Each individual has a distinct style, believes Archana Sankar. The Mumbai-based image consultant who is in Kochi to conduct a workshop at St Teresa’s College on Thursday says her passion lies in developing looks best suited for an individual and giving them the ideal wardrobe and lifestyle suggestion.

“In today’s competitive world, certificates alone will not help a person to succeed in their life. Behaviour, conversation skills and the way you carry yourself are important,” Sankar said. She said that her company on Image Management attends to individual clients. The image consultant holds 4-5 sessions with each customer to study their background, taste and traditions and then provide them with necessary recommendations. Sankar noted that apart from individual customers, she also attends to corporates, schools and colleges, She pointed out that her potential customers are not just the elite class but cater to all sections of people. She added that in Mumbai she used to work with NGOs for underprivileged people.

While attending to a crowd, she mentioned that she uses an ‘ABCDE’ approach- Appearance, Behaviour, Communication, Digital Presentation and Self-Enhancement. “This is a general formula that I follow and as per client’s request, other elements like interview skills is also handled”, she said. Sankar who is into the fashion industry for the past 20 years was instrumental in starting a fashion designing course in St ‘Teresa’s.

“I worked with the department for five years until I moved to Mumbai. In Mumbai, attended personal clients for a few years and later started the company”, she said. She opined that most clients are 30 plus, both male and female. She feels this is the age when people who are settled in life start to give more importance to their personality. She also takes virtual styling classes where she attends to customers who are in far away places via the internet. The one-day session in St. Teresa’s is open to public and limited students from the college