Life is about creating yourself

She is someone who believes that comfort for a woman is as important as fashion, and if you can maintain your femininity, enjoy your comfort, and look superbly fashionable, then you would feel on top of the world. Meet the founder of Kaftan Company, Prakruti Gupta who is here to paint the world with her designs that are subtle, comforting, and cheerful. In a conversation with the Corporate Citizen, Prakruti talks about her corporate journey, how she overcame cancer, and much more.

Corporate Citizen: Tell us a bit about your growing up days.

Prakruti Gupta: I was born and raised in a humble Gupta family. My father owned two businesses, a pharmaceutical company-it is a 45-year-old, Ayurvedic ointment company, which, I later took over. And a chain of sweet’s shops which closed a long time ago. I studied in a boarding school. At the age of 17, I left for Canada to study at the University of Windsor where I pursued my Bachelor of Commerce Honours, Business Administration and Computer Science. I completed my MBA in Marketing, Strategy Management, at York University

The kind of exposure that I received as a child, made me realise that I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but just did not know when. With that, I also was into computers and the corporate world. It’s just not easy to give up your corporate life and start a business. And I enjoyed working for a huge company. However, even there my manager felt that I had a little more than what I exuded. Just to put my journey in short, I started my career as a customer service representative at Daimler Chrysler Canada in 2001, and since have moved a very long way, in terms of work and geographies. Born to a business family, I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. After working for a few years, I started my own business in India, in the field of garments and home furnishing manufacturing.

CC: You spent a fair amount of time in the corporate world, walk us through that.

In 2004, I interned with Mercedes-Benz Financial. Within no time, looking at my progress, I was hired there. I worked there for five years and was promoted every year. I started in the customer service position and within nine months I moved to an analyst position. After handling various positions, my last job there was as a global team lead for a project. There is no secret to success, you ought to keep learning at every stage.

My splendid corporate journey pushed me to understand the nuances it had to offer. Fortunately, I learned a lot, so much that I still apply the learnings in my business. I had one of the most amazing managers, who enlightened me with the philosophy of working-how to work together and how to showcase empathy. I had watched my father quite closely; he was the first one who showcased the importance of empathy in the workplace. For me, it was simple-leadership is all about empathy and we should relate and connect with our employees. One more thing that I learned at work was the work-life balance which I still carry forward. I also understood the importance of technology and how to implement it.

CC: Were you hesitant to hang your corporate boots?

Some things in life happen and unfortunately, you don’t have any control over them. I wasn’t hesitant to leave my corporate job, rather, I had no choice. Got married to Navin, who is a Canadian citizen. He wanted to move to Dubai. Now, my team in Canada loved me, so, my manager, called our Dubai team saying that our star employee is moving to Dubai, and it would be great if they had a position for me. Sadly, they did not have a job for my calibre. But Fiat and Chrysler did. So, we moved to Dubai. Unfortunately, one month into the job and I was diagnosed with cancer. Hence, we had to shift to India for the further process. In turn, I had to quit my corporate job.

"I thought of starting a home furnishing brand that would change the vibe of the house. In 2010, Shibumi Fashion was one of the first companies to start home furnishing with digital printing. We supplied to some of the big brands."

CC: Can you walk through your journey of overcoming cancer?

Prakruti Gupta with family

Just six months into my marriage, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, which was totally unexpected. As doctors in Dubai couldn’t diagnose it effectively, we flew down to Mumbai, where the diagnosis began at the Tata Memorial Hospital. The initial few days went into understanding what exactly happened. I did not know what to make of it. It was tough. My mom and my husband are headstrong and they helped me a lot. Dad and I are sentimental-I’m generally a positive person. I consoled myself saying whatever happened has happened-I can’t cry over it.

My husband even left his job to take care of me. It was a six-month treatment. As my body reciprocated well, the treatment got over in three months. Post treatment we moved back to Hyderabad. They assured me I’ll get back to normal. Thankfully, the cancer was 100 per cent curable. I was clueless when the doctors said I’m lucky-now, I know why.

CC: Kudos to you for overcoming cancer. How did it change you as a person?

This process did change my perspective on life. Things that seemed important, later did not. I always knew family is important, but this period made me realise that they mean the world to me. And I did not want to leave them and go back. And a thought rose that I wanted to do something of my own. It is a fact that no one likes hospitals, and I am no different. The white hospital room started to annoy me. The bedsheet and other décor were dull too. So, like every cloud has a silver lining, and although this situation wasn’t favourable, I thought of making the most of what I have. We started with brainstorming ideas. Digital printing on fabric was a fairly new idea back then. It wasn’t launched in India. I thought of starting a home furnishing brand that would change the vibe of the house. In 2010, Shibumi Fashion was one of the first companies to start home furnishing with digital printing. We supplied to some of the big brands. And then there was no looking back.

CC: What happened next? And how did Kaftaan come into existence?

Shibumi Fashion was growing steadily. Soon came all the e-commerce brands in the market. Shibumi Fashion was just an online brand. For three years we did that and people started recognising our brand. The best part was we started getting orders for bulk manufacturing for private companies. Within no time, we began working with big companies. For the next five years, we did their production. It started getting quite unexciting for me. It was monotonous-it was an order and supply job. There was no creativity from our end and my heart yearned for more. I was wondering what kind of brands we can start in garments. That’s when I thought about Kaftan Company in 2016. That was something I loved as a garment. And when I was going through my treatment, my oncologist always asked me to wear loose clothes. Tight clothes anyway aren’t good for the body. Back then, there were no kaftans in the market. I thought it would be fun and challenging. But, I was sure that we will get through. Kaftan Company began its journey, but we were still managing Shibumi Fashion too. We did not give that up. That’s always a risk-we needed to mitigate that risk and see that our employees got paid. My husband took care of the manufacturing. And I continued with the Kaftan Company.

"I wanted to do something different. Nightwears can be interesting too. So, we started a vibrant digital print for nightwear. This is what made us stand out in the market competition. Staying up with the trend, we have been a sustainable brand."

The next step

Kaftan Company was an online brand. Soon we launched it on other online shopping portals like Ajio, Jabong, Amazon, Myntra etc. Eventually, now we are available everywhere. The company aims to provide global buyers with the widest range of loungewear and kaftans through design innovations, and adherence to sustainable practices. Our growth can be attributed to innovation and the great customer experience provided by our Kaftans. The first three years were challenging. As people did not even understand the product. Some people related to it as what grandmoms wore at night. It was nightwear, so they never bothered it should still look good. The prints were not vibrant. I wanted to do something different. Nightwears can be interesting too. So, we started a vibrant digital print for nightwear. This is what made us stand out in the market competition. Staying up with the trend, we have been a sustainable brand. And our production is completely organic. The Kaftan Company uses digital printing and natural fabrics to reduce waste generation and the overall carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. There is zero wastage. It is an end-to-end garment house. We recycle even the smallest of waste of the fabric. Second, part of the sustainability is the kind of fabric you use-80 per cent of our fabric is made using cotton and sustainable material. As a brand, you’ve to be conscious of these things.

Sassy designs

We take inspiration from the Paris and New York runway for what’s coming up. Our creative team figures out the print we want to develop. We have a designer who works only on prints. We had just launched a line-up called Alpha-diva, a corporate clothing line. Owing to Covid pandemic we had to discontinue the brand. We focused on comfort. It was a clothing line that did not constraint the person’s movements. We are into subtle but happy colours. Such things brighten your mood and in turn your productivity. The fabric was flowy and comfort and style were our priorities.

CC: Any fashion tips for the corporates?

Wear what you feel comfortable in. Don’t follow the norms. If you like something – go for it and make a style statement for sure.

CC: When not working what keeps you occupied?

I love spending time with my children Sanmay and Vismany. The moment I’m free, I plan some activities with my boys. That’s the most important thing for me. When you have a business you rarely get time. I love to travel as well, whenever I get time.

CC: Tips for entrepreneurs?

Hon a never give up attitude. Life keeps on changing, there’s no guarantee of anything hence you ought to have patience and you should believe in yourself. Success takes time, meanwhile, life goes on. Embrace whatever it offers, and move with a lot of happiness, positivity, and confidence.

CC: What’s your philosophy in life?

Just keep on going, life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. The thing you can control is yourself.