BENGALURU : Come September 4, and women entrepreneurs from across the country will showcase their products at the FLO Bazar that will be held in the city soon. In its fifth year, the Bazar will be bigger and better with 65 stalls and women from the other 15 chapters of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) also coming down to participate. From apparels, jewellery and food, women will display their products at the day-long event.
“It’s mostly curated by women and is targetted at women and will help empower women. The FLO Bazar is a brand built up solely by FLO members over the last five years. In fact, today, it is a premier destination for curated lifestyle shows in the city. The exhibition is a space for women entrepreneurs to showcase their products to a wide audience,” said Shruti Mittal, the chairperson of FICCI FLO Bangalore chapter, and the director of Mittal Clothing, a family-run apparel business.
The Bazar, Mittal says, has organically grown since the time it started, and it’s mostly been through word of mouth. She points out that the members hold the exhibition less from a business point of view, but more so to help other women. The proceeds from the event are utilised for the initiatives of the group, including skilling workshops like tailoring and mehendi classes.
“We support many NGOs and women’s self-help groups to showcase their wares. Many of these women undergo skilling initiatives enabled by FLO to help them reach economic empowerment. After participating in this Bazar many of them gain confidence to participate in other exhibitions. We are not a profit organisation, and proceeds from the Bazar are used to power various skilling initiatives and workshops we conduct through the year,” Mittal added.
The challenge for all those involved with the Bazar, Mittal says, is balancing a full-time career, responsibilities at home and at the same time, volunteering for the initiative. “All of us feel that we need to do our bit for society. Our team has been working on this for the last 3-4 months,” she added.