Meet Priya Jelly, Founder of The-Private-Label.com

Lindsay Judge   |   15-03-2020

Young entrepreneur Priya Jelly, has always had her roots placed deeply in fashion. The founder of new e-commerce site The-Private-Label.com had the vision to bring to life her passion for fashion through a carefully curated online shopping destination based in the Middle East.

 

Priya grew up in India and Singapore and was inspired by both countries for her fashion choices. Combining a mix of streetwear and evening wear Priya’s unique personal style was the inspiration behind The-Private-Label.com. The site stocks only independently owned brands, many of which are arriving in the region for the first time. To find out a little more about what to expect we chatted to Founder Priya Jelly.

 

What can you tell us about The-Private-Label.com and why was it so important to you to launch this at this time?

It’s actually the best time to launch right now because the e-commerce market is only going to grow. We live in an “Amazon world” and you can pretty much find everything online now so that’s why I decided to go into this industry.

 

Secondly, there is nothing like The-Private-Label.com out there at the moment. There is no site curating for eveningwear and streetwear in the region as we are. I researched for a year and a half and I realised I wanted to start something completely different that has my personal touch and also stocks what I would personally want to wear. So it has that combination of streetwear and eveningwear. In terms of brands, we wanted to have something completely different and that is the story behind the name “The-Private-Label.com” because all of the brands on the site are privately owned so it’s also offering a platform for the brands.

 

 

Do you think there was a gap in the market for it?

Yes for sure. We are not only catering to the Middle Eastern woman but to international women. The UAE is completely international and I am focusing on all kinds of women.

 

How is The-Private-Label.com different from other e-commerce sites out there?

The first thing we offer that other sites don’t is that most of the brands we stock are exclusively at with us in the UAE. We are trying to bring brands to the region for the first time. That’s the main difference between us and other sites. We also wanted to have easy delivery systems especially within the UAE where we have same-day delivery. We have easy returns and we are constantly looking for new ways in order to make things better and easier for our customer.

 

 

What is the biggest challenge you face?

Every day is a challenge! One of our biggest challenges is time. The industry is still growing and everyone wants to shop online but the technologies still need to adapt to the consumers and what they want. I’m trying to learn every day what the customers require and we are trying to offer that.

 

What are the criteria by which you choose brands for the site?

First, a brand has to have designs that I fall in love with and secondly, good quality is very important. The story of the brand is also something I really look into.

 

How do you go about finding them?

It’s very easy – Instagram! I do all the research myself and it’s something that I love doing personally. I stalk celebrities, celebrity stylists etc. and see which brands they are using or wearing and the if I like them and the story behind them I approach the brand. You can find so many amazing brands online and it allows us to have access to brands from all over the world.

 

Can you share with us a few brands that you are particularly excited about?

I love Giuseppe di Morabito. It’s an Italian designer and the pieces are amazing. I also love Walk of Shame which is a Russian brand of which I have been a fan since 2013. It’s a contemporary evening and streetwear. We also have many new brands coming on the site soon.

 

Who is the woman that you believe will come and shop at The-Private-Label.com?

Someone who is intellectual, fashionable and wants to be dressed in a completely different way. We are offering more contemporary and different labels so our customer is someone who really wants to explore fashion.

 

The world of e-commerce is growing quickly in the region – why do you think customers in the Middle East love to shop online?

We live in a very busy world and everyone is occupied with so many things that they don’t have time to shop. So e-commerce is much easier for women who want to shop on the go.  Delivery systems are becoming much faster too so that is changing everything. We also try to put looks together for our customers so it makes things easier for them.

 

 

How do you go about keeping a personal touch when the shopper isn’t physically coming to the store?

We have a personal stylist and we use Whatsapp as a personal styling service for our customers. We will ask them what they are looking for, what colours and shapes they like and we can assist them with their shopping. The site is very well categorized to make things easier for the customer.

 

What is your first memory of fashion?

I used to look through fashion magazines and movies as a kid and take images of clothes to the tailor to get things stitched like what the stars in movies would wear. Back then it was much more difficult to find out where the clothes celebrities were wearing were from so we would take the design to the tailor and ask them to make something similar.

 

 

What advice would you give to women wanting to chase their dreams and start their own business?

The first thing is that you need to study the market very closely and never be afraid to fail. Never give up and work hard. If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never change the goal. And listen to your customers and change and adapt according to them. Get honest feedback from people that you trust and adapt according to that.

 

How do you deal with failure or setbacks?

We all make mistakes but we need to be ready to face them, learn from them and move on.

 

What is something you still want to achieve that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?

I’ve only just started and there is so much to achieve. Until I reach my goal I’m not going to stop and there is still so much to do.

 

 

Who is the person that inspires you the most?

Everyone inspires me. I don’t have an idol – sometimes I inspire myself. I can be inspired by anyone.

 

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far?

Never be afraid to fail and never be afraid to take risks.

 

What do you do when you want to switch off?

My phone never gets switched off! There won’t be a complete switch off but I do try to balance my life otherwise I know I will burn out. If I’m in Dubai, I Iove to just be at home watching TV. Being at home to me is peaceful.

 

 

Where do you go on holiday?

I used to have a place in the South of France so I go there to switch off. It’s like a second home to me.

 

What is a book you’ve read that inspired you?

The most recent book that I read was Radical Panda by Kim Scott. It’s about how to be a good boss and also how to run a successful team.

 

Where would you like to be this time next year?

I want Private Label to be well known in the market and the site where women want to go to find only emerging labels.

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