The mélange of hues that dominate the pixels on the screen when you open Suta’s—a mindful lifestyle label based in Mumbai—the Instagram page will clearly demonstrate the fun that goes into crafting every post on it. The screens filled with women (and men) in their carefree avatars, too comfortable in their six yards to even give a damn. Is it a lot of fun!?
Undoubtedly. But, for the Suta sisters—Sujata and Taniya Biswas founded Suta (their brand is derived from a portmanteau word created from their first names) in 2016 this is also a strict business. And a lot of thought goes into showcasing their work, as they cut through the noise on digital platforms that are often dominated by hype.
Making the sari cool
The brand’s patrons and fans will often, only, associate Sujata and Taniya’s names with making the sari cool. Launching a sari label, however, was not the first entrepreneurial idea for these sisters who tried their hands at multiple projects.
Sujata narrates Suta’s launch journey, “Ta [Taniya] is passionate about photography; we started a photography business together—I was the model, and the clothes I wore were our own designs… with fabric sourced from local vendors and stitched by our neighbour tailor. Over time, we realised our designs were attracting more attention than our photography service—so, we decided to delve deeper into apparel.”
As youngsters, the sisters travelled the length and breadth of the country extensively, thanks to their father’s transferable job. This allowed them to “learn more about India’s rich textile tradition” and the artisans.
“We realised that in order to preserve these textile traditions, we would have to make them more accessible,” shares Sujata. Their first weave—the Made in Heaven mul—was about de-labelling the sari as ‘uncomfortable’ thanks to the light fabric that is “figure-flattering, airy and can be sported with ease as an office or casual wear”.
Seven years later, the Suta brand—and their saris—is a testament to how storytelling and relatability can be designated as fail-safe marketing strategies. Also, you win a recurring customer only through exceptional product quality. Their brand, Taniya maintains, was about “reclaiming the idea of saris as desirable for every place and every occasion”.
Stressing on the innovative, inclusive drape, she says, “A sari drapes effortlessly over every body type, and can be styled in innumerable ways—from simple to edgy. And that is what makes saris so special.”
The Delhi connection
“A roaring success”—That’s how Sujata recalls their recent Bazaar at the Aga Khan Foundation in Delhi. Giving us a glimpse of the event, she says, “This was our first time visiting Delhi post our Gurugram pop-up. We’ve always been met with so much love and that’s why we keep coming back.”
Now, with a store in Mumbai and one in Bengaluru, Suta’s community of weavers has expanded to 17,000 artisans—an exponential increase compared to the two they started out with. Celebrities including Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan have also donned their saris. “It fills us with pride to see how far our dream has come,” Sujata says.
Will they bid to give the capital a retail store? Sujata explains, “It is a little premature to commit to a store [in Delhi] just yet, but we would love to be here, permanently, someday.” Suta’s vision—apart from introducing additional product categories, improving customer service, and working with more weavers over the next five years—is also about “further expanding our presence with more brick-and-mortar stores through our franchise model”.
Taniya concludes, “We plan to travel with Suta Bazaars and visit cities we haven’t explored thus far. Finally, we’re undertaking measures to make our production, and supply chain more sustainable.”