Arjita Mishra tracks down accessories, skin care products and clothes which can be customised as per your needs
Once upon a time mother’s used to lovingly write our names on our possessions so that they might not get lost in the crowd (more so for quick identification). Then came a time when people (read teenagers, lovers, kids who had money to burn, people who loved themselves and occasional family members) spent their dimes in personalised products like customised key chains, T-shirts, coffee mugs and mobile covers with photos printed on it, wall clocks designed in your choice and the like. But like every passing phase, this trend, too, has faded away. Well, a tad too little because customisation is still in vogue — just that the objects of customisation have gone up a notch.
The latest trend is of getting customised accessories, skincare product or clothes like asalwar suit, sherwani andlehenga. There are few websites that will customise these products so that it may remain one of a kind.
When we spoke to companies about skin care products, we not only found products available for both oily and dry skin, but it was surprising to discover that few of them cater to combination skin as well (most products available in the market do not manufacture products for this type of skin). Forest Essentials, an ayurvedic company which whips up products suited to a customer’s skin type. Their products are divided into various categories like skin care, body care, hair care, wellness and mother and child care. In skin care and body care, they manufacture anti- ageing creams, night care, moisturisers, oils, soaps, et al.
All the products are handmade in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The company believes that the prolonged use of products made from natural vegetable oils and plant extracts will keep the skin from getting damaged.
“Our staff is trained by the ayurved doctors to determine the skin type and they are at our store and for online we have a live chat session. The person who is unaware of their skin type, can ask to the expert till 6:30 in the evening,” said the spokesperson of Forest Essential.
When asked about the exchange policy, he said, “If the product is unused and the seal is not removed, then sometimes we exchange it, depending upon the circumstances because due to some climate reason, the product can get damaged and we can’t resell them so usually we don’t exchange it.”
Renowned company Oriflame also provides a varied range of customised skin care products called the Happy Skin Range. The company has brought a customised product by keeping in mind the extra dry skin. This range offers the body crème and body milk, but the body crème is preferred more as it is long lasting. The body milk helps to relieve extra dry and rough skin. This moisturiser contains pumpkin seed oil which helps in nourishing and conditioning of the skin. These products range from Rs499 to Rs599.
Moving from skin care products to customised clothes, an online company Faaya allows you to design your dress according to your wishes. On this site, you can choose the garment, customise the design, colour and print. Then all you have to do is fill in your measurements and the stitching will be done by them.
We always want to look different from others, whether it is by our appearance or our dress. Actually, it a human nature that we want our outfits to be exclusive but for this, we have to do endless trips of stores to buy fabric then we have to go to the tailors and if, the tailor doesn’t stitches the clothes well then the whole money is wasted. Faaya has made this job a bit easier, now you can get outfit of your choice.
The site deals with both men and women collection. It has a varied range of Indian and western clothes like sarees, suits, gowns and bridal wear. But there is always a risk or doubt about the fitting of the dress and also about the correct measurements. We asked Mridang lodha, a team member of Faaya about the apprehensions, and he said, “We have a very detailed form that helps our customer to give their measurement details. In the region of Delhi and NCR, we send our employee to take the measurement at home.”
The prices are affordable, too. Clothes start at a price range of Rs1,500 and the minimum delivery time is about 12 days. But bridal outfits (yes, they do that, too) take about 45 days. If there is any issue with the fitting of the clothes, the company provides alteration services also. “We use to ask our customer to send us the dress for the alteration but, if the customers need the dress urgently then we ask them to get it altered by the tailor and we reimburse the money,” said lodha.
Funkanatomy is a website where you can not only buy earrings but can also design it. At the site, different designs of beads and stones are available with the help of which you can make your earrings. You have an option to choose your budget which starts from Rs100. There is a cost-o-meter which will warn you when you exceed your budget.