Who said to never bring friendship in between of business? After-all, all lasting businesses are built on a strong base foundation i.e. friendship. This is the story of four school friends, who decided to mark the starting point of a business. The business idea which led to the genesis of an Indian footwear brand - “House of Ekara”.
A group of four friends Mudita Bengani, Vaishali Sharma, Aayush Jain and Reema Agarwal used to share their visions together back in school, but little did they know that their vision was meant to be fueled with reality. The four of them belong to different professional backgrounds but it’s their indistinguishable vision, “the love to do something of our own and together” that made the tables turn. It was their common vision to invent and create a brand that delineates the finest of Indian artisans and craftsmanship. Their invariable admiration for traditional handicraft and fervent desire to bring back traditional juttis into mainstream fashion made it all attainable. But to this traditional comeback, they had their own glow-up which is “blending the taste of traditional design with a hint of modern aesthetics”. Nowadays, the roar in the fashion world is only either going for complete customary or keeping it plain and simple with the self-portraying aesthetics. But, House of Ekara has established its USP of redefining the traditional jutti experience with a blend of Modernity, Freshness & Bohemianism!
It is often said that the best of plan is unplanned, random and spontaneous. The same concept fell into place with this group, “spontaneous actions are always the best” as one of them says. Within the very first month of the launch of the brand, they got a chance to put up an exhibition. It served to them as the pathway of optimism to reach to their final destination. And with less than 10 days in hand, they decided to take part in the exhibition. For his exhibition, they had to develop new designs, get the work produced in no time, arrange for the raw material and all that with just an expertise of less than a month. For them, it was a bag full of mixed emotions. Anxiety, nervousness, Adaline rush- all at once. But the burden of this baggage is the best part of realizing of having started something of your own. All the hard work, sheer will and determination rendered positive results and their very first exhibition was a huge success. Further, they collaborated with famous influencers like Mridul Sharma and Sonali Singh who have not only endorsed their product but also loved it and are their customers till date.
But as we know, that a sailor is known as the best one only after completing his voyage full of peaceful yet thunderous tides. Their utmost challenge was to change the common perception of people, who take juttis to be an uncomfortable type of footwear only meant for glitter and glamour and that they cannot be paired with each and every kind of outfit. However, their juttis had undergone several trial methods and they have successfully created comfortable yet beautiful pair of juttis. They are still working on breaking this myth to its core by working with influencers and bloggers. The next main struggle they faced was being able to find the perfect artisans to make the perfect juttis. But as one of them says, “Chah hai toh raah hai!”. And after a lot of exploration, they did find a team of artisans with perfect expertise they were looking for. Initially it was hard to explain them the details about the theme but gradually with time they began to work hand in hand, just like the team wanted them to.
As the current situation can be observed, Covid-19 has had an immense impact on human and social capital across the globe. All that one can do is to wait and hope for the best and work for the betterment of future. House of Ekara has started with contactless delivery and is constantly working on restoring its supply chain. Further, they are working on juttis to make it more sustainable and environment friendly. So, House of Ekara is not looking after your comfort only but also trying to nurture the comfort of the surrounding we live in and it is an idea like “cherry on the cake”.
They are thankful and express their gratitude to their artisans, core team and vendors who have been there with them through thick and thin. It’s not just the idea generator who makes the idea a success but the plot builder who weaves the most beautiful story line.
Juttis can bring infinite possibilities into reality. There are so many themes and concepts you can express through the designs imprinted on those pair of juttis. It’s interesting how small things come together to produce a beautiful product. The thought process of getting inspiration to design and conceptualize and finally making the juttis is spell binding.
When there is will, there is always a way. Even if you are unable to find it yourself, you will find it when the time is right. House of Ekara proves this that no idea is ordinary, but the people who give in their 100% to make it extraordinary and stand out among the crowd. It’s you who can identify your type- to be an ordinary one or stand as an extraordinary. So, let that idea take birth, let your planning fall in place because you never know “Kal ho or kal hi tumhara din ho”.
- Team Satyavachan