Why I Chose Fashion Entrepreneurship: Learning Before Leading

In an industry of instantaneous launches and instant labels, there is something very enticing about fashion houses of impulse  brands that start with a modest idea, based on vision and tenacity. I've always respected those origin stories. Instead, I am following the opposite approach  intentional, strategic, logical, and reflective.

Figure 1. Shot of RMIT Fashion Classroom (Thanusha, 2024)

This is why I decided to pursue a Fashion Entrepreneurship. Fashion is much more than aesthetics and mood boards, it pertains to operations - supply chain management, unit economics, product lifecycle, and inventory turnover. It is about recognizing how digital mechanisms, such as cloud-based ERP and real-time inventory, are changing the whole operational framework of the fashion industry (Business of Fashion, 2025). 

I want to have an understanding of the back-end processes of ethical sourcing, demand forecasting, assortment planning, and logistics for sustainability, before I step into the atelier or customer-facing platform. It is about recognizing fashion beyond how we demonstrate creativity, and understand fashion as a system - one that increasingly depends on data, automation, and responsive infrastructure, (Business of Fashion, 2025).

I won't launch impulsively, I will launch intentionally. I will build a platform that reinterprets Indian silhouettes through contemporary modesty - structured angarakhas, panelled kurtas, engineered co-ords - made using traditional methods. However, I don't want to limit myself as providing products; I want to provide narratives - narratives of makers, culture, and craftsmanship - at a time when we're reviewing fashion's impact on society and mental health (BBC News, 2025).

Figure 2. Shot Taken in NIFT Chennai Campus (Thanusha, 2025)

My hope for this journey goes beyond design; it is about learning to build systems that function, that are resilient, ethical, and human-centred. My hope for the future of fashion is not just about visual beauty; it is functional, thoughtful, and ultimately reflective of purpose (BBC News 2025; Business of Fashion, 2025).

References

Thanusha S (2024) Photograph of RMIT Fashion Classroom [photograph], personal collection, accessed 3 June 2025.

Thanusha S (2025) Photograph taken on NIFT Chennai Campus [photograph], personal collection, accessed 3 June 2025.

BBC News (2025) Why fashion can affect your mental health, BBC News website, accessed 3 June 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62j2dxe9zyo

Business of Fashion (2025) Technology can transform the operational backbone of fashion, Business of Fashion website, accessed 3 June 2025. https://www.businessoffashion.com/opinions/technology/technology-can-transform-the-operational-backbone-of-fashion/