Founded by NIFT graduate Meghavi Suthar in 2017, Kala is an accessories brand that claims to empower artisans by offering an array of made-in-India, fairtrade artisan pieces. In an interview with Paulami Chatterjee, Suthar discusses how Kala is trying to elevate the issues of artisans through its various initiatives and its endeavours to remain afloat in the current pandemic situation.
How many artisan groups are in touch with you currently?
As of now, we're in touch with a family of five artisans with whom we've collaborated for our existing collections. The group hails from Rajasthan, but work brought them to the old city in Ahmedabad.
How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted footwear designers like you?
The covid-19 pandemic continues to dominate the news and affect small businesses in a way that's difficult to comprehend. In this unpredictable and challenging season, for indie designers like me who have just started out, this pandemic has been a huge blow. From the supply chain to inventory and physical spaces, everything was shut down. Work plans have been derailed. For us, it's about trying to stay afloat and not lose faith, even when there is no demand.
How has the sourcing of raw materials been affected? What kind of hardships are you facing?
The entire supply chain has been disrupted. However, in our case, after the lockdown, we had massive stock sitting around. We launched our new collection of footwear after the shutdown because we had everything ready. We've been struggling to deliver our products in a timely manner considering the restrictions. For now, the emphasis is on building momentum on social media, increasing engagement, working on the creative process. We'll get to the production side of it in a couple of months when the situation gets better. And that will be just the first step. After which we'll be collaborating with models, stylists, makeup artists and photographers. All of this involves a lot of steps and requires us to take the necessary precautions and be more patient than ever.
Where do you source the raw materials from? How does your supply chain work?
The sourcing of fabrics and other raw materials takes place in Ahmedabad. Strong relationships with artisans and suppliers have been developed over years of working with them. The process starts with sourcing the fabric first, depending on the design, and then the canvas and leather are sourced. After that, the master artisan cuts the fabric and hand-finishes the products with the other artisans.
How are your footwear categorised- casual, formals, etc?
Our footwear has been categorised style-wise in the following manner:
How have consumer preferences changed in the current scenario?
The pandemic has changed consumers' shopping behaviour drastically. Now that they have to spend more time at home, away from stores, it's a no-brainer that brands need to come up with a unique digital marketing strategy that aligns with their customers' needs. In the absence of exhibitions, pop-up stores, and conventional fitting room experience, consumers aren't getting to explore brands like they used to. Therefore, building that connection with them digitally through a strong brand voice, imaginative photography, social media campaigns and collaborations can help in a big way, in terms of building a community. One relatively good thing has been the #vocalforlocal initiative. This has led to a shift in the consumer's mindset, making them support small independent local brands.
Based on consumer preferences, how is your business going to get altered?
To ensure that our business goals are aligned with the changing customer preferences, we are working on developing a strong digital plan, so that we can adapt to this challenging time and lay a strong foundation for growth in future. Design-wise, we're going to primarily focus on comfort, whilst not compromising on the aesthetics.
How do you sell your products online and offline?
The selling happens online through our website. We don't have a retail store yet. Also, considering the current situation, we're planning to stick to improving the e-shopping experience rather than investing in a physical space.
What are the advertising mediums that you use for brand building? How do you leverage social media in these times?
Social media has acted as a lifeline for our brand in these difficult times. We all know how important it is for brands to mark their presence on social media. But the pandemic has made it all the way more important. After the shutdown, we decided to revamp our social media and content strategy. Conventional marketing is dead. We've been working on creating engaging content for our audience and we've been seeing great response. Instagram is what we've been primarily focusing on as that's helping us increase our web traffic and generate maximum inquires. We'll be rolling out newsletters soon. What can be seen as a plus point is how we don't need to waste time on commuting to places for meetings/ collaborations. The transition to video calls for meetings has helped us save so much time in the process. This has created more room for flexibility and new trends.
How did you initially get in touch with the artisans? What was the groundwork you had to do?
The harsh reality of the fashion industry is that the artisans and garment workers are some of the most marginalised people. It was during my internship at the time of my undergraduation that I was in Madhupura; that's when I became a lot more aware of the pressing issues. I was working closely with them, understanding the nitty-gritty of their craft. These craftsmen have mastered their craft over years of working-an art that's been passed from one generation to the next. And they were the first ones who bore the brunt of this pandemic. With looming joblessness and non-payment for orders, it's high time we press the reset button-and put an end to exploitative practices.
What are you doing as a brand to ameliorate their condition?
Our artisans have brought our brand to life. We are transparent about the role they've been playing in shaping our brand. We are emphasising on the need for fairtrade practices. Our social media series #KalakarInFrame aims to highlight their hard work and how they are connected with our brand. Through our newsletters, we'll be shedding light on their involvement. The bottomline is to create as much awareness as we can while simultaneously helping them provide a dignified living.
Which are your best-selling and most popular footwear products? How many collections do you come up with each year?
Oxfords have been our best-selling and most popular footwear products right from the time they were launched, a year ago. In a year, we aim to come up with 3-4 new collections. They have not been season-specific. They have been more about what I want to design for individuals.
How do you see the footwear market segment growing in the next 5-10 years?
In the next few years, fast fashion will be out. Consumers will prefer local brands over international ones. The footwear market has been hugely hit by the pandemic, but it'll pick up pace in the coming years. With this being a period of introspection for many, there are very high chances of consumers shifting from luxury to need-based affordable shopping, resulting in buying products that are long-lasting and sustainable.
What are the new footwear designs you are working on?
Considering that big events won't take place for a while, I'm planning to design footwear keeping intimate gatherings in mind.
What lies ahead for you?
As of now, we're looking at building ourselves digitally. We are also looking at strategic and fun collaborations that can drive more business and create symbiotic relationships in the process. Amazon is changing the fashion landscape. With a lot of brands partnering with it to survive, we're still contemplating if that will be the right move. But looking at the potential it has as a channel to acquire new business, we're considering it as an option. We're looking at providing our patrons with the option of virtual appointments. Five years down the line, we would like to see ourselves having created a good reputation as an accessory brand, with a strong community of patrons and artisans. We want to keep designing pieces from a pragmatic and unique perspective. The more smiles we can bring, the better.
This article was first published in the October 2020 edition of the print magazine.
Published on: 10/11/2020
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
