India: Day Seven

I woke up this morning with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.  It was time to leave our first city in India.  I packed all of my clothes and new acquisitions from our visits around Hyderabad and went downstairs for one last meal at our hotel. After breakfast, it was a madhouse in the lobby as we weighed our bags only to discover that all of us were over the weight limit for the domestic flight to Bangalore we were leaving to get on.

Finally, we left for the airport, saying goodbye to the lovely staff that took such great care of us at the hotel.  We got to the airport and once again took over as we distributed our items trying to figure out weight limits, ultimately realizing that we all had to pay extra (damn you, domestic flight weight limits!). ​We eventually made it through security and to the gate to complete boarding for the flight, delaying it just a bit.  An hour later we touched down in Bangalore.
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One of our hosts from United Dry Goods met us at the airport and treated us all to lunch. We loaded up our coach and started our ride to our home base for the second leg of this trip.​

After arriving at the hotel and checking into our guest rooms, we boarded the coach again to travel to the United Dry Goods office to meet our host.  We were welcomed to their office by a woman who placed a bindi on our forehead and another woman who draped a pashmina over our shoulders.

Our host introduced himself individually to each of us and informed us that he reads auras– noting that ours were all good.  United Dry Goods works with Ascena, a women's clothing retailer that owns Dressbarn, Maurices, Justice, Lane Bryant, Catherines, and is the parent company of Ann Inc.  Our host's daughter graduated from the Fiber Science & Apparel Design program in 2010 and was part of the inspiration for founding this educational trip.

From referring to India as the "design table of the world" to sharing that "everyone is looking for a deal," it is clear that our host is well versed in the retail and production space.  He shared his opinion that the scarcity model is best, rather than having to rely on discounting products, and also that innovation is required to differentiate and grow a brand.

When asked about entrepreneurship, he said that he thought that the skills required to become successful were based in your DNA, and could not necessarily be learned, which I don't personally agree with.  He added, to be successful you must do what you're passionate about, drive to be the best, and your venture must make economic sense.
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The United Dry Goods Team graciously provided us with a meal and shared their wifi so that we could connect with our families and friends.  They even showed us the sample sewing room and embroidery studio that was located in the upper floors of the building.

Finally, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel for the night.