By: Smita Sinha
Last updated : July 18, 2019 4:27 pm
Retail4Growth chats up with Alifya Slatewala, Creative Director, Design Dollops to know about her journey as a designer and how she integrates technology into the store design.
With 8 years of working with some of the leading names in retail design and visual merchandising. Alifya set out to spread dollops of fun with her own unique flavors through her Retail Design studio Design Dollops, which specialises in designing SMART Retail. Retail4Growth chats up with Alifya Slatewala, to know about her journey as a designer and how does she integrates technology into the store design.
What drove you to start Design Dollops? When did you start this?
This question brings on a lot of thoughts in me. It's not an idea that happened
Could you throw some light on the working philosophies of Design Dollops?
It's simple and precise – ‘we believe spaces should be fun, interactions joyful,
So accordingly can you elaborate a bit on your approach to retail design?
As our philosophy goes, we design spaces that deliver. The ultimate goal of every retailer is to achieve high sales. This is where our thought process begins.
What really got you into retail design?
I got into retail first and then design. I was always driven by creativity. Without any future directions, as a fresh graduate, the only thing I knew was I had to get into something creative. That's when a relative spoke to me about exploring VM and I hopped onto it. He even got me introduced to Ms. Cherishma Mehta and I started my training under her. She recognized my strengths in understanding spaces and gave me opportunities to learn and explore more. That's when retail design happened to me. Working along with her for five years, I have mastered the art of visioning the space from the eye of a retailer.
Read the full interview in the August 2019 edition of VM&RD.