Ramya Rao & Kavea R Chavali | Founders

Home / Knowledge / Fashion / Fashion Talk

Fashion Talk

Ramya Rao & Kavea R Chavali

Founders
Kalaneca

Every handwoven weave has a story

The journey of Kalaneca (kala-Art, Neca- Nikaah) formally began in 2018 as the culmination of the collective dream of twin sisters - Ramya Rao and Kavea R Chavali, inspired by their mother - Lata Rao. Paulami Chatterjee spoke to the designer duo to understand the journey of their sari brand.

Fibre2Fashion: What was the inspiration that led to the formation/founding of the brand?

Ramya Rao & Kavea R Chavali:

We were always exposed to handwoven weaves. Hailing from a defence family, our parents would encourage us to understand the culture of the place we travelled to and each time we would bring back something handmade or handwoven from the places visited. We also realised that a powerloom sari might be comfortable on the pocket but highly uncomfortable to drape. After engaging conversations and watching the sari handwoven on a loom, we realised every handwoven weave has a story and a touch of love.

We are now headquartered at Mumbai and Kakinada

F2F: What is the USP of your products?

RR&KRC:

Our premium handwoven saris come in eclectic and unique colour combinations. The saris are customised for every mood, profession, and personality.

F2F: Which are your major markets in India and abroad?

RR&KRC:

Southern India, West Bengal and Delhi

F2F: What kind of brand building strategies do you implement?

RR&KRC:

We try to bring out the brand’s narrative of ‘Wear Your Power’ strongly through various concept shoots

F2F: Which are the categories the brand is into?

RR&KRC:

Womenswear

F2F: Who are your target audience?

RR&KRC:

Our target audience are women aged 25-60 wishing to express their personalities through versatility of a sari.

F2F: Which category sells the most and what is the price point?

RR&KRC:

Our silk saris are in high demand.

F2F: What are the price points of your saris?

RR&KRC:

The price points are as follows: cotton saris - Rs 2,500; silk and tissue saris - Rs 6,000; customised uppada jamdani silk saris - Rs 50,000 onwards.

F2F: What is your retail and web presence like?

RR&KRC:

We only have online presence as of now. We sell through our own website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc.

F2F: Which other product categories do you plan to move into future?

RR&KRC:

We plan to explore the possibilities of gifting solutions by providing a whole package around a sari that includes blouses, petticoats and jewellery.

F2F: What has been the impact of Covid in terms of sales, staff cutdown, rentals, stocks etc?

RR&KRC:

Our sales were hit badly; 40 per cent of the collection remained unsold. To protect weavers from unemployment and to ensure that the production kept running, the saris were sold at maximum sale price.

F2F: Where are your manufacturing facilities based at?

RR&KRC:

Our saris are handwoven in Andhra Pradesh villages and then sent to Kakinada or Mumbai from where they are shipped across the world depending on the photoshoot plans.

F2F: What is the annual production capacity?

RR&KRC:

We produce 8 curated and capsuled collections every year.

F2F: What kind of machinery does your manufacturing facility boast of?

RR&KRC:

Everything is on the handloom.

F2F: Sustainability and circularity are the buzz words today. How do you incorporate them into your product lines?

RR&KRC:

We ensure that there is no usage of plastic/ polyester in creating its saris unless a customer demands the sari to be wrapped in plastic to keep it safe. The bags are handwoven with muslin cloth and the exterior packaging involves a plastic bag that can be reused and recycled. Also, a seed plant paper is sent to the customer so that he/she can plant the paper further. The intention is to go completely plastic free. (PC)

This article was first published in the February 2021 edition of the print magazine.

Published on: 11/03/2021

Print this Fashion Talk

Expert Speak VIEW ALL

Get ready for the future

Is your business ready for Textiles 4.0? Before you can say, 'Yes', 'No', 'May be' or 'I don't...

Posted by
Aseem Prakash

Can India afford to miss the bus again?

Why do I ask if India can afford to miss the bus again? Because whether we like it or not, whether...

Posted by
Rahul Mehta

Looking ahead: The Digital Revolution

A few years later, the same process is now taking place in textile printing, and this has never...

Posted by
Gabi Seligsohn

Make in India: Will we 'make' it?

Imagine a cricketer, once an exciting player but now aged 45, having put on oodles of weight, too...

Posted by
Rahul Mehta

Sentiment Metrics

A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey concluded that a majority of US companies are having...

Posted by
Bill D’Arienzo

'Everything should be accessible to everyone'

It was not very long ago that people who shopped online in India were considered 'ahead of time'....

Posted by
Arun Sirdeshmukh

Indian textiles should not stop just at 'Make in India'

Indians are too enamoured of Hollywood. We can’t help it. We have been conditioned this way. The...

Posted by
Anurag Batra

Dyeing needs to be sustainable

The focus in research and development (R&D) is now more and more set on new sustainable products...

Posted by
Fanny Vermandel

Luxury belongs to India

Luxury is a lifestyle, and fashion is just a minuscule part of it. Businesswise-the most visible or ...

Posted by
Abhay Gupta

The management of quality

Effective quality management starts with a quality policy. Effectiveness is the extent to which...

Posted by
Pradip Mehta