One of the oldest forms of clothing, the sari, has been integral to the lives of many south Asians for centuries. The garment has long been seen as the embodiment of traditional, conventional and ‘feminine’ beauty. But recently, younger people are subverting this stereotype, reclaiming the sari in a more contemporary way.
A garment that champions inclusivity, cultural representation and expression of self, it’s no wonder that the sari is growing in popularity as everyday wear. It seems young people across the world are changing the narrative and reclaiming the heritage garment, with creators, designers and artists reshaping established beliefs about what a sari is and who wears it.
In this context Chetan Thakwani of Legacy of Bhojraj had a talk with eastindiaretail.com to express his thought benind the establishment of his brand. He wanted firmly that younger generation should be proud of their heritage.
What is the story behind the establishment of Legacy of Bhojraj?
Legacy of Bhojraj is actually the extension of K. Bhojraj of 1954. Just that it is the 3rd generation store opened by the Third generation of Mr. Bhojraj
How did the journey begin?
The journey began in 2018 with our first store in Hindustan Park. Now we are omni present through Social Commerce via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest & Youtube. We are also launching our E-Commerce website on 1st June 2023.
What was the thought behind it all?
The thought was to always keep the legacy going, I.e. the support or being the vertebra of the handloom weaving society with whom we have been associated since three generations.
What was the trigger and what was the catalyst?
The trigger was back in 2004 after finishing my Madhyamik from South Point High School when I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. He had actually called me to be his Book Keeper. In our free time we used to discuss about his journey thus learning about his experience working with the Weavers & getting to know the Rich Cultural Heritage of Textiles in our Country.
When I had joined my college the first day in B.com Hons in St Xaviers, I had to quit as I understood that I am doing something wrong. This triggered my conciense of working in the Textiles field & I began to pursue my B.Sc in Textile Design from INIFD, a major catalyst in shaping my bookish knowledge about the Industry. I then understood that I always had a yearn to be associated with the Handloom Industry & that Sarees was in my blood.
How legacy of Bhojraj contributes in upgrading a women’s wardrobe?
Legacy of Bhojraj contributes to connect every women to main cause of the society. The marginal & the depleting population of the weaving society is the cause of our journey. Every women’s wardrobe is adorned with an heirloom of Sarees, but they are unable to re buy them. Legacy of Bhojraj helps them connect to their roots & preserve the originality of Tradition in their Collection.
How many years did you take to break even?
We were by the grace of our clients always at a plus. They always knew the brand & ushered their love since day One.
What was the initial investment like and where did you get the funding from?
The Initial Investment was made by myself as after finishing my college I was working with an Export House which help me gather some money to start my own establishment.
Which key areas that Bhojraj invested in?
Our key areas is tech definitely because we always want to connect the handloom society to more & more people. Secondly we do a lot of traveling to set the designs as per our clientele needs.
What is your impression of East India market, considering that you began from Kolkata?
East India is always very inclined culturally. They have always accepted & adorned the various textiles weaved in different parts of our country. It was never actually a challenge for us, indeed a boon for us.
What were the pros and cons of operating from Kolkata?
Kolkata is the hub of East, so there are more pros than cons for us. Primarily, its close proximity to the North East, gave us many clients from the region who are again very rooted to heritage, but have very limited access to the rich culture of textiles from the rest of the mainland thus decreasing the delivery timeline. Secondly Kolkata has an International Airport which is very well connected to the rest of the World. The day we started doing online, our clients from all across the globe who has worn a piece of tradition from our shop could instantly shop from WhatsApp & gain access to our collection sitting from any part of the world. It instantly opened the doors for us to go international. We had orders from US UK, Canada & Australia from the very beginning.
What are your expansion plans?
Our expansion plan as of now is micro geographical i.e. firstly we would like to expand through local regions in high street markets & further to Tier II cities.
Status of the saree market in east India before and after pandemic.
Pandemic has definitely changed the way people buy clothes, but Sarees have always remained on the top because of its form factor. The story depiction is mainly in its Six Yards having in no trouble for women to check for sizes etc. The online market for us was totally unexplored & it gave us an immense boost during the pandemic to keep surviving along with the society. Sarees in today’s date have upped its ante & taken the game to the next level. Now women from every age yearns to wear Saree or to stock one at least for her special occasion. That’s the impact I think we wanted to make & we are slowly getting there.
