Hi, I am Vaikhari

I am the founder of UniquelyMainstream.

Let me tell you the story of how this community of people "wanting to create their 'unique' personal style even with 'mainstream', easily accessible and affordable fashion" came into existence!

I was born in Akola, Maharashtra. As a family with parents in government jobs, we moved a lot and I never really had a problem fitting in at the new place until 2013 when I moved to Pune for my college education. It was the first time when I was not in a small city or a town near my parents' project sites but in a big city instead. It was the first time when I felt like I didn't fit in. I didn't feel confident about the way I looked. Luckily with college life and some free time at hand, I started figuring out what styles work on me, what makes me look & feel good and it was by the third year of engineering that I discovered the profession "stylist".

In fourth year of my Mechanical Engineering degree at College of Engineering Pune (COEP), I got a campus placement offer from Tata Motors. Having little to no knowledge of the field of styling, I decided to join. I worked in Tata Motors for 2 years, loved my job and met some of the most special people in my life including my husband. But every day on the way to work I found myself asking "Is there a way I can help others with styling just as much as styling helped me? Is there a way I can make someone feel confident in the way they look?" and there was only one way to find out. I quit my job in April, 2019 and styling went from being my passion to my profession.

At the start of my styling career; I explored fashion styling, styling for brands and even celebrity styling but my heart always held onto personal styling because the vision was always help people out, people like you &me. And so, year 2021 onwards I focused solely on Personal Styling.

The business that started when most of India didn't even know what 'styling' meant and started on a condition that I'll shut it down in 2 years if nobody needs this.... has served more than a 100 clients with style transformations, styled for occasions right from first dates to weddings, created visual memories for so many families with photoshoots and now has a sister business, a sustainable clothing store!

Just like any other business, this one also saw the lows when the pandemic hit and through other tough times in my personal life. But the people you see here in the client photos, the ones you don't, the ones who have always been supportive on Instagram, those friends who put in a good word for me and most importantly my family... they all held it together!

So, I want to tell you, this is not just a business to me... it's a community and I welcome you to it. Buckle up, we are just getting started!

Love,

Vaikhari