“We envision becoming the biggest handcrafted fashion brand in India.”
Priyanka Garg (Founder & MD,
Maaesa Creations)
Jaipur is a melting pot of heritage, craftsmanship and modern design techniques. When Priyanka experienced the rich art culture of Pink city, she made up her mind to infuse trends and style with heritage and local craftsmanship. And here she is, bringing the authentic Tie-Dye legacy of Jaipur to your doorstep via Maaesa Creations.
“I was born and brought up in Jaipur and raised in a conventional middle-class Indian family with strong deep-rooted values. Becoming an entrepreneur was never a plan. However, the zeal infused by seeing the struggles of my parents ensured that I had to do something impactful with my life,” says the Founder handling Maaesa Creations for 7 years.
A Style For Every Story
The journey of Priyanka’s Maaesa Creations started as a B2B supplier but then she pivoted it to becoming a D2C brand in January 2020. Currently, Maaesa offers handcrafted garments and fashion consumables in the women’s casual wear range. She is planning to add kids’ wear verticals too.
More than 70% of the product box is Tie Dye Craft-centric. The creative genes of the skilled craftsmen are helping to build a craft-centric brand, and with just one craft, Maaesa Clothing has been able to achieve heights in such a short span of time.
The target audience of the retail and fashion brand is women falling in the age bracket of 18 – 55. “We are serving a versatile group of women with the common trait of being seekers of novelty in their mundane lives,” smiles Priyanka. She further adds, “Our product box has a streak of craft along with usual mass-market fashion needs. We also collaborate with fashion influencers and celebrities which help us build a distinct relationship with the clients.”
‘Hurdles Are A Part of Life’
Everybody enjoys a success story but nobody really understands the pain that goes into achieving it. Priyanka believes hurdles are just a part of life.
She says, “Creating a D2C brand has a 2-way struggle; firstly connecting and establishing trust with the ground artists’ starting from very minimal order quantity. However, constant interaction with them has worked like magic for me.
Secondly, establishing the brand in a perfectly competitive space of fashion is no cakewalk either; but focusing on quality keeps a tight hold on costs and eventually depends on the most crucial thing- DATA. In Priyanka’s words, “Our data-centric marketing strategy is where the magic lies.”
The Milestones Achieved
Fashion is an ever-evolving field but for an organisation to stick to one craft and then build scale is an unprecedented feat. Maaesa Creations has established itself in the hearts of many Indian women. Some of the awards and recognition received by Maaesa are:
- ‘Brand to Watch For’ at D2C conclave by Kamikaze, Mumbai
- Your Story identified Maaesa Clothing as the fastest-growing handcrafted D2C fashion brand in India
- BrilliantRead – Influencer Entrepreneur Journey June 2022 – Priyanka Garg & Akash Bansal, Founders – Maaesa Clothing
- c – GIZ, Germany recognized Priyanka Garg as an ‘Impact Women Entrepreneur from India’ in 2020-21
- TIE Rajasthan – Runner Up – at The Women Entrepreneur Rajasthan 2019
While taking business decisions, Priyanka follows a growth-centric along with people-centric approach.
“Growth which comes with poor people management is not sustainable, your team and your customers should be key beneficiaries of your growth and that surely brings long-term sustainable growth.”
Priyanka lives with a mission to make Maaesa Creations the biggest handcrafted fashion brand in India and establish connections with more than 500 grassroots artisans in the next 5 years.
