Pearl Academy Of Fashion

We are up on the second floor of the Green Apartments in Rajouri Garden. These DDA MIG flats have been here a long time, and you can definitely feel that history when you walk up the stairs. It’s not one of those shiny new buildings with a lift that always works, so we get our exercise daily. Inside, things are usually a bit cluttered with rolls of cloth and mannequins standing around. Being in New Delhi, the summer heat really hits this floor, so the fans are always going full blast from May onwards. We’ve got a small team here working on fashion projects and teaching. It’s a busy neighborhood, especially with the market nearby, which is handy when we need supplies in a hurry. You can hear the sounds of the street quite clearly, but you get used to it after a few days. We don't have a big fancy reception area or anything like that. People just walk in, find a stool, and start working on their designs. It feels more like a workshop than a school sometimes. We keep things pretty low-key and just focus on getting the stitching right or figuring out a difficult pattern. There’s usually a thermos of chai sitting on one of the tables by midday. It’s just how we operate here in Rajouri, keeping it practical and staying busy with the work at hand. Most of us have been around here for years now, so we know the local tea stall guy.