Jai
‘We’re talking about twenty lehengas with each running nearly sixty thousand over material cost. That’s a twelve lakh overspend. Where do you want me to cut that from?’ Mohit, the CFO, demanded.
‘These are bridal lehengas; they need to be perfect. We’re not substituting these materials for cheaper options,’ Meera exhaled and crossed her arms.
I rubbed my head. We had been going in circles for the past hour with no solution in sight.
Ananya, who had been silent this entire time, looked up. ‘The overspend is primarily coming from the satin linings,’ she said, pushing her iPad forward. ‘Sixty thousand per piece, and it’s all internal. Can we use something cheaper?’
‘That lining is to maintain structure,’ Meera said. ‘I’m not compromising it for budget issues.’
Ananya remained silent, thinking.
‘I can have a look at the archive. See if we can find something that fits all our needs,’ Meera’s assistant suggested.
‘What about the bamboo silk blends we used in the 2022 festive line?’ Ananya exclaimed. ‘It will give the same structure and finish,’ she said, typingthe numbers into the calculator, ‘at a forty per cent lower cost.’
Impressive. Over the past month of working with her, I’d come to realise she was smart and had an instinctive understanding of fashion. If she thought it would work, it would most likely work.
Meera didn’t look convinced. ‘The fall of bridal lehengas is much heavier.’
‘We can use the original lining for the three heaviest pieces. The rest will hold,’ her assistant chimed in.
‘It’ll cut costs by nearly five lakh without affecting the silhouette,’ Ananya said.
Rohan glanced at me. ‘If it checks out, it might be the best compromise.’
‘I’ll need to approve the fabric swatch,’ Meera said.
‘Of course,’ I replied. ‘Ananya, get the updated costing to Rohan, and the samples to Meera by five.’
The meeting wrapped up. People were still discussing timelines and numbers when Ananya and I walked out.
‘Good work in there,’ I said.
‘You were rubbing your forehead so much, I thought you’d start a fire any moment,’ she said with a cheeky grin. ‘I was just being a responsible employee. If my boss goes up in flames, who’s going to pay my salary?’
‘I’ll try to contain my combustion until your eight months here are over,’ I said dryly, a corner of my mouth lifting.
‘Appreciate it.’ She smiled, unbothered, and scrolled on her iPad. ‘Mr Harish Goenka called.’
‘Thanks.’
Once I was back in my office, I called Harish uncle. ‘Hi, uncle, how are you?’
‘I’m great, as always. Congratulations, beta. You must be over the moon after Harrods,’ he said. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
A smile formed. ‘Thank you.’
‘I just finished reading your proposal. It obviously needs work before you officially pitch it to the board, but you have a solid draft here. The Mahalas will be a great fit.’
‘Yeah,’ I replied. ‘Judging by their sales for the past three years, they need this. It’ll be a good opportunity for both of us.’
‘I wish Amar were here to see this. There was nothing he wanted more than to see you succeed,’ he said, his voice growing soft.
Dadaji’s name carried an ache that settled within me. ‘Me too,’ I murmured.
The rest of the day went smoothly. I replied to emails over a cup of chai, sat through a few online meetings and worked on my new line.
