Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Anjali Phougat, an IT professional, a fashion designer, bridal & celebrity stylist, Co-Founder of social cause-based talk shows, and Founder of USA-based South Asian luxury brand ‘Designer Dream Collection.’
Hi, Great to have you with us today! Please tell us about what it is that you do?
I hold a double Master’s degree in IT. I have designed various beauty pageants and styled several top celebrities. My designs are recognized and featured in many magazines across the world. I advocate for social issues and bring mental health awareness. I host talk shows named ‘Designerdreamcollection Diva Series’ and ‘Just a Conversation.’ I have judged various beauty pageants and received several awards for designing runway luxury outfits and jewelry.
Please tell us more about your journey.
It all started in a small town in India with my passion for fashion & designing. I started designing clothes to participate in a state-level beauty pageant. My designs and styling sense were highly recognized and helped me win the Miss Haryana crown. This gave me motivation, and I started investing more time in sketching and designing. I started designing runway outfits as a hobby and which resulted in setting up a small boutique. With my boutique’s big success, I migrated to the United States to pursue my passion and get more finances for my passion. I started working in IT Industry. I have established my design line in Columbus and launched a jewelry and custom-made clothing e-commerce website and have been expanding ever since. I got various recognitions from prestigious institutions like Vogue magazine, New York Fashion Week, and South Asian Wedding Magazine. I presented my designs on many platforms, including New York Fashion Week and South Asian Wedding Shows, and I also wrote bridal and wedding styling blogs for bride vogue magazine and my designs got featured in numerous leading fashion magazines all over the world, including Paris and Milan, Italy.
Here are some images of the designs:
Please tell us more about your company, Designer Dream Collection, and the causes that you are working for.
My company, Designer Dream Collection, is a unisex jewelry and outfit design company. We design custom-made bridal and any special occasion outfits and jewelry.
I am highly involved with women’s rights issues in South Asia. I worked towards collecting funds for domestic violence victims and created a fundraiser on social media to support the non-profit organization NMT USA in 2020. Revenue from my clothing line Designer Dream Collection was donated to multiple non-profit organizations to support social causes.
I voluntarily style Domestic Violence victims for the events and donate funds received from the Runway collection to Indian women organizations.
My Fashion Line Designer Dream Collection donated a percentage of sales to multiple food hunger charities during the pandemic and supported the community.
I Initiated a designer dream collection mask mission in September 2019 and donated 100 percent of proceeds of Mask sales to the Non-profit organization NMT USA and supported in saving domestic violence victims’ lives.
In April 2019, I donated self-made masks and PPE kits to Ohio healthcare providers during the pandemic. I joined the initiative led by Columbus fashion Council for the central Ohio hospitals and medical facilities due to the shortage created by COVID -19 to support front-line workers.
In December 2020, I started the social cause-based talk show JAC and thus far has aired 15 episodes. In this show, we share an individual’s ups and downs, the roadblocks they faced, and how they arose to success.
I recently initiated a crowdfunding campaign to support underprivileged kids’ education and help them get a school education.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
The strategies that have helped me through my journey are not giving up and staying focused. I strongly feel consistency is the key to success because no one becomes successful overnight. Everyone will face different challenges during their journey.
Every day I put my plans on paper and continuously work towards my goals to keep myself on track and feeling productive from the moment I wake up. Every day I try to learn something new and do at least one act of kindness to bring joy to others’ lives.
Any message for our readers.
As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way. At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished… it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back. Money is not the only commodity that is fun to give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love, or simply give a smile. What does that cost? The point is, none of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give.
Fantastic! So tell us, how can people find out more about you?
You can find out more by going to our website. You can also check out the Facebook and Instagram @designerdreamcollection and @just_aconversation.
Thank you so much, Anjali, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!