Indian entrepreneur smitten by kidswear

Entrepreneurial mum balances her family's needs with running her Smitten maternity and kidswear brand in the UAE.

Roshini Shewakramani, founder of Smitten Boutique, opened the first store in Dubai’s Marina Mall in 2011. Ravindranath K / The National

Roshini Shewakramani, 34, is the founder of Smitten Boutique, which sells maternity clothes and kidswear. Born in India but raised in Dubai, she gained a degree in buying and merchandising from the London College of Fashion in 2002. Returning to the UAE, she worked as a regional marketing co-ordinator for the skincare company, Lancaster. After getting married, she put her career on hold to have children. She re-entered the world of business by opening the first Smitten store in Dubai’s Marina Mall in 2011. The second boutique, in Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Center Mall, opened in October.

6.30am

I get my children breakfast and get them ready for school. I drop them off most mornings. We live in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) in Dubai, and the school is a 10-minute drive away. I got the idea of going into maternity wear even before I became pregnant with my first child who is now six. I was always keen on doing something very niche in retail and I figured maternity is one thing that is undersupplied [in the UAE]. Once I had my second child, now five, I thought, “OK, now I need to sit down and figure it out work wise.” I used a branding agency in Dubai and came up with the concept for Smitten: I wanted a little treasure chest where you walk in and find things.

8.30am

I hit the gym. I am a big spinning addict so I head to my spinning class or Physique 57, which are my two main workouts. At home, I freshen up, eat breakfast and oversee what is being prepared for the children’s lunch.

11am

The morning is spent at the store; I deal with all my emails and answer queries my staff have. I have an office behind my Marina Mall store and that is where I work from. I touch base with what is happening in Abu Dhabi. I work with 30-plus brands — about 10 maternity brands and 20-25 kiddie brands — so there is always ordering to be done or stock has come and the store needs to be remerchandised. I have a manager, who goes between the stores. At least once a week I try to go to Abu Dhabi. It is a bit difficult with the children but I do try to pop in, either in the morning or in the evening, to see what kind of traffic is coming by at the store. I try to go to one, if not two, trade shows each season because that is where I pick up new brands and get a feeling for what is happening in the world of fashion. I also do my buying that will come six months later. Playtime Paris is my favourite; 400 brands exhibit there — children and maternity.

11.30am

My manager and I sit together and work out what is selling best, what sizes we need, the pricing. Sometimes there are some interesting trunk shows to visit; if someone finds a cool brand abroad and wants to test the water in Dubai it is more viable to do it at a show rather than go into a store. I like to pop in because it keeps things fresh. They are all hand-picked brands which are not necessarily on the radar for the big stores [in the UAE].

2pm

Post 2pm is with my children. My eldest is in K1, and gets very upset if I do not pick him up. Then we hang around at school — we go to the playground or to the library and read a few books. He loves being read to — he wants me to read all his action figure books to him — that is our time together. At 3pm, the youngest finishes her school day. If we have more activities at school — she has her singing lessons or ballet — we stick around until about 4pm, then head home. We have a beautiful park at JLT so we hang out there — kick a ball around or go on the swings. My whole family lives in Dubai so sometimes my mother comes over.

6pm

It is dinnertime and bath time for the kids — and by 7.30pm they are tucked in.

8pm

Twice a week I play tennis in the evening. We are a bunch of girls who are learning which is usually very funny — but we are getting better. Working out and the tennis — that is me time.

12.30am

About three times or four time a week my husband and I are out — there is some event or launch or we are invited to a dinner party. I am out until about 11.30pm or midnight. By 12.30am, I am asleep.

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