Anita Moorjani beautifully described the handlooms in India: “In the Tapestry of life, we’re all connected. Each one of us is a gift to those around us, helping each other be who we are, weaving a perfect picture together.”
This sentiment deeply resonates with Vandana Kapoor Dhawan, a Delhi-based visionary entrepreneur who has been weaving similar stories of handlooms since 2018. She has established a premium handcrafted apparel brand, Radhas, through which she is bringing the essence of these handmade textiles from India and also financially empowering countless indigenous artisans.
The Story Behind Radhas
Vandana embarked on her entrepreneurial journey about six years ago. Initially, she worked as a senior HR manager with an IT company in Delhi, managing Europe and the US. After 15 years of successful corporate life, she decided to take a plunge and become an entrepreneur by following her passion for customizing and styling Indian handlooms.
Radhas, the brand name she thought of keeping, was named after her daughter, which best suited her Indian handcrafted textiles. Her passion for Indian handlooms and her daughter Radha inspired her to take her dream of becoming an entrepreneur to its first step, and Vandana was all set to take this leap of faith.
Her products include a variety of handcrafted and customized Indian Handlooms. Vandana’s artisans use hand-block printing with natural dyes to create beautiful Ajrakh prints. With the help of her skilled artisans, she beautifully crafts her sustainable fashion clothes according to the seasons of India. Radhas intricate patterns of Jamdanis bring out the timeless elegance in her products.
Vandana also uses Shibori techniques like Arashi (pole wrapping), Itajime (shape resist), and Kuma (spider web) to create stunning patterns on her mulmul fabrics. Not to forget, her customers love her latest designs covering Ikat and Chanderis.
Vandana says, “I customize the fabric from the thread and try to match the client’s requirements not only in terms of styling but also the kind of climate they live in and also the lifestyle they have.”
Keeping these factors in mind, Vandana designs garments to ensure customer satisfaction. She is extremely popular among plus-size women because of her free-size comfort clothing. They have often cited how her silhouettes made them feel confident and elegant.
Most clients prefer Radhas because of its timeless collections, which deliver an evergreen look for every handloom piece. Moreover, Vandana ensures no piece of cloth goes to waste. Using her unique sense of fashion, she always presents clothes that stay relevant for every occasion.
Overcoming Hardships with Future Goals
It had been just two years since Vandana started her business, and the Pandemic hit. It was the biggest challenge in Vandana’s life as, at that time, she was only doing exhibitions. Her business suffered some losses, as did the artisans working with her. To overcome these hurdles, Vandana established an online presence to support her business and artisans. This was a tremendously beneficial step in her entrepreneurship as people started noticing her more, and she started getting more business.
Vandan displayed Radhas uniqueness on her Instagram page, and her specially customized fabric was something that nobody could miss. By coming on the Internet, she could connect with her customers effectively and give her best in whatever products they desired. She not only started selling her products digitally but also educated her clients about the process behind her each handcrafted fabric. She says, “I educate my clients about the process behind making the fabric and style so that they know why it’s unique, the hard work of the artisans behind it, and what they are wearing is not just an outfit but a piece of art.”
Vandana is taking her business to new heights, as her knowledge of handlooms, passed on to her by her father, and her focus on good quality has led her to 95% customer retention and 99% customer satisfaction. Her revenue growth has been five times more than what she was earning, and her skilled artisans have been ten times more since she started her business.
Vandana loves being a workaholic, and she doesn’t take this to be her weakness. She wants to promote Indian weaves internationally through Radhas and promote Indian artisans as the actual designers of India. Lastly, she says to every aspiring women entrepreneur, “Follow your passion passionately, and money and success will follow you.”
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