The Story of Harjot Singh — Founder, Luxury D’Allure

From a ₹50,000 Loan to a Growing Fashion Brand: The Founder Story of Harjot Singh, Founder of Luxury D’Allure

The Beginning of a Business Dream

Some people grow up wanting to become doctors, engineers, or professionals. I always wanted to build a business.

My name is Harjot Singh, although most people know me as Paji. Entrepreneurship was something I was naturally drawn to from a very young age. I was always fascinated by products, fashion, customers, and the idea of building something of my own.

My first taste of business actually came during high school. I once sold a unique designer keychain to a fellow classmate at a profit. It was a small transaction, but I still remember how happy I felt after making that first sale.

Looking back, I realise that my excitement wasn’t really about the money. I enjoyed finding something interesting, presenting it to someone, and seeing them appreciate it.

That feeling stayed with me.

From an MBA Classroom to My Own Hustle

I went on to complete my MBA from a reputed business school. While studying, I was also working on my own entrepreneurial journey.

I had always had a passion for fashion and accessories. I enjoyed discovering products, understanding what suited different people, and helping customers choose something that matched their personality.

I gradually realised that I had a natural ability to connect with people through fashion. Customers listened when I recommended something. They trusted my opinion. And most importantly, I genuinely enjoyed helping them.

That enjoyment became my biggest motivation.

The Birth of Luxury D’Allure

In 2015, while I was learning French, I created a small brand page called Luxury D’Allure.

At the time, it was almost just an idea. I didn’t have a huge business plan, a large investment, or a big team.

I simply had a name, a passion for fashion, and the desire to see where it could go.

Luxury D’Allure, or LDA, represents the idea of luxury that is attractive and distinctive.

I started selling online from home and gradually began building a customer base.

My first significant Instagram sale came from a customer in Punjab. I sold him a pair of sunglasses for ₹1,500.

That first profit was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Not because ₹1,500 was a life-changing amount of money, but because it proved something to me:

I could actually build a business.

December 25, 2017: Opening the First Store

On December 25, 2017, Luxury D’Allure took its first major step forward.

I opened my first physical store.

It was a very small shop, with very limited inventory and an initial investment of just ₹50,000.

That money was actually a loan from my father.

There was no massive financial backing. There was no guarantee of success.

There was simply a young entrepreneur who believed in his idea and was willing to work for it.

Over time, I began understanding the market better. I realised that I didn’t want LDA to compete purely on low prices.

I wanted better products.

Better quality.

Better presentation.

And eventually, I transitioned LDA from an economical market towards the premium-economy segment.

The goal was to make products feel luxurious and distinctive without making them unnecessarily expensive.

The Years of Sacrifice

One of the hardest parts of building LDA was reinvesting almost everything back into the business.

For nearly two years, I had very little social life.

There were no regular parties, very little fun, and almost no vacations.

Every time the business generated revenue, my first thought was how I could put that money back into growing it.

There were months when, after paying salaries and other expenses, I had almost nothing left personally.

There were even times when I wondered:

How will I pay everyone’s salaries?

But with God’s grace and hard work, salaries were always paid on time.

My family was my biggest support throughout this journey.

They stood by me when things were uncertain and helped me keep moving forward.

When I Almost Questioned My Decision

The journey wasn’t always easy mentally either.

Many of my postgraduate friends were getting jobs with large multinational companies. They were building corporate careers and earning good salaries.

Meanwhile, I was running a small local business.

In the beginning, there was some criticism and comparison.

There were moments when I seriously wondered whether I should quit.

But eventually, I realised that success doesn’t have to look the same for everyone.

Today, some of the same friends who were once building corporate careers come to me for business advice.

That experience taught me an important lesson:

You don’t have to follow someone else’s definition of success.

You have to build the life that makes sense to you.

A Mistake That Changed the Way I Run My Business

Entrepreneurship has also taught me some lessons the hard way.

One of the biggest mistakes I made was assuming that parts of the business could simply run on autopilot.

I learned this lesson after suffering a major loss because members of my staff were stealing money from the cash register.

It was a difficult experience, but it taught me something I will never forget.

Delegation is necessary.

Trust is necessary.

But systems, surveillance, audits, checks, and accountability are equally important.

You can build a great team, but you still need great systems around that team.

That lesson changed the way I approach business management.

The Moment LDA Started Becoming a Name

One of the biggest turning points came unexpectedly.

One day, a YouTuber who was also a customer walked into the store and asked if he could shoot a video for his YouTube channel.

He wasn’t asking for money.

I thought, why not?

There was no harm in trying.

So we did it.

Slowly, the video started gaining traction.

And then something unexpected happened.

People started recognising me.

At restaurants.

At clubs.

In markets.

Even in my own apartment.

People would tell me that they had seen me in the videos.

That was the moment I realised that LDA was becoming more than just a store.

It was becoming a name.

Why Fashion and Streetwear?

My decision to enter fashion was never purely strategic.

I genuinely love fashion.

I’ve always enjoyed dressing well and experimenting with different styles.

But over time, I discovered that I enjoyed something even more: helping other people look their best.

I enjoy understanding someone’s personality and then finding a product that suits them.

For me, fashion isn’t simply about clothing.

It’s about expression.

It’s about confidence.

It’s about finding something that feels like you.

That is what I wanted LDA to represent.

What Makes Luxury D’Allure Different?

I don’t want LDA to be another fashion store where customers walk in and see products they’ve already seen everywhere else.

I want customers to walk in and think:

“I’ve never seen this before.”

Our focus is on streetwear, fashion and lifestyle products, including genuine leather bags, funky accessories and distinctive pieces inspired by the culture of Gen Z, influencers, celebrities, singers, artists and creators.

We don’t want everyone carrying exactly the same thing.

That’s why limited collections are such an important part of LDA.

Our collections change frequently, sometimes every week.

The idea is simple:

Economical luxury, but not ordinary.

Something should feel special because it is different, not simply because it is expensive.

The Product Is Only Half the Experience

For me, a business isn’t just about the product.

It’s also about the experience.

Every product we bring into LDA goes through quality checks before it reaches the customer.

Our team is trained to understand customer requirements and provide personalised service.

Because I believe a customer shouldn’t simply leave saying:

“I bought something.”

I want them to leave saying:

“I found exactly what I was looking for.”

One of my favourite moments is when a customer tells us that they had been searching for something for a long time but couldn’t find it anywhere.

Maybe they found something similar somewhere else, but it was too expensive.

Then they come to LDA and find the right product, at the right price, with the right quality and good service.

That is one of the biggest rewards of building this business.

What Building LDA Has Taught Me

Building LDA has changed me considerably.

I’ve learnt that sometimes it is easier to do something yourself than to explain it to someone else.

I’ve learnt patience.

I’ve learnt management.

I’ve learnt how to understand customers.

I’ve learnt how to identify emerging fashion trends.

And I’ve learnt that being hardworking isn’t enough.

You also have to be smart-working.

You need to understand what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and where you’re trying to go.

Building a business has also made me more patient, while simultaneously making me less tolerant of inefficiency.

Most importantly, it has groomed me as a person.

Sometimes I think about the ten-year-old version of myself.

If he could see me today, I think he would be proud.

The Sacrifice Was Worth It

I sacrificed a significant amount of my social life during my early twenties.

While many people my age were thinking about parties, holidays and weekends, I was often thinking about the business.

Every night, I would ask myself:

“What more can I do to grow this business?”

I was constantly thinking about increasing revenue, improving products, understanding customers and taking LDA forward.

At that stage, I didn’t really have a backup option.

So I kept going.

Today, I don’t regret those sacrifices.

They shaped me.

I Didn’t Start LDA for Money

This is probably the most important part of my story.

I didn’t start LDA because I wanted money.

I started it because I had a genuine passion for fashion.

I enjoyed the products.

I enjoyed talking to customers.

I enjoyed helping people.

I enjoyed seeing someone walk out of the store happy with something I had helped them choose.

Money became a by-product of hard work.

But the respect I received from people for the work I was doing became even more meaningful to me.

That respect made me want to grow further.

My Definition of Success

My proudest moments aren’t necessarily measured by revenue.

One of my biggest achievements is seeing my parents genuinely proud of me.

Their respect in society means a lot to me.

Another proud moment is when a customer walks into LDA and says:

“This is exactly what I was looking for.”

That sentence means more to me than many numbers ever could.

Because it tells me that the business is solving a real problem for someone.

What I Want People to Remember

I want people to remember that a businessman can also be highly educated.

I completed my MBA and chose entrepreneurship.

I want people to understand that education and business aren’t opposites.

Education can sharpen your thinking, improve your decision-making and accelerate your journey.

At the same time, the social-media era gave small businesses opportunities that didn’t exist before.

LDA grew alongside that change.

I want people to see me as someone who was not just hardworking, but smart-working.

Someone who understood what he was doing.

Someone who was educated, well-travelled, curious, fashion-conscious and constantly learning.

The Future of Luxury D’Allure

My vision for LDA is much bigger than a local fashion store.

Over the next five to ten years, I want Luxury D’Allure to become a recognised Indian fashion and lifestyle brand with a strong online and offline presence.

I want young people across the country to know the name LDA.

I want them to associate it with unique fashion, quality products, limited collections and exceptional service.

And I want to continue proving that a business can be built from passion, education, smart decisions, consistency and a willingness to keep learning.

One Final Thought

If I could go back to the beginning and meet the younger version of myself, I wouldn’t tell him to change much.

I’d simply tell him:

Keep going.

Keep experimenting.

Keep learning.

Keep taking risks.

Keep listening to customers.

Keep believing in yourself.

Luxury D’Allure started with a small brand page in 2015, a ₹50,000 loan from my father, limited inventory and a lot of uncertainty.

Today, it is still growing.

And I’m still building it.

Because LDA is more than a business to me.

LDA is my baby.

I didn’t build it because I wanted to become rich.

I built it because I loved fashion.

I loved the people.

I loved the process.

And somewhere along the way, that passion turned into a business.

One product.

One customer.

One idea.

One lesson.

One risk at a time.

I’m Harjot Singh — Paji to many, Founder of Luxury D’Allure.

And this is only the beginning.