Joining forces with business partners Jasmin Gelani and Hemant Dholariya, Ashish Dholariya wanted to carve a niche of his own in the booming textile industry that Surat is renowned for. Going from wholesale suppliers to selling online on Flipkart, the trio are weaving their dreams into reality. Read to know how an exponential increase in daily orders is just the tip of the iceberg!
The second-largest textile hub of India, Surat is dotted with mills and weaving, fiber, dyeing and printing units. The city’s deep-rooted connection with textiles started in the 1600s, and the industry remains the oldest and most prevalent in Surat even today. With more than 50,000 textile manufacturing units, it is India’s largest producer of clothes.
It is no wonder then that when the time came for Ashish Dholariya to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, textiles were his first thought. “Our whole family was in the diamond business. But I wanted to do something different. I wanted to carve an identity for myself,” says the young entrepreneur.
Read on to know how he made the most of Surat’s vibrant industry and leveraged digital commerce to weave a success story with his partners.
Surat: A trump card
A true believer in the power of collaboration, Ashish Dholariya knew that any success in his future would be a team effort. Finding drive and passion that mirrored his own in Jasmin Gelani, Ashish partnered with him to begin their journey.
Before jumping in, the duo made sure they learnt all they could about Surat’s dominant industry. “For close to a year we observed how the textile business was run in various places and gained knowledge,” says Jasmin.
In 2013, they registered their brand, Iris Studio. “It is easy to manufacture in Surat as there is access to labor and technology. Raw material here is affordable too,” explains Ashish.
Watch their story: Diamonds of Gujarat
Chasing their textile dreams
The duo started off with production, supplying wholesalers across India. Building their business slow and steady, they concentrated on dress materials before moving on to sarees. “As the business grew, we set up our own weaving, embroidery and stitching unit,” says Ashish.
Over the course of time, they strengthened their team with a new partner, Hemant Dholariya. While the trio knew that real profit was in manufacturing their own products, the hitch was clear.
“When it came to sales, the problem we faced was with returns and late payments,” explains Ashish. The time had come to modify their business plan, and this time, the partners chose online sellers.
Taking off with digital commerce as Flipkart sellers
“We decided to supply to companies doing online business in Surat and in 3 years, saw that they were growing their business. We thought, why not us?,” says Jasmin. It was then that the three partners decided to try their luck with direct-to-consumer sales on e-commerce.
“We opened an account with Flipkart. Initially we saw only 100 to 200 orders. Today, we are seeing over 2,000 orders per day and the number is still growing!” says Jasmin.
“We now sell dress materials, sarees and kurtas for men and women,” adds Hemant, and Iris Studio now has a pan-India presence. “Flipkart guides us and helps us plan ahead on product development. When we bring trending products to the market, they have a ready platform on Flipkart,” says Jasmin.
“To do any business, you need to take a little risk. I took that risk,” signs off Ashish.
To read more stories of #SellfMade Flipkart sellers, click here.
