All it takes is one look at her drool-worthy Instagram feed before you are convinced that there is no outfit quite as elegant as the sari. Only six months into making her passion her profession, city-based Madhu Reka is off to a fabulous start with her brainchild, Hashtag Azhagi.
Madhu, who is originally from Trichy, took up computer science engineering and graduated from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, in 2013. She worked for an IT firm briefly, following which she went on to pursue a Masters in Fashion Management from NIFT. It was only after she got married and came to Bengaluru that she rediscovered her love for designing.
“Azhagi means ‘pretty woman’ in Tamil and I named my venture so because it is a traditional yet contemporary design house,” she states, adding, “While there are plenty of designer saris, women still go for something unique that describes their persona and style. This is why we brought in the concept of customising saris where our customers become the designers themselves and we make their sartorial dream a reality.”
Ask her how she came to do what she does best, and the fashion designer-entrepreneur says, “I initially worked as a software engineer in a start-up based in Hyderabad. It took me a year and a half to figure that engineering was not my thing. I always fancied the idea of starting a fashion boutique but it wasn’t something I planned or prepared for consciously. Once I decided I wanted to pursue a career in fashion, I went for it. I finished my post-graduation in Fashion Management from NIFT, and joined Decathlon Anubhava to understand the essence of retail. After I got married, I decided to quit my job and start Hashtag Azhagi.”
The challenge with any online based fashion brand is displaying the colour of the garment.
Apart from customised orders, she designs saris that she launches every alternate month. Madhu focuses only on handloom and handcrafted saris and tries to reduce the overhead expense and make the designs accessible to all. “They reflect the love, patience, and boldness that a woman would put into looking her best,” she says.
Considering customised orders form a huge chunk of her work, interaction with customers keeps her occupied throughout the day. According to her, “Since we sell through Instagram currently, there is a personal connect with our customers and it helps us understand them and their requirements better. This makes it more advantageous than selling products through a website.” The rest of her day is taken up with designing saris, and coordinating with artisans for stitching and printing. The day ends with packaging completed products and dispatching them.
While she says “it has been a happy and satisfying journey so far”, she is quick to admit that “the main challenge is with customised saris. We don’t stock fabrics as it will limit the choice for a customer. We hunt for fabrics based on the preferences of the customer. Capturing the customer’s interest and taste is the most challenging aspect. Another challenge with any online based fashion brand is displaying the colour of the garment. It is very difficult to showcase the exact colour because of different phone specifications and resolutions. We try our best not to use any filters. Since we are in constant conversation with the customer, ideating, showing the customer colour and fabric combinations, it does make the process a lot less tedious.”
Looking ahead, Madhu says, “The plan is to create a website which is not just a marketplace but a platform where customers can design saris themselves. We'll also be expanding our product line to include skirts and dresses soon.”
