Ritu Beri, internationally acclaimed fashion designer and Chief Guest, at the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence 2026, speaks on how influence and recognition can help create something larger than oneself
Honourable Ministers Rohan Khaunte, Dr Deviya Rane, Harshvardhan and his lovely wife Urvija.
I want to start by congratulating you for this amazing achievement of 200 issues. I have to say it is not an easy task and to achieve this kind of credibility and repute, I have to say I am not surprised but many many congratulations.
There is something about Goa, it has a way of slowing you down and waking you up at the same time. I remember the first time I came here, not as a tourist but as someone searching for something deeper and what I found was not just beauty but soul – and I think that is what brings all of us together here today. Not just success, not just recognition but meaning.
I come from a world of fashion, a world of precision and detailed perfection. From the ateliers of Paris to the runways of the world I have spent decades creating fashion and in fashion everything is about control. But life has a way of reminding you that the most beautiful things are often the least controlled. The best ideas don’t come when everything is perfect, they come when something shifts,.
Somewhere along the way, I began to ask myself a question. Is creation enough if it does not create impact? And this question changed everything for me because I realised that while fashion is powerful, culture is transformative. Fashion can change how you look, culture changes how you think.
We are living in a time where the definition of luxury is changing. Luxury is no longer just about what you wear or what you own. It is about what you experience, what you feel and what you remember and most importantly what you stand for. Luxury today is not about possession but it is about perspective.
When we think of destinations like Goa, we think of beaches, sunsets, holidays, and sometimes partying. But I believe Goa has potential to be something far more powerful. Not just a place you visit but a place that inspires not just a destination but a global creative capital, because Goa has something very rare. It has a heritage, art, music, spirit and when all of these come together, they create something magnetic.
You cannot manufacture a soul, you can only recognize and nurture it. But here is the question we must ask ourselves, are we only consuming culture or are we creating it? Because the future will not belong to those who simply enjoy beauty, it will belong to those who build it.
To the artist, the creators, the entrepreneurs, the thinkers, to all of you in this room, the world does not belong to spectators, it remembers creators.
This belief led me to create ESCAPE in Goa. ESCAPE is not just a space, it’s not just a store, it’s not just a venue. ESCAPE is an embassy of culture. A place where fashion meets art, where conversations turn into collaborations, where ideas become experience. Spaces don’t create magic, people do. But the right place brings the right people together and that’s the idea.
At ESCAPE we don’t just showcase talent we celebrate it because I truly believe, we don’t just launch brands, we create stories. We don’t just make stories, we make stories that people remember. Not numbers, not titles, not destinations. People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
When I moved from couture to culture, many people asked me why, and I said because the world does not need more products, it needs more meaning.
Also I realised wardrobes are full but hearts are often empty. We need spaces where people can come together. Not just to buy but to feel inspired. Not just to network but to connect. Not just to exist but to belong. Connection is the new currency.
India today stands at a very powerful moment. For years we have been known for our heritage, culture and tradition, but today we are being recognized for our creativity. For our ability to reinterpret the past and shape the future.
India is no longer just a story of tradition, it is a story of transformation and this is our opportunity to not just participate in a global conversation but to lead it. It is not about power, it is about purpose. It is not about control, but about collaboration. The strongest leaders today are not the loudest, they are the most aware.
Which brings me to all of you being honoured today. Awards are not just about achievements but they are about responsibility because when you are recognized you become visible and when you become visible you become influential. And influence is a very powerful thing. Influence is not about being seen, it is about what people see because of you.
The question then becomes, what will you do with that influence? Will you build something that lasts? Will you create opportunities for others? Will you contribute to something larger than yourself because in the end success is not measured by what you accumulate, it is measured by what you leave behind.
Legacy is not what you leave for people, it is what you leave in people. For me, the journey has been deeply personal. It has been about redefining success, about moving from individual achievement to collective impact and understanding that true luxury is not what you own, it is what you create for others.
As we look ahead, I believe the future belongs to those who think differently, to break boundaries, to challenge norms and to imagine new possibilities. If you are always comfortable, you are probably not growing because the world does not move forward through repetition, it moves forward through vision and vision requires courage. So tonight as we celebrate excellence, let us also celebrate intention, let us celebrate purpose and courage to create something meaningful.
And I want to leave you with one final thought, we are not just building careers, we are building culture. We are not just creating business, we are creating legacies and we are not just shaping our own journeys, we are shaping the future and the future will not be defined by what you had but by what you chose to create. So let us choose wisely, let us create beautifully and most importantly let us inspire. Thank you very much
