Kanika Saluja, Founder, Annaikka
Outré is the label that fits Kanika Saluja best—hair: Mohawk; eye makeup: Cosplay; mission: Uplifting rural communities. When she started the fashion brand Annaikka in 2010, it was with the clear purpose of building a network of capital and contacts for her NGO Annaikka Foundation. A fresh break from the starchy-kurta-sequined-jhola variety, Kanika believes in doing things differently. “You have to understand the problem and eliminate it at the grassroots; I cannot tolerate people who scream and shout in the name of development; how much do they really do?” she says on the hypocrisy prevalent among many of Delhi’s so-called social workers.
Launched three weeks ago, Annaikka focuses on women and child empowerment in remote rural areas. “We have a critically picked team of social scientists who identify the areas that need development and doctors and psychologists who offer care,” says the designer (“You’d never catch me in a pair of flats. I’m always in heels, and dressed quirkily, even if I’m just out to buy groceries.”) who sees fashion as a tool to reach out to the needy. In its first phase, the NGO will organise medical relief camps in Bihar and set up a school in Odisha. “The reason for poverty and backwardness is the lack of a respectable skill. Annaikka’s ultimate goal is hence to train rural women in skills like beading and embroidering, so they can make a respectable living.” Kanika grew up watching artisans at her mother’s garment factory making magic with beads and sequins. Hugely inspired by Smriti Irani’s political fervour, she wishes to approach her and reach out to many more communities through her network.
Says Kanika seriously, “When a piece of clothing is able to feed an entire family for a month, or run a medical camp in a remote area, could there be anything more gratifying?”
My Style Icons: Mother Teresa, Jhansi Ki Rani, Margaret Thatcher and more recently, Smriti Irani
Most Outraged When: Society doesn’t embrace and celebrate sexuality the way it should
Three Things People Don’t Know About You: I have a real NGO that does work, am deeply spiritual, don’t like to party, and am a super cook.