Like many of the youth from Pochampally village in Telangana, Bitla Chandrakant had lost hope in his family’s traditional business of sari weaving and went on to pursue a B Tech from a Hyderabad college. Declining demand had made it an unattractive career choice for him. However, with rising internet penetration and his entrepreneurial spirit, he has found an unusual venue to revive the sales — the photo-sharing media application, Instagram.
With over 33,000 followers, his page, Akila Handlooms, specialising in pure silk Ikat saris, has given the weaver family a new lease of life. After looking at pictures of their products, customers Direct Message on Instagram or Whatsapp to enquire about the price, and after payment they are couriered to them. He says this new platform has brought many other village youth back to the traditional business.
“Instagram is a great platform for us. With no physical store, there is less investment. Also, since we are directly connecting with our customers without any resellers in between, we get much better profit margins. Though these resellers gave us more security as we knew our entire stock would be purchased, we only got a tiny share of the margin,” says Chandrakant.
Not only has this changed the way saris are bought, but it has also transformed the lives of many women, allowing them to take on entrepreneurial roles. Sunitha Sivakumar was a homemaker until 2013, when she launched Vasthram Silk on Facebook. Now apart from an Instagram page, she has even started a boutique in Yelahanka. “I am now financially independent and at the same time I can be around to take care of things at home,” she says.
Sunitha gets her saris custom-made by weavers from across the country, after designing them. She also ensures that the images she posts on the app give her customers a true picture of what the saris look like. “I click the pictures under the right lighting and in different angles so that they get an at least 95% accurate image of the sari,” she says.
Vidhya Vivek also had a similar journey when she started VIKA Boutique, an online clothing store, in 2013, after delivering a child.
Being a fashion designer and having worked for an Indian conglomerate, she also designs the saris herself. Over a period of time, Vidhya has built her network of printers and weavers across the country, and sells up to 50 to 60 saris in a month. Equipped with a tailoring centre, VIKA also dispatches saris after stitching the fall and pico, with the blouses. She says at least 95% of her international customers avail of the facility.
Jennifer Naresh, an architect from the UK and a regular at VIKA, says, “Their blouses fit me better than what I get stitched locally and they deliver them within a week. It is quite difficult to get such services here,” she says.
The online platform has also given many women living abroad an avenue to fulfil their dreams. Living in Greater London, Rathi Balasubramanian always wanted to start something of her own, and found that opportunity on Instagram. Having worked as a buyer for a retail chain and worked on the shop floor, she says she always had an eye for handloom and Kanjivaram saris.
“I started a page to just share the saris I liked and was not selling them. But people liked my taste and would ask for the price. With that I began Eternal Weaves,” she says.
Moving to Kuwait after her marriage last year, Vanisri Chokkalingam now keeps herself busy through her online sari boutique Shri’s Clothing.
Another reseller, she also began her journey four years ago selling around five to six saris in a month. “But today, I manage to sell at least 20 to 25 saris in a day and have a turnover of ₹3 crore,” she says.
At Shri’s Clothing, the saris are dispatched to the customers straight from the manufacturers. With this model, she doesn’t even have to worry about stocking the products. “Though these manufacturers have great products, they do not know how to handle social media pages. I help them connect with their customers,” adds the 25-year-old.
While there has been a burst of online boutiques on Instagram, the traditional brick-and-mortar stores have also felt the need to make the digital switch. Brands such as Nalli, Mysore Saree Udyog and Deepam Silks have also made their presence felt on the app.
“We decided to come onto the app so that we could connect with youngsters who make their choices after browsing through them. Today, around 10% of our online sales comes from Instagram,” says M Chandrashekar, MD, Deepam Silk Retail Pvt Ltd. However, they do not feel these new-age online boutiques are any threat to them. “Instagram has only helped us become more accessible to our customers. We see these new-age stores as a healthy competition as they are promoting saris as fashionable wear. But our 48-year-old legacy gives us an edge, as we have already built trust and credibility,” says Sangeetha Abishek, their Online Marketing Consultant.
