PHILOSOPHY
Neetu Malik is a designer at heart and an entrepreneur in mind and spirit. Her work in the fashion industry spans over 35 years and stems from her childhood in India where, despite having grown up in a very traditional household, she built the foundation of her current trade: fashion and business. Her father, himself an entrepreneur, helped her develop accounting skills by tasking her with keeping the books for his business. Her mother, a born fashionista, helped Neetu cultivate a distinct sense of style and eye for colors, materials, and fashion.
Neetu earned a degree in economics at the University of London and then stayed on to work at a well-established women’s apparel company called Sweet Talk. She played a vital role in its growth and expansion into the U.S., establishing its North American headquarters in New York City and growing it into a million dollar business in three years. Her subsequent move to Los Angeles marked the start of her career representing clothing lines and focusing on American designers, style, and culture.
Utilizing her cold-calling and networking skills along with a respected reputation that preceded her, she quickly built her client base and grew her business by 120% in its first five years. Her business acumen and keen sense of retailer and consumer needs resulted in deep, long-lasting relationships with numerous designers—including Bodil, Cynthia Ashby, and Skif—propelling them to a net revenue growth of 30% in less than five years.
The fashion industry has truly been a vehicle by which Neetu could flex her business muscle. In 2009, Neetu launched her own fashion line, MSquare, and since then has seen a 20% growth annually. She sits on the Board of Directors for Fashion Market Northern California and is an honorary board member of LA Tech. This has sparked her eagerness to share all the entrepreneurial lessons she’s learned during her career and she is developing a program to help advise entrepreneurs on how to approach their goals, establish direction, and create a growth strategy.