BENGALURU: When Ranganathan Thota is at the airport readying himself for a security check, all he has to do is remove his jacket and place it at the counter.He has all his utilities in the jacket except for his ticket.A baffled security guard eyes the jacket and Ranganathan gets on with everything in one apparel, a jacket called Versatyl.
The all-in-one 18 pocket travel jacket is here to save those who are tired of carrying too many bags for simple utilities. Versatyl, was first initiated by Saneen Javali, an engineer and innovater who used to work at IBM, when he designed a prototype of a jacket in August and got it developed at his textile industry, Emirates Fashions Private Limited in Bengaluru.
He receieved a lot of support and appreciation from his family and collegues and hence he decided to crowdfund the reach of his jacket. His interests in travel jackets had him looking for brands in the US that stated that they had eight pockets or so.
After research, he soon got in touch with Fueladream.com, an Indian crowdfunding platform. Saneen was worried about the funds and investments required for manufacturing a jacket and that is where crowdfunding pitches in. “Crowdfunding is a great way to introduce products out to the market. It lies on trust and pre order. If you tell your story well, people are willing to wait two months even, as they trust you with it.” says Ranganathan , Founder and CEO of Fueladream.com.
Their quick reception to his idea, gave way for Saneen to market his product to a larger audience. With minor difference being made on the design, the jacket took most of the online world by a stir. Orders have been pouring in from different parts of the country, from Pazhani to Dehradun with Facebook being used to share posts and campaign effectively. “I was at an event when I was introduced to the jacket.We were even able to fit a bottle in it. I’m working on a short film and the cold is harsh in December. I think these jackets would be ideal for my crew and me if they are available in bulk. The jacket doesn’t even look buff with all the things in it. The best part is, you can empty it and put it in a satchel,” says Athul Prabhakaran, a film student.
The material is primarily imported from Korea and Taiwan. Pre-ordering is encouraged to facilitate the monetary requirements during production. The material is water resistant and wrinkle free and can be easily folded to fit a satchel, which comes with the jacket. The pockets can be sealed shut with a zipper which is said to not let water seep down. “I’m very much happy to use this. Since there are many pockets in the jacket, you can put tiny things in the arm pockets. You will not lose things if you’re in a hurry to take something.” says Shahid Ulla, digital marketing manager, who has been using the jacket since its inception sample.