Kunjumol Cyriac never forgets clothes. “I might forget faces, names, dates and people, but a sari or a dress remains in my mind,” says Kunjumol, laughing. She adds that it was her innate feel for and interest in textiles and colour that motivated her to begin her own boutique ‘Ethnic Weaves' in the city. Counts, weaves, textures, colours, motifs, and designs make the warp and weft of this entrepreneur's life.
The beginning
Beginning with a tailoring unit on the premises of her house at Muttada, Kunjumol went on to establish her boutique in 2002. “I used to receive a lot of compliments for my dresses that I had designed myself. That was when I decided to begin a tailoring unit with three people. Since I grew up in Bangalore, I used to get a lot of material from there. In those days, it was difficult to get such a wide range of ethnic material in the city. It made me think of beginning an outlet for select clothes and saris. Although I was a little hesitant, with a lot of encouragement from my husband, Cyriac Joseph, I began in a small way in a rented space,” recalls Kunjumol.
The diffident entrepreneur soon learnt the ropes of the trade and within no time was travelling to different places in India to sources clothes and textiles. “It was a kind of on-the-job training. Initially, I was terribly nervous about travelling to far flung places like Kolkata and Jaipur. But those were just teething problems. Now, I travel all over India to source clothes and material,” she says confidently.
Each time she visits her dealers, they have new designs and combinations for her, but if she feels she can improve on those designs, she changes the colour combinations and designs to come up clothes and saris that are hard to turn down. “Sometimes, by changing the combinations of the motifs, designs or colours, you can come up with really interesting variations. Moreover, each place has its own choice of clothes and so if I feel something would not appeal to my customers, I come up with a different idea,” she explains.
As business flourished, Kunjumol moved into her own premises in 2009. With the help of an architect-friend she designed her boutique to create an old-world charm where she stocks and sells saris, dress material, and clothes.
“I must thank my staff of seven who ensure that my customers keep coming back. Many of them head their families and were finding it difficult to make ends meet when they joined my place. But now they are gradually out of the blues,” she says.
Kunjumol sees her boutique and her success as a blessing. As she says: “I have more than 100 dealers but even now, I can tell you where each of my saris come from.”
Happy Birthday!
“I am very fond of ethnic textiles. India has such a wide and exciting variety of textiles; each has its charm and specialty. Moreover, the weavers and craftsmen are skilled men and women who need our support to continue their legacy of fine weaves. That is why I decided to name my place Ethnic Weaves,” says Kunjumol. Although she does stock a range of material and saris in blends of artificial fibres, and so on, Kujamol says her choice would be the handlooms of India. The sprawling boutique that is located next to her house at Muttada celebrates its third anniversary on March 3 with a bash from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Like the previous year, a rustic tea shop, a chaya kada in local parlance, will dish out hot eats such as pasha pori, vadas, tea, and more.
