I’m-poetic Clutches
If you find yourself gravitating towards a classic glamour and appeal à la Audrey Hepburn and Parisienne fashionistas, I’M-Poetic Clutches will gracefully capture your attention with their modern charm and vintage appeal. The beauty of the bags is quite timeless, and each is unique and one-of-a-kind. Finding the brand on Instagram some time ago, my attention was captured and I was so happy to have a chat with the designer behind it all, Rashmi Mansukhani.
How did you come up with the idea to begin creating these clutches and building your brand?
I was always a job kind of person. I started working when I was a teenager and for the past couple of years, I was working a few jobs, so my life was very monotonous. I used to wake up early in the morning, then just work, work, work. There was no kind of personal satisfaction. I was earning money, but my artistic side was never fulfilled. Seven months back I got this opportunity and I thought, ‘I need to do something which will fulfill my artistic side.’ There were a lot of things that came to mind when I thought of starting my own brand; clothing, and jewelry…but then I thought, ‘I want to do something unique.’ Clutches aren’t necessarily unique, but there’s so much more to explore with them. I had the idea that this was something unique that I can add my art, experience, and design to. That’s how I started designing clutches.
That’s amazing! I think it’s something you manage to do very seamlessly. As I’ve looked through the photos on your Instagram account, many of them seem to be vintage-inspired but they all have modern elements in some way. It’s a great way to bring new life into an accessory that some people might not reach for as often in our modern era. It’s very cool, very fun, and very innovative – which I love.
Thank you so much, Faith. Yes, the idea is that my clutches are vintage and modern at the same time. It can be passed down for generations and a young girl can still use it. You know, going from a grandmother to a granddaughter it’s of equal importance and just as precious.
“I’m trying to write poetry with everything I’ve learned from my mother and mother-in-law.”
How did you come up with the name I’M-Poetic Clutches?
I’M-Poetic is very close to my heart. I wanted to include the most important people in my life, my pillars. “I” stands for Indu, which is my mother’s name. She is no longer with us, but she’s always my inspiration. “M” stands for Madhu which is my mother-in-law’s name. So, these women are my pillars and I wanted to add their names to the brand. When I was creating the name, I was thinking of how I could include myself as well. I’m trying to write poetry with everything I’ve learned from my mother and mother-in-law. In my logo, there’s a red lotus. That’s a very traditional symbol in Hinduism, I’m a Hindu. In Indian culture, this is considered very pious, so that’s how that came about.
That’s so beautiful. I love that you’re paying homage to these important women in your life and to your beliefs. It’s a beautiful brand story. Going back to something you briefly mentioned earlier, you shared that you worked two jobs and wanted to find something to fulfill your artistic drive. So, what was your educational background like, particularly if you studied something creatively driven?
I’m a graduate of Arts back in India. I also have a diploma in Fashion Design and Textile Design. I took these courses millions of years back and have lost some touch, but they always inspired me. When I was doing textile design and fashion design, it was like this was me. I was enjoying it. I was always creative. Whenever I see different colors and designs it inspires me. I learned a lot about different fabrics and traditional art from India as well as other parts of the world. All of these things gave me a good background when I started thinking about creating these clutches.
It's so perfect that you ended up studying courses that would help to inform your design techniques while giving you the inspiration to pursue your work from a creative design perspective as well. I know one of the things you’re very passionate about is the quality of your products and attention to all the little details. Would you like to share a bit more about that?
It’s very important that if a client buys a clutch from me that they should come back to buy more and not complain. That’s the agenda, the motive. I want them to be completely satisfied with the product they’re buying. So, starting with the embroidery we do on these clutches, it’s all done by hand. We are putting in so much time and attention to detail. Each kind of specific embroidery pairs with a different kind of fabric. I’m very particular about fabric. I don’t go for synthetic. I go for silk, usually raw silk, and velvet. For the lining, I typically use suede so it’s durable, too. Everything I choose with close attention to detail. I’m very particular. Even the beads I’m choosing, I’m very particular about.
That shines through in all the little details of the clutches. I wanted to mention an earlier statement. You shared that your mother and mother-in-law were incredible influences in your life. Why is this idea of supporting and uplifting women so important to you and why do you really value these connections and this influence?
For me, supporting women is very important because I was raised by a strong woman, and I am supported by strong women. I see my friends, my sisters-in-law, and my nieces – they’re all my pillars. When I thought of this brand, they were so excited and happy to share ideas. That’s why it’s important for me to support women because I’ve been supported by all the women in my life. I’m a woman. My brand is woman-oriented. The women working in the company are as young as twenty and as old as sixty. It gives me so much satisfaction that I’m doing something great with this team of mostly women.
I love that you shared it’s kind of a generational project, too. You have women of all ages gathering to work on these beautiful pieces and I know there must be such wisdom shared in their conversations.
Thank you so much. It means a lot to me.
Are there any future plans you’d like to share?
Right now, I’m focusing more on the younger generation and incorporating brighter colors. I’m experimenting with shells and different kinds of embroidery, which is traditional, but again with a modern twist. We’re also planning to bring in jewelry boxes [among other things].