Startup Story #45: Rose Couture – Designer Wear For Little Girls

June 19, 2017

Deepti Acharya’s love for children and passion for fashion led her to start Rose Couture, a clothing line designed especially for girls aged six months to six years. “I worked for 12 years and things became very monotonous. After taking a break for a year, I decided to explore more opportunities,” she says about her venture that was started in October 2016.

An apparel line, made just for little girls, Rose Couture showcases some of the most colourful and floral designs. The clothes are made just for occasion and party wear, keeping in mind all the latest trends in kids’ fashion. As a designer, Acharya graduated from School Of Fashion Technology, Pune (SOFT) and later went to Kolkata to learn about fabrics and textile prints. She later worked in the line of kids’ apparel. Rose Couture is currently featured on e-commerce sites like Amazon, Hopscotch, Firstcry.com and very soon on Myntra. Through this venture, Acharya aims to provide employment to students graduated from vocational institutes. “Most of my staff comprises of fresh graduates. I want to make sure that they get the right exposure. We are a team of nine and we’re mostly women!”

Speaking of the challenges she faced while setting it up, this entrepreneur cites that getting into the entrepreneurial mind set was the most challenging thing for her. “I was aware of the market and its needs. It’s quite tough when you work in a corporate sector and then shift to starting something of your own. Here, I’m not just designing but looking after ten other things. I just had to figure out the logistical part like sourcing the fabrics, machinery and manpower as well as the accounting. I am fortunate to have knowledge of the product. I am very particular so even before I started working, I got the logo registered and made sure that my legal paperwork was done. Now that the GST Bill has been past, I have to learn about the new rules and regulations to implement it in my products.”

Taking up every challenge as an opportunity, Acharya stresses on the importance of knowing your potential to make your work stand out in the industry. “The market is really saturated. There are so many players so you have to know how to cope with them. But you shouldn’t give up. I have connected with several entrepreneurial women in the city and that has really helped me. I also read up a lot about successful ventures and how people started from scratch. It is very inspiring!”

Wanting to expand Rose Couture to the retail segment pan-India, this fashion entrepreneur sees a bright future ahead for her work. “I see at least 30 to 50 fresh graduates working for this apparel. As of now we only design occasion based wear but I would also like to get into designing casual wear. Our website is in the works but simultaneously I want to see Rose Couture on major e-commerce platforms. For that, those in the know have suggested me to take help of technology. In my business it is necessary to maintain and monitor the computers, systems, and servers. Hence, I have been told to contact it support professionals who can help my business maximize employee productivity, prevent downtime, and solve issues before they become problems. Who knows, I might as well consider this!”

For budding entrepreneurs, Acharya has some advice, “While cherishing success, learn to deal with failure gracefully as it teaches you something important every time. Be a good learner. When you know why you’re doing what you’re doing then there is no stopping you!”