Mada Sasa- The inspirational couplepreneur from Kolkata
I really appreciate fashion brands with a cause, especially as a fashion journalist. Today I will be speaking about a brand called Mada Sasa, founded by Amit & Swati Bajoria, which I am not only recommending over this article but also, I personally stand with the mission of the brand.
Swati Bajoria, a mom-prenuer and the head designer of Mada Sasa is an inspiration as to how inspite of having two children, she managed to keep her passion alive and with impeccable time management and willpower, she pursued her dreams to achieve her growth story. They say Talent is always an unfair advantage that we are gifted with. Swati didn’t have any fancy fashion degree but yet, the subject of fashion was deep within her. She plunged deep into colours & fabrics, exploring the fine details of quality ornamentations, price effective sourcing and the gaps in the market supply chain. She is also a proud winner of “Women Achievers Award 2014” which was presented to 7 women from Kolkata across various fields. She works closely in the “Designing & Production’’ in Mada Sasa with the aim of learning more about her passion. Swati is a true example of women empowerment!
Amit Bajoria on the other hand, is an alumnus of Don Bosco (Park Circus) and has graduated from the prestigious St. Xavier’s college and became a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Of India. As a Chartered Accountant, he has been involved with the system and financial management since 1999. He has close to 20 years of experience across various business and professional verticals which include Finance, Risk due diligence & Fraud investigation, Garments, and Hospitality. He also served as the Vice President of Kolkata’s Prudent Chapter of Business Network International. He is also a member of the International Chamber of Business & Industry. Finance & Marketing of Mada Sasa is taken care of by Amit.
This couplepreneur duo is indeed an inspiration to many!
The word “Mada” means fashion in the Ethiopian language and Sasa comes from Swati and Amit. Thus this brings the meaning of the brand as “Fashion by Swati & Amit”.
Even though the brand started as a two-person team a decade back, today it provides direct and indirect employment to more than 100 artisans, a large number of them destitute women from NGOs. This is the cause that made this brand so close to me. Over these years, this Kolkata-based brand, Mada Sasa startled everyone with its suave ensemble of women wear fusions. Take a look at the amazing designs below-
One of the primary goals of Mada Sasa is to create a system that can be supported indefinitely in terms of human impact on the environment and social responsibility. With a belief in ethical fashion, minimalism of carbon footprint, it ensures issues such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, environment and animal welfare are taken care of.
Mada Sasa has still not been able to dive deep into some cities & towns do to unavailability of a proper boutique there or the hesitancy to shop online. They aspire to reach in all the major cities & towns of India as well through their Franchisee model which they have just launched and are already working on few applications. There is also a big vacuum in the space of bridals for side functions, which they now do just on customized basis for their existing clients. They also plan to launch Ethnics as a full vertical in the near future.
One of the major USPs of Mada Sasa is their choice of fabrics. They even get them weaved at times, color palettes as per what’s trending around the globe, and of course, the detailed customization as specified by the clients.
The drapes at Mada Sasa are absolute jaw-dropping for plus-sized women between age ranging from 30–60. Their drapes fit them well, and make them look stylish and elegant. Same applies to women from tier 2 & 3 cities where they are in a dilemma because they do not want to wear Indian all the time, and not dare to wear western clothes either. For them, the Indo western lines fall in place perfectly.
The best part about Mada Sasa is that they ensure designer wears too can be within the reach of normal people and are priced very reasonably, thereby not burning a hole in the pockets.
When asked about the initial struggles the duo faced during their journey, they said they were not always happy with the fabrics that were available in the market, so at times they got their own fabrics weaved, with a combination of their choice of threads & colours. Moreover Karigars who were neat & creative with their work came with the challenge of sharing them with other players in the market. But that was not to be as they wanted to create their own niche & subtle ornamentations, with their drapes & cuts to stand out.
I’m in love with the drapes, gowns, tunics and clean silhouettes. You can also see how many of their outfits are adorned by celebrities. Now you must be wondering that it is a high-end Luxe Fashion brand. I would call it Luxe Wear on a budget as it’s super affordable.
Feel free to reach out to them over their Instagram handle. I have also linked their website so that you can go through the same. If you are someone who likes to shop offline, you can drop down at their store located in New Alipore (22 Buroshibtala Main Road, Purti Seasons, Ground floor)
Don’t forget to comment on your favorite outfit below. Cheers
