Fashion Designer Finds Larger Stage with SCORE Pitch Competition

Growing up, Tania Kottoor’s happy place was the local library. Her mother thought she was checking out books, but Kottoor had an ulterior motive.

“I was actually sitting down in the corner and reading all the fashion magazines,” Kottoor recalled, noting her exposure to Vogue India during summer visits to her native country. “There was so much amazing design. So many amazing collections that weren't coming back to America.”

Those library visits were the eventual catalyst for Kottoor’s business, WEST X EAST, a “tech-forward fashion brand that elevates cultural fashion.” The first-generation Indian American started the business in 2020, right before the pandemic.

“I conceptualized, designed and produced 75 outfits for my wedding,” she said of her business launch which saw most of her family outfitted in her creations. “I almost died from stress.”

Her wedding story was captured in Over the Moon by Vogue.

Before WEST X EAST, Kottoor cut her teeth helping an emerging designer build her brand in Chicago. From there, she studied fashion design at Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design in London where she was dubbed “one of the next leaders of luxury fashion.”

Her perseverance and passion has no doubt helped WEST X EAST endure many peaks and valleys over the years, including production stoppages and slowdowns due to the pandemic, as well as the challenge of securing adequate funding. By 2024, she re-launched with a billboard in Times Square.

“That was a really huge deal for me,” she said, adding that she has sold 2,000 pieces so far.

In an effort to take her brand to a bigger audience, Kottoor competed in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition. SCORE is a national nonprofit organization that supports small businesses through free mentoring.

More than 2,200 small businesses applied to compete in five pitch events. Contestants were pared down to 60 contenders who presented their pitch live before panels of judges. Participants were matched with SCORE mentors to refine their pitches, strengthen their presentations, and hone their business plans. Kottoor was one of 45 finalists.

She teamed with SCORE New York City mentor Carolyn Katz.

“I think she’s amazing,” said Katz, a former venture capitalist. “I thought she had such a great company and product.”

For Kottoor, her company and its designs are constantly evolving. Initially all of the garments were “ultra customizable,” which allowed customers to choose any type of fabric, any silhouette and any colors that they wanted. She soon discovered that approach was not scalable.

“It’s customizable with parameters that we set and what we think will look good at the end,” Kottoor said. “The customers took too much control. I took all that back.”

In terms of what lies ahead, Kottoor hopes to find an angel investor to help scale the business. She would also like to undertake more collaborations. A Brooks Brothers gold prize winner, Kottoor said that partnering with the high-end designer brand would generate more awareness of her company.

“We’re such a small brand compared to them,” she said. “That would give us a lot of leverage in terms of increasing our brand visibility.”

Who knows, maybe in the near future a young woman will be sitting in the corner of the library, paging through magazines featuring WEST X EAST creations.

To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor or volunteer to be one, visit score.org.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow, or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at score.org.