Hues, colors, and designs have at all times been an integral a part of Anjali Agarwal’s life — whether or not she was sketching on her bed room partitions as a toddler or creating four-feet work for the doorway of her workplace constructing.
Her curiosity in artwork was evident in the way in which she dressed as properly. Whereas learning Electrical Engineering in Kota and through her employment with a number of firms in numerous components of North India, Anjali’s style for refined patterns and assorted color combos had been extensively acknowledged by her friends.
“I at all times adopted a sure type in dressing which largely consists of salwar fits and sarees. This occurred organically as I used to be intently related to artwork from childhood. Nevertheless it took actual form throughout my faculty days in Kota, as the realm is a haven of colors, artisans, weavers and extra,” the 42-year-old tells The Higher India.
It was throughout this era that Anjali turned acquainted with a sure cloth known as Kota Doria — a lightweight woven cloth of tiny squares, which is handwoven on conventional pit looms in Kaithoon close to Kota and different surrounding villages in Rajasthan. The material was uncommon and costly, however apt for the new local weather of the state.
Anjali started buying this cloth and customised salwar fits. Seeing her put on this distinctive clothes, her family and friends from Gurugram requested her to deliver them comparable ones.
The turning level
“I used to be actually comfy sporting Kota Doria materials and continued experimenting with it even after finishing faculty in 2003. My private clothes was successful amongst my colleagues. After getting married to my faculty good friend from Kota, my attachment in direction of this place deepened. It additionally gave me an opportunity to know town and its close by villages from the place the material originated,” she shares.
Anjali labored as {an electrical} engineer for 3 years and later moved to software program for eight extra. In 2014, whereas working as a software program engineer for IBM, she determined to take a break from her profession resulting from a medical situation. She additionally had plans to arrange a homegrown model throughout this era in an effort to observe her ardour for patterns and hues.
“Each time individuals commented on my clothes and stated they’ve by no means seen the same materials of their city, I’d surprise why Kota Doria cloth just isn’t popping up in cities. Later, I understood it was resulting from its excessive value and restricted numbers of weavers within the area. With an purpose to unfold phrase about this distinctive cloth and to enhance the lives of the village artisans, I launched Kota Doria Silks in 2014,” remembers Anjali, who says she had no expertise or background in working a enterprise.
She invested Rs 25,000 to buy cloth from native weavers of Kota and designed a number of garments herself. These had been put up on the market on the official Fb web page and web site of Kota Doria Silks.
“I obtained my first buyer inside three days, from Chennai, and from then on, there was no wanting again. I invested more cash and earnings and collaborated with native weavers and artisans. My dwelling was my workplace too, the place a number of girls had been employed for stitching and packing functions,” explains the entrepreneur.
At present, Anjali says, her bootstrapped enterprise has a turnover of Rs 2 crore. She is related to greater than 100 artisans in addition to weavers from many villages of Rajasthan. She additionally has 15 full-time staff within the two places of work in Kota and Gurugram.
“I’m settled in Gurugram and the actions of the Kota department are taken care of by my father-in-law. All our gross sales occur via the web site and social media pages. To date, now we have couriered the merchandise to prospects within the US, UK, UAE, Japan, Australia and another European international locations,” says Anjali.
Material stuffed with historical past
Kota sarees are manufactured from light-weight cloth appropriate for the summer time. The material is handwoven in pit looms utilizing silk yarns to kind a squared sample. Any such weaving originated in Mysuru, underneath the supervision of Kota ruler Maharao Singh Kishore.
However for the reason that handloom technique is pricey and time-consuming, most textile homeowners together with Anjali have shifted to energy looms. However she additionally maintains a set of hand woven cloth that’s made upon request. “Utilization of energy looms are obligatory as a result of that’s how we will promote merchandise for a budget-friendly value. This will even assist in popularising the material.”
Anjali combines kota cloth with silk, cotton, or some other kind that may incorporate strategies of ajrakh, hand embroidery, bagru and bagh prints, bandhej and lehriya, or tie-dye. “Up to date digital prints on pastel-coloured materials of sarees and salwar fits are our best-sellers,” notes Anjali.
The enterprise not solely sells clothes, but in addition has a large assortment of dwelling decor gadgets together with curtains, pillow covers and bedspreads. “We even have a clothes assortment for males,” provides Anjali, who single-handedly picks every design for her merchandise. “I really like doing the designing half all on my own. It’s so satisfying to listen to individuals discuss how the clothes makes them really feel comfy and assured.”
The value vary of the merchandise begins from Rs 500 and might go as much as Rs 2 lakh.
The entrepreneur is all set to launch her bodily shops in main Indian cities together with Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad. “Greater than 60 per cent of our prospects are from the South. Thus, we’re planning to start from the underside. Additionally, we’re planning to launch our merchandise with manufacturers like Way of life and Customers Cease,” she says.
Try their web site right here.
Edited by Divya Sethu; Photograph Credit: Anjali Agrawal