Beauty, Business, and Moving Mountains at Mumbai Boutique
May 10, 2021 10:48AM ● By Gabrielle Lewis
A woman known to pour love into every stitch of clothing, Sheth’s legacy has been sewn into the Howard County community as the first Indo-Western boutique in the area, opening the doors in June 2018. Her fierce determination and reverence for traditional Indian and South Asian attire was the basis for her journey to becoming her own boss, her entrepreneurial spirit fueling the development of Mumbai Boutique.
Sheth was born in London, moving to the United States with her family as a teenager. After spending years traveling the world, Sheth’s love of international fashion and culture manifested in her creation of intricately designed traditional clothing to wear at local parties and events. After drawing attention from the community and receiving a multitude of requests for commissioned outfits from Sheth, she knew that clothing design was her calling. Her transition to fashion was an opportunity for her to not only share her love for India, but to help members of the Howard County community look and feel their best. “People are fashion statements themselves,” she shares. “When people are wearing my clothing, I want them to feel their best, beautiful and elegant.” The intimacy of Sheth’s design process makes her work one of a kind, each piece unique and specialized for the individual customer.
The store was named after the largest city in India where Sheth and her design team travel every year to collect essential materials. Her love for the city is evident through her dedication to using local resources. Sheth and her team consistently travel to India to explore the newest fashions to bring back to Howard County. However, amid the global pandemic it has been nearly impossible to travel. The wedding and event industry has additionally taken a massive hit in the past year, as gatherings of large groups of people have been strongly discouraged. It has been extremely difficult for Sheth to regain travel visas, and harder still to travel as a group.
Despite the complications from COVID-19, Sheth’s push for nonconformity and innovation in her designs continues as she develops more striking looks in her upcoming summer line. From wedding attire to casual wear, Sheth believes that her clothing can make a statement on any body shape and at any event. In the coming months, Mumbai Boutique will have a store anniversary party, as well as a Diwali celebration in the fall. While Sheth is dreaming of the ability to travel and create more original pieces soon, she invites the residents of Howard County to come to Mumbai Boutique and find an outfit that makes them stand out without saying a word.
Photography credit: JaySar Photography