Stretching The Imagination

Childhood friends Nirali Mehta and Jeenie Madan got together to start an eco-friendly activewear line that helps fashion meet fitness.

What sparked your interest in design?

NM: Born in New Delhi in a Gujarati household, I had a very happy and exciting childhood, where my brother and I always had a voice of our own. At 17, I moved out to pursue my passion for design and then kept going from there. I was grateful for the fact I could choose what I wanted, do what I wanted, and be encouraged and appreciated for it by family and friends. After acquiring a degree in Accessory Design from NIFT in Gandhinagar, I moved to Mumbai to work, gradually falling in love with my life in that city. I worked as a jewelry designer for nine years, with seven very interesting and satisfying years in Tanishq. It was towards the end of that I had some sort of realization that I didn’t want to continue doing that. Something more was calling me.

JM: Being the youngest of the three girls, I grew up in a household where we were constantly told that women are as capable as men. My father, a successful business man himself, always told us to not be afraid of dreaming big and to never give up until you get what you want. After pursuing a BA (Hons) degree in Mathematics, I worked for KLM and British Airways for over three years. While it satisfied my urge to travel around the world, I always knew my heart lay in doing something of my own. What started as a hobby of making costumes for dance schools outside India while I was still working, later turned into a full-fledged venture with me supplying costumes to many renowned dance schools in the US.

How did Stretchery come about?