Did you know how a couple of Classmates got together to build a kid’s wear brand by selling it on e-commerce platforms?
In 2016, Vandana Kalagara started Keebee Organics, a manufacturing enterprise that produces sustainable kid's wear in Hyderabad. She was joined by her classmate Smruti Rao later. This kid's wear company directly sells to the consumer through its website and other popular online channels such as Myntra, FirstCry, and Nester. Here is then presenting a few facts explaining how exactly the journey of the kid's wear manufacturing company began?
Inspiration for the initiation of Keebee Organics striking like lightning:
After graduating from NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), Vandana initially worked in the design industry for a few years. She also pursued and completed her master's in fashion design from FIDM in the US. She also gave birth to a daughter.
Says Vandana, "I always loved designing apparel for kids. On my break, I was doing freelance design work. When my daughter began nursery school, I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her response shocked me — she told me she wanted to stay at home like her grandmother and me."
It was this comment by her child that inspired Vandana to get back in the field. She did her research and found a lack of options among organic clothes for kids. It led to the inception of Keebee in 2016.
The Manufacturing set up of Keebee Organics:
It is at Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified units in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu that Keebee Organics manufactures its products. In addition, some of the brand's woven styles are also manufactured in GOTS-certified units and have the necessary certification. Moreover, according to Smruti, who looks after manufacturing, the company recently started its manufacturing unit in Hyderabad, which is not yet GOTS-certified.
She categorically states that "We are using GOTS-certified fabrics and are still learning the production process. We are also working on getting our unit GOTS certified".
Keeble makes casual wear, ethnic wear, undergarments, and a range of other kid's wear products for both boys and girls up to the age of 10. The cost of products sold by this manufacturing company starts from Rs 350 and can go up to Rs 4,000.
Even though at the moment, Keebee is doing well, the early days weren't easy. As a first-time entrepreneur, Vandana faced several challenges regarding finding organic cotton suppliers and GOTS-certified manufacturers all by herself.
However, such obstacles did not deter her, and she sent hundreds of emails to units across the country hoping to get in touch, but very few responded. Eventually, though, Cotton Eco Fashion, a readymade garments manufacturing unit in Gujarat, responded.
The fierce completion and what lies ahead for Keebee Organics:
The rising disposable income of Indian households, including those with dual income, has led to growth in the kid's wear market. As per Research and Market, The Indian kid's wear market was valued at $16.62 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.89 percent and reach $22.53 billion by 2026. Both Vandana and Smruti recognize the growing competition in discrete categories of kid's wear they cater to.
Vandana candidly says that "For onesies and nightwear, we have Greendigo as our competitor. For jhablas, we have Love the World Today as a competition. We regularly talk to our customers and use the inputs to improve our product lines. It helps us stay ahead of the competition,"
Unfortunately, like many companies, Keebee faced production challenges during the first wave of COVID-19 and now again due to the second wave. But the co-founders remain optimistic about the future. When asked about the plan, Vandana states that "We plan to take our brand to international customers as well. Once the pandemic subsides, we are also planning to expand into offline stores".