 For
a Hyderabadi who is initiated into high fashion, shopping
has always meant travelling all the way to Mumbai or Delhi
just to pick up a wardrobe. Well not anymore. Thanks to
Elahe, one of the oldest fashion stores in town,
a Wendell Rodricks, Monapali or a Monisha
Bajaj creation is now available right here. Walk into
the store and the names just bounce off the woodwork.
Every single silhouette, every single cut, a stitch and
a weave is the signature of a renowned national designer.
 Mohammed
Elahe set up this quaint store in 1992. This was the
time when the fashion industry in India, not to mention
Hyderabad, was in a nascent stage. Yet, the boutique did
good business. In 1999, Mohammed sold the boutique to
Smitha and Rajeev Shroff (who run another successful
boutique Oorja as well as Pantaloons in
Hyderabad). A year later, Elahe has the distinction of
being the only boutique in the Twin Cities to have been
invited to the recently concluded Lakme India fashion
week in New Delhi.
Rajeev and Smitha Shroff didn't stop at attending the
dazzling event. They went a whole step ahead and brought
haute couture from Delhi to Hyderabad. Thus the Elahe
fashion week was held in Hyderabad. It showcased the
pręt lines of six designers - all participants of the
Lakme India fashion week. Rajeev Shroff says: "We got
a very good response from our customers as well as good
media coverage." Needless to say, the show was a runaway
success.
 Since
then, Elahe has emerged as some sort of a trendsetter
in the boutique business. The store's customer base has
grown to include the fashion conscious high society of
Hyderabad. Smitha Shroff has herself emerged as a celebrity
of sorts even as the Hyderabad based Channel Six magazine
featured her under People of Hyderabad.
Elahe has plans for more show stoppers this season. But
Rajeev refuses to tell. "You'll have to wait and see",
he says with a knowing smile. Well, we'll wait. Going
by Elahe's track record, we sure can look forward to a
couple of delightful surprises.
Address: Elahe, 1-2-9, Sardar Patel Road, Beside
Coromandel House, Secunderabad-500 003.
Phone: 781 201.
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