How a NIFT Alumnus Started A Leather Products Unit With Rs 10,000 And took It To A Business of Rs 25 Lakh?

Aanchal Mittal's progressive parents, who were born in the countryside of Old Delhi to a Marwari family, refused to allow the traditional society in which they lived to dictate the conditions for raising their daughters.

They always encouraged Anchala and Sister Swati to become independent. “They told us, 'You can't get married until you start making money,' said Aanchal, 27, a former NIFT student in Delhi. He didn't disappoint his parents, but instead of finding a job, he took a step further and founded Brandless, a handmade leather goods brand.

What began in 2015, when he earned only 10,000 rubles from an independent task, has now grown to 25 million rubles for the turnover of a "profitable business". This happily lonely young girl, wounded and inadvertently funded by business capitalists, left her mark, especially in the fortress of men.

Non-branded products offer fashionable colors such as blue, beige, forest green, and black-brown leather, such as bags, handbags, wallets, travel bags, keychains, and suitcases. Leather suitcase products can be bought from Rs 200 (leather keys) to Rs 18,000 and handbags for around Rs 5,000.

Aanchal studied at the Orthodox Monastery School in Delhi. "Sport was my only breath ... I played table tennis at the state level," she shares. "I later took a media and advertising course at Hansraj College, but a year later I quit because I didn't like it."

2010 She joined NIFT in Delhi to take a leather design course. "In terms of fashion, it is one of the most prestigious universities in India. This place was a breath of fresh air," says Aanchalis. "I got along well with the industry and during my classes, I started training and helping renowned stylists."

"For the first time, I was paid 1,500 rubles for helping a stylist during the 2010 fashion week. Several times free work, the experience gained helped me a lot in the future."

She got her first brush with the leather industry during a three-week training at a tannery factory in Jalandhar. "From here comes my essential understanding of skin," he said. "I learned the whole skin-making procedure and differentiating between usable and non-usable skin."

As part of her project last year, she worked under the best designer Samant Chauhan and created leather bags and jackets under his direction. That experience proved to be her perfect training ground and her skills in skin design improved. Her project last year was rated the best in the class.

"By the end of last year, I felt burned out after doing wraps between a full-time course and various projects. So I decided against choosing a job between 9 and 5. I turned down the job with a great stylist and" I focused on my independent tasks, ”said Aanchal.

For such a task, she received a payment of 10,000 Rs. Aanchal decided to invest so much in her leather business. She already had knowledge of the industry and knew the vendors and the places the raw materials came from.

"I did R&D for nine months without telling anyone in my family. Suppliers were willing to give me raw materials after receiving symbolic advances," she recounts her brave and independent journey into entrepreneurship.

"An old contact at an export house, Masterjee (a tailor), who made leather goods became my first employee. His house became a temporary office for us to do the first samples."

Aanchal keeps the name of the company N Square Accessories after the first letter from her parents - Nisha & Naveen. “The unbranded brand name has come as a satirical joke for people who are brand conscious without appreciating the value and aesthetics of the products,” says Aanchal, whose products meet the dual needs of style and usability.

In the first year, they earned about Rs.50,000. Sales have increased year by year and their current turnover is 25 lakhs. “We are a profitable company,” says Aanchal. Their products are sold in selected stores in different parts of the country.

"I have completed the concept of a seller with a city. We do not want to connect with e-commerce portals because the profit for them is low price. I work with low margins and cannot compromise on quality," the model explains her business and Why they are not interested in online sales promotion.

But Aanchal has joined gift-giving corporations like chains, bags, or purses on holidays and other occasions. In the studio and rental factory, where all production takes place, about ten people work with it.

She is confident that her business has a good future. "In the era of rexine and imitation Chinese products, authentic leather has a special market and people with class and taste are still choosing it." The leather is expensive but durable and long-lasting, "he explains. When purchased properly, it is environmentally friendly as we recycle the skin and end up as biodegradable waste when it is disposed of. "

Aanchal's day starts at 7 am when she goes to classical dance, which gives her great pleasure and stress. She is also a guest faculty member at Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi.

"There is no shortcut to success; stubbornness and hard work are the only way forward," noted Aanchal, who accidentally learned to build the company's website because she had no money. She certainly believes in practicing what she preaches.