At my first exhibition in 2018 I didn’t sell anything, and cried for two days. On the third day, I had promised myself that I will continue to strive, no matter what it takes,” says Aparajita Prasad, Founder of Trisvaraa.
Now, the Gurugram-based brand works with local weavers to produce hand-embroidered pieces mainly in Banarasi, organza, chanderi and kora silk.
The 45-year-old is not a designer by education or by profession. “But I always had a passion for textiles and handcrafted things.” After a Master’s in Mathematical Economics and an MBA in Finance, Prasad worked as a consultant in the private sector till 2016, and then left it to start Trisvaraa, the name inspired by goddess Durga. But the journey hasn’t been an easy one. “The industry was very competitive, and economically, India wasn’t faring well after demonetisation and GST.
But I had done my homework a year before. I visited Bhagalpur, Chanderi, Bhuj, and Benares, met the weavers. It was confusing at first with the middlemen ready to offer you their services. I also got fleeced by many weavers. But I believe it takes time to understand the intricacies of a business,” adds Prasad, busy working on the launch of her next collection in organza. This range of lehengas, saris, shararas, suits and gowns, and men’s kurtas was set to launch in March, till Covid-19 changed the course.
“Now, I will launch a campaign shoot on Instagram before the wedding season. The best thing about organza is the royal look it exudes and how light and easy it is to wear and carry. We don’t use resham, only zardozi anchor threads for embroidery,” says Prasad, a pastel lover, whose next collection in Chanderi will sport darker hues. Her husband was taken aback by her decision, but supported her.
When the costs escalated, he became apprehensive about the practicality of this career move, “while I continued being a romantic at heart”. And then the sales picked up. “I believe if the product is good, people will appreciate and buy it. But you also need to create brand awareness to tell your story and sell your products.” Advertising in the papers got her the first few sales.
“But we got lucky when the Taj Group of Hotels liked our products. Our products are now at Taj Khazana and at multi-designer stores across India.” During lockdown, her team of 80 went back to their homes and she went to live with her husband, an IAS officer posted at Patna.
“Now, we are picking up again as my team members have started to return. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next six months. While there are some who can’t wait to go out, and others still find it unsafe to venture out, but I am taking my chances and I am sure we will sail through this tough time,” she concludes.