She is the proprietor of a small fashion store on Juhu Tara Road called 'Chez Raison' in French which in English, means 'Your Reason',  just at the age of 27 along with her partner Sonali Nanavati. No small feat to accomplish for two young designers as Rita Gohil tells Nisha Chainani how it all began.

When did you open  this store?
We opened this store about five years ago.

When did you become interested in fashion?
I think it was always there, lurking in the back of my mind. What I used to do is I used to put together clothes exhibitions and things like that while I was in college. But during the final year of my college at Jai Hind, I was standing at a crossroad in my life where the question of where to go and what do I do next plagued my mind as it did to everyone in the final year of college. I knew that I didn't want to study Economics more than I already had, and while most of the other kids were opting for the MBA programme or wanting to do their Master's I wanted to do something in the creative field. And since I had had some experience in clothes and fashion I decided that fashion was ultimately what I wanted to pursue. So as soon as I got out of college I joined JD's and did a diploma course in fashion designing.

I think it was always there, lurking in the back of my mind. What I used to do is I used to put together clothes exhibitions and things like that while I was in college. But during the final year of my college at Jai Hind, I was standing at a crossroad in my life where the question of where to go and what do I do next plagued my mind as it did to everyone in the final year of college. I knew that I didn't want to study Economics more than I already had, and while most of the other kids were opting for the MBA programme or wanting to do their Master's I wanted to do something in the creative field. And since I had had some experience in clothes and fashion I decided that fashion was ultimately what I wanted to pursue. So as soon as I got out of college I joined JD's and did a diploma course in fashion designing.

Where did you meet Sonali?
I met Sonali at college in Jai Hind. I don't remember exactly how we came to be friends but I do remember that we got along well and that we shared a lot in common. And like me she didn't want to purse her chosen faculty, which was medicine. She was a BSc student and she just wasn't interested in taking it any further. Instead she shared my dream of fashion and designing so after college we both joined JD's for a year.

I met Sonali at college in Jai Hind. I don't remember exactly how we came to be friends but I do remember that we got along well and that we shared a lot in common. And like me she didn't want to purse her chosen faculty, which was medicine. She was a BSc student and she just wasn't interested in taking it any further. Instead she shared my dream of fashion and designing so after college we both joined JD's for a year.

And is this store like a gift from your parents?
Yes, our parents supported us all the way emotionally, mentally, but financially we all went in half, half. In the sense that Sonali and I while we were studying were putting up exhibitions and making money. So when it came to buying a store we put in the initial sum and when we fell short our parents bailed us out. So it's not exactly a gift that we got handed out, we also did our bit to buy the store.

Yes, our parents supported us all the way emotionally, mentally, but financially we all went in half, half. In the sense that Sonali and I while we were studying were putting up exhibitions and making money. So when it came to buying a store we put in the initial sum and when we fell short our parents bailed us out. So it's not exactly a gift that we got handed out, we also did our bit to buy the store.

Your boutique houses only your creations?
No actually, we keep a lot of our designs and a lot of designs by other designers. We wanted an opportunity to come into contact with other designers and their creations. Right now we have about 12 designers who cater to our store on an on and off basis.

So how have you as a designer changed over these five years since you started this place?
I've changed quite a bit. Five years ago I was designing on paper, then after having experienced running a store I discovered that it's very different in reality. When you start understanding people, their choices and their tastes and what they like, you learn cultivate your designs according to what you think the woman who walks in here is going to like. So in that respect you become very practical.
I've changed quite a bit. Five years ago I was designing on paper, then after having experienced running a store I discovered that it's very different in reality. When you start understanding people, their choices and their tastes and what they like, you learn cultivate your designs according to what you think the woman who walks in here is going to like. So in that respect you become very practical.

But what about those designs one sees on international runways, clothes you're positively sure no one wears no matter how liberal you may be?
And those designs are not for the average woman, they are more for the designers publicity and ad campaigns, though they are for sale but in most likelihood if you walked into a fashion house abroad you would probably find the practical designs too. I mean, even if I were to have a fashion show I would probably design exclusive clothes for the show, to make the show as exciting as possible, to make a statement that I'm here, but if you walked into my store, you'd find clothes that you would want to pick up and wear, very practical designs.

And those designs are not for the average woman, they are more for the designers publicity and ad campaigns, though they are for sale but in most likelihood if you walked into a fashion house abroad you would probably find the practical designs too. I mean, even if I were to have a fashion show I would probably design exclusive clothes for the show, to make the show as exciting as possible, to make a statement that I'm here, but if you walked into my store, you'd find clothes that you would want to pick up and wear, very practical designs.

Have you ever had a fashion show?
No we haven't because it requires very big budgets to be very frank, and also a lot of planning, and right now I just don't have the time to put a show together, but someday soon we will.

No we haven't because it requires very big budgets to be very frank, and also a lot of planning, and right now I just don't have the time to put a show together, but someday soon we will.

What is your price range for clothes here?
We start from Rs.2,500 onwards, to about Rs.30,000 - Rs.35,000. So it's a range of semi-formals and formal Indo-Western designs, we don't keep very casual outfits. We have a lot of NRI's coming here, a lot of up market crowd, film stars.

We start from Rs.2,500 onwards, to about Rs.30,000 - Rs.35,000. So it's a range of semi-formals and formal Indo-Western designs, we don't keep very casual outfits. We have a lot of NRI's coming here, a lot of up market crowd, film stars.

Are you asked to design a lot or do most of your clients pick clothes off the rack?
Well mostly the NRI's usually want something to be designed for them. For instance if they have seen something in a movie, then they want that same style or they want the same colour or they want the same cut, in the end your realize that they want something from five six different outfits! But the others and especially the film stars and celebrities just pick clothes off the rack.

Like whom?
Nikki Aneja, a television celebrity, Shilpa Shirodkar, Hema Maliniji, Rati Agnihotri, Juhi Chawla, Sonu Walia, Chandana Dixit, Sunny Deol's wife, Bobby Deol's wife, Pooja Bedi, Neena Gupta, Sunita Kapoor Anil Kapoor's wife, Sridevi and once Poona Dhillon browed through. I haven't really met most of them but my girls tell me that so and so was here and they bought this or they bought that.

Nikki Aneja, a television celebrity, Shilpa Shirodkar, Hema Maliniji, Rati Agnihotri, Juhi Chawla, Sonu Walia, Chandana Dixit, Sunny Deol's wife, Bobby Deol's wife, Pooja Bedi, Neena Gupta, Sunita Kapoor Anil Kapoor's wife, Sridevi and once Poona Dhillon browed through. I haven't really met most of them but my girls tell me that so and so was here and they bought this or they bought that.

Who cuts your designs?
I wish I could, it would definitely be easier if I could cut myself, but because I'm so time bound that I have to explain it to the master and he does the cutting and stitching. And no, no matter how hard you do your best to explain to the master what you have on your mind, what you drawn on your sketches every now and then your design changes it's form and comes out looking like something else. But then the price I'm paying for being a proprietor, a businesswoman as well as a designer.

I wish I could, it would definitely be easier if I could cut myself, but because I'm so time bound that I have to explain it to the master and he does the cutting and stitching. And no, no matter how hard you do your best to explain to the master what you have on your mind, what you drawn on your sketches every now and then your design changes it's form and comes out looking like something else. But then the price I'm paying for being a proprietor, a businesswoman as well as a designer.

Is this a profession you would recommend to youngsters out there?
Certainly if you're inclined to fashion and designing. I mean I see myself doing this not only for the next five or ten years to come but forever, that's how much I love it! But it's an incredibly tough job. Can you imagine the dozens of customers walking in here everyday hoping and expecting to find something different? And my regular customers wanting to find some thing new on the rack every fortnight? That's serious revamping we're talking about that we have to do every other week to keep the client interested. Then there are only so many hours in the day, where is the time to keep track of fashion everywhere? Then customers will see something on television, in a fashion show, in a film, or magazine and then come to me and say that we want this, and sometimes I simply don't have the time to keep track and in tune with trends that's going around by the hour you know? But there's nothing more gratifying to see a happy customer walk away with an outfit you've designed or something from your store!