From starting her venture at home on a bootstrapped-budget in 2014 to running a business with an annual turnover of Rs 4 crore today, Anjali Agrawal sure has come a long way. The electrical engineer bid goodbye to her job at a top MNC to set up her fashion business, Kota Doria Silk (KDS).
She fuses the traditional Indian fabric, Kota Doria, with technology and digital prints, embroidery, Azrakh, Bagru, Indigot, Madhubani, Kalamkari and Warli to design garments as well as curtains and cushions. A firm believer in women empowerment and skill development, Agrawal not only employed craftsmen who lost jobs during lockdown at her unit, but also helped them by purchasing their ready material.
Moreover, the 500+ women artisans working with her also work as resellers. “We have recently launched our ready-towear men’s ethnic apparel collection and are planning to open our brick and mortar stores across India,” says the Gurugram resident.
Excerpts from an interview:
How did an electrical engineer become a fashion entrepreneur?
In 2012-13, when I was working with IBM, my colleagues always used to compliment me for my Kota Doria dresses. They always asked me to buy these for them. It was while helping my friends procure the fabric that I thought about making it accessible to a larger number of people. Hence began my entrepreneurial journey. But I owe it to my mother since she is the one who introduced me to Kota Doria.
Tell us about the challenges you faced, and your journey?
Setting up the business was a huge challenge, but I had faith in myself and my vision. My journey has been a roller coaster, a mix of ups and down with a lot of hard work thrown in, but the results have been rewarding. The initial challenges included researching fabrics, markets, designs and understanding the associated processes, from procuring the raw material to the logistics for delivering orders. Visiting local mandis to talk to the wholesalers for understanding the basics of the business was a tough and tiring process.
What made you choose traditional Kota Doria over other fabrics?
Kota Doria is a traditional Indian fabric which gives enough breathing space to skin and is best suited to Indian weather. It can be easily customised into any apparel, for men and women, but is yet to get the recognition it deserves. I aim to bring it to the centre-stage of fashion, at national and international level. There are very few handloom Kota weavers today, and they weave silk saris using silver and gold threads for zari which are very costly. I want the fabric to be affordable for daily wear for working women who prefer salwar suits to saris.
Why fuse traditional fabric with technology and digital print?
The authentic traditional Kota Doria is expensive and delicate fabric. It is vulnerable to embroidery or any other handicraft. Any additional work over this fabric diminishes its suitability. By fusing technology, we have maintained the authenticity of the fabric on one hand, and given it a new life on the other. Incorporating yarns with Kota Doria makes it more sustainable and affordable.
How have you reached out to prospective customers?
We began with a Facebook page. The feedback helped us work our way. As the outreach was growing, I started to innovate and learnt more about B2B — understanding customer’s needs, demands and market trends and integrating that into my designs, gaining the potential demand and customers. We have more than five lakh customers today, both online a n d offline.