Aparna thyagarajan microsoft

Today we have VCs knocking on our doors wanting to invest in Shobitam. Many customers tell us that their mothers, spouses, sisters, or friends loved their gifts as they added more color to their special occasions.

It is also heartwarming to interact with children who are teaching their mothers to shop online. The cherry on the cake is when we get calls of gratitude from our weavers and other workers who end up sharing many of their personal stories with us. What should we know? What we do and what we are known for: Shobitam is a digital-first ethnic fashion brand that aims to bring South Asian handloom weaves, arts, and crafts to the forefront globally.

At Shobitam, one can find ethnic wear for all occasions, be it daily wear, weddings, parties, evening outings, festivals, or family get-togethers. Our strategy is to delight our customers at every step of the purchase journey. We aim to provide the best selections with convenience, quality, and service. Apart from sarees, our website hosts a wide range of dupattas, ethnic fusion wear, ready-made blouses, jewelry, made-to-order outfits, and home decor items.

Our customers have had great things to say about each one of these products. Some of them consider our custom blouse stitching service as a blessing and keep coming back for more. Our goal is to build Shobitam as an iconic brand with a mission-led approach and a sense of purpose. Weavers first: The well-being of our weavers is the topmost priority for us.

They are the ultimate entrepreneurs with deep knowledge, skills, and talent. They do labor-intensive work in poor conditions. As they are not customer-facing, they are often not aware of the latest market trends. We have a two-way approach where we try and learn about the fabric and weaving techniques from them and pass on the details to our customers. We also feed them information about customer preferences when it comes to colors and fabric choices.

We also develop exclusive products by sharing our original designs. We believe this has been a differentiator for Shobitam as one can find something uncommon. We help them secure financial stability and support the education of the children. Customers first: In parallel, our philosophy is to be customer-obsessed and deliver a delightful 5 Star experience. We have not just survived the pandemic but thrived during this time due to our customers. They have generously showered praises on us on public platforms and have recommended us to their friends and family.

Content development on the platform happens after careful planning. W engage deeply with the community we have built over time. Based on their needs, we have developed a collection of XL sarees. We have widened our made-to-order segment. Today Shobitam has a robust stitching unit that takes care of all the stitching associated with saree wearing.

We have also launched Vegan sarees that have yarns made from plant waste. We share the details on what goes into the making of the product with them. We are transparent about our pricing and follow a no-questions-asked returns policy. Our impeccable quality, packaging, fast shipments, and custom stitching services have been a great hit with our customers. Today we have a growing tribe of Shobitam Fashionistas who are proud owners of our creations.

Our formula for successful growth is:. Business with a cause: I believe in the power of education. My sister Ambika and I reached here because we were privileged to get a good education. From the ideation stage of the business itself, we were clear that however meager our profits are, we will support this cause. Both are doing stellar work for the education of kids belonging to economically underprivileged sections of India.

We are proud of how we did not consider the epidemic as a setback. We saw it as the time to learn and apply our learnings from our failures in the past. During the pandemic, we addressed many distress calls from customers. They had to cancel their travel plans to India and needed urgent options for weddings and other unavoidable functions.

As India went into lockdown, our weavers were also facing a hard time with no real income coming their way. As we were online, we could generate demand for our weavers from different parts of the world. Apart from this, we could provide a steady pipeline of work to other people who do handmade tassels, tailoring, sewing, and other jobs. When we started Shobitam in as a passion project, we did not envisage all this. The brand has witnessed over percent annual growth in the last two years, and had an annual turnover of Rs 9 crore in FY Aparna says she started with 15 sarees, and within three days of setting up the online shop, she got her first order from France.

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Shobitam competes with the likes of Suta , The Indian Ethnic Co , and more but Aparna says what distinguishes the brand is the extensive variety of art form is offers to the customers. Sharing a proud moment, Aparna says the current winner of Miss Connecticut has Indian roots and she approached Shobitam for a dress that showcased Indian craftsmanship for an event leading to the Miss America Pageant. This episode further boosted the confidence of Aparna and Ambika on their journey to promote Indian art and handicrafts.

Aparna works from Seattle and Ambika coordinates with artisans from across India. Amid the pandemic, when the whole world came to a standstill, Aparna says Shobitam never stopped working and each artisan associated with the brand was working.

Apart from assisting customers in the saree selection process, Aparna says, the brand takes custom orders for blouse stitching and has brought in categories like XL sarees for plus size women, vegan silks for customer choice, and is also providing several value-added one-stop services across the ethnic wear segment. Leveraging technology to scale and laser focus on the best selection are two main ingredients Aparna says are behind the growth of Shobitam, and she wants to continue growing the business by integrating tech in the consumer buying experience.

The brand is also planning to expand its product lines and further strengthen its vision to empower the handlooms and arts of India. Inspiration These women entrepreneurs built an Indian ethnic wear brand to serve the global demand, made Rs 9 Cr revenue in 2 years By Palak Agarwal. Shobitam was founded by Aparna and Ambika Thyagrajan in to serve the global demand for Indian ethnic wear. Started with a pilot launch on Etsy, the brand has grown percent in the last two years and made Rs 9 crore in revenue.

Get connected to Shobitam. How this mother-daughter duo launched an ethnic wear brand from home to touch nearly Rs 10Cr in revenue. Stay Updated. Our Team. Shobitam Impact.

Shobitam Give Shobitam Cares. In the media. Log in. Close cart. Instagram Facebook Pinterest. As a year-old, she stitched her first dress for her sister Ambika. Her curiosity and passion lead her to think differently. Her eye for detail, design and astute observations are the building blocks of our company.

She has a strong technology background and had a fulfilling stint at Microsoft. A chance meeting with a Zardosi artist during a sabbatical changed the direction of her career.