If you’ve ever dreamed of launching your own luxury fashion company, then you’re certainly not the only one. But not everyone has a natural affinity for entrepreneurship, and for most of us, it remains little more than a passing fancy.
Nevertheless, it seems that some people are just born with the drive, determination and eye for a good design that is needed to bring their vision to fruition – and Didar Singh Chalana, owner of not one, but four successful fashion brands, is a prime example.
Known as DC for short, Didar is a self made entrepreneur. From a young age his eyes were filled with dreams and his mind eager to learn – and over the years, he has gone on to build an empire which includes the iconic Edinburgh Cashmere brand, as well as Edinburgh Lambswool, Clans Cashmere, DC Milan and DC Tasty – a company centred around healthy fast food.
Always quick to spot an opportunity, it was back in 2008, whilst working as a sales assistant, that DC was the first to recognise that Edinburgh, Scotland was home to the largest number of cashmere shops in the world – something that sparked his inspiration to create Edinburgh Cashmere and make the city a hub for this fine luxury material and its associated products whilst building a popular brand that is today respected across the UK, Europe and beyond.
The project didn’t come to fruition overnight, and it took ten long years of relentless research and hard work to achieve his goal of becoming one of the top producers and wholesalers of pure cashmere and pure lambswool in the UK and Europe. One of his major accomplishments was to be the first person in the world to produce 110 different clan cashmere scarves, each beautifully designed and quickly becoming highly sought-after products within his customer base, as well as drawing in an increasing level of attention from further afield.
Even today, DC himself oversees every aspect of production, from designing through to completion, in his own factory – as well as dealing directly with sustainable cashmere and lambswool farms to ensuring premium quality and value across the board. He specialises in creating up-to-the-minute monogram and jacquard designs, with his brand new 2022 collection of scarves, stoles and capes showcasing these characteristics and set to make waves on its release over the coming months.
DC’s passion for quality has allowed him to collaborate with top Italian and French designers , and he has recently branched out into supplying premier football clubs with scarves – something of which he is very proud. Meanwhile, his love for men’s fashion has seen him successfully expand into Italy with one of his newest companies, DC Milan menswear. An on-trend brand specialising in jeans, sweatshirts and jackets, all designed and manufactured from scratch by himself, his collections have already won him much praise and acclaim, and he hopes to further grow his share of the market across Europe over the years to come.
Despite never having been one to be motivated by money, such has been the success of DC’s five companies thus far that it has allowed him to fulfil his dreams of driving luxury cars and enjoying exotic holidays. Fitness and wellbeing are also very important to him as he is a true believer in the saying ‘a healthy body, a healthy mind’, and adheres to a regular workout routine and a healthy diet to maintain optimal health.
His hard work and dogged determination have certainly merited him to call himself the proud owner of the Official Edinburgh Cashmere, Edinburgh Lambswool and DC Milan brands, and as his brands continue to go from strength to strength, we can expect to see some exciting things from him not only later in the year, but also further beyond. Having accrued a legion of loyal fans and repeat customers who always come back to him for quality garments and iconic fashion designs, his name is one we can all expect to be hearing a lot more of in the future, and for all the right reasons.
You can follow DC and his journey on Instagram today at @dcsingh_.
