of men buy from you?
Well, the nice kind! (Laughs) We have a limited range right now for men, which consists mostly of classic designs in soft colours. Men who know comfort and are aware that there’s more to good sleep than an old T-shirt and boxers, shop with us. We get many queries for satin pyjamas for men, which is so refreshing to cater to!
What kind of awareness are you seeing since the boom of social media in the last couple of years?
Tremendous. This tunnel vision of classic collared pyjama sets being the only form of sleepwear is opening up. People are slowly now ready to explore other forms of garments to sleep in and also understanding why After Dark focuses on whites. The biggest shift has been in understanding that comfortwear is a whole segment and it is not limited to your bedroom.
Which city’s response to sleepwear has taken you by surprise?
Oh there’s so many hidden gems in our country! We are an amazing nation of people, fashionistas in every corner! Guwahati, Raipur, Madurai... there’s just so many.
Is there a plan to diversify?
Most definitely. God willing, we will stick to this path of rapid growth and achieve all that we have planned for. I’d love for the market to just support us and be patient to know what’s next for AD.
